mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
To little information to form an opinion.
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Is Homophobia a Mental Illness?
- Thread starter Heyo
- Start date
To little information to form an opinion.
Brian2
Veteran Member
You have probably heard of the appeal to popularity fallacy.
In this case it would go that most people where I live say that homosexual acts are not morally wrong, therefore they are not and anyone who thinks differently is homophobic and bigoted.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
There are other ways to understand that.
Brian2
Veteran Member
There is plenty of information in the links below. (probably too much) Bolt is a shock jock who gives the right wing view. I don't think he is completely wrong however. It is certainly an emotive issue.
Ex-Essendon CEO Andrew Thorburn says linking faith and employment a ‘dangerous idea’
Essendon CEO Andrew Thorburn’s religious views criticised by Daniel Andrews
https://www.news.com.au/national/vi...a/news-story/48148819d7b6174df9bab450662a38a1
Andrew Thorburn’s Essendon Bombers resignation painted as form of religious persecution by federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and state Opposition Leader Matthew Guy
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
Yeah, and in Denmark the head of the Conservative party is openly gay and has been married to a man.
So that is politics and I don't do that kind of politics.
I see it more as a political term than anything else. It's most often applied to people who oppose gay rights. Whether or not their opposition is motivated by true fear, or if this is just an example of the kind of term that people use to denigrate political opposition - that's not really clear-cut.
I would compare it with "claustrophobia," which is a fear of enclosed spaces, in which the claustrophobic person might freeze up or hyperventilate from being deathly afraid. I've known people with claustrophobia, and there are definite physical symptoms which are exhibited in those circumstances.
In Europe there is no identity politics...that's for sure.
The only Italian senator of African origin is from the Nationalist Party of Salvini.
And there are LGBT people in Nationalist-rightist movements here.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
It's not a mental illness.
Just because people don't like, or want to associate with something they have absolutely no interest or desire for, dosent make them mentally ill.
If you find a person to be creepy then that's phobia. If you make prejudgments against on or more person on the basis that you think homosexuals all have certain defects then that is homophobia. For example if you think all homosexuals are silly people then you are bigoted not phobic; however the word to use is homophobic. That is the current, the modern term that is active in our culture. It is for the purpose of shaming those who prejudge or who are whipped into a fear of homosexuals through stories about homosexuals: the lynch mobs who announce that homosexuality or homosexuals must be eliminated or criminalized. They are homophobic.
There are a number of clinically diagnostic terms that are not used in a clinical way in common parlance. The term "phobia" is among them. As used in common parlance, "--phobia" (and you can put whatever you want to in front of that word) is very rarely referring to clinically diagnostic phobias (that is, mental illnesses that would be properly diagnosed as such by professionals). I'm not a clinical psychologist, so I can't speak to the rate of diagnoses where phobia of homosexuals is present as a clinical mental illness, though I have little doubt that it exists in some capacity. That's not how the word is used in common parlance, though, so... 
Strongly agree. Unfortunately, in English, the suffix "-phile" has the meaning of "enjoyer" or "liker" or "lover" of something -- like bibliophile, oenophile, zoophile (loves books, wine or animals). The "antonym" of that should not mean "fear" but "dislike." Unfortunately, that antonymic suffice "-phobe" really does mean "fear." Think of the 2 moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos -- Greek for fear and terror.
This is more a language problem than a psychological disorder. The vast majority of the people that we would call "homophobes" today are just people who really don't like gay people. But that's not what the word really means.
The problem is, there really don't seem to be antonyms for words like bibliophile, oenophile or zoophile. We would usually resort to phrases such as book hater or wine hater, etc. And we should probably do the same in this case, and just say what people really are: not gay fearers but gay haters. Different kettle of fish.
I agree that if the argument were 'x is okay because most people think it's okay' would be an appeal to popularity, but that's not what I think. I think homophobia stems for having an irrational aversion to homosexuality and bigotry from putting that irrational aversion into practice.
For the aversion to be rational it would have to correlate to material, tangible harms. Definitely not an immaterial appeal to authority, or an appeal to popularity.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
God does not have discriminatory viewpoints, thus God's Messengers who reveal God's laws also do not have those viewpoints, since they perfectly represent the Will of God.
Observing laws which prohibit interracial relationships is racist.
Laws prohibiting homosexual sex acts are not homophobic because they do not showing a dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
homophobic: having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
homophobic means - Google Search
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
The laws were made by Messengers of God who are not 'homophobic people.' They take no stance on the issue, they are just revealing God's Will for man.
homophobic: having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
homophobic means - Google Search
Those people who agree with those laws may or may not be homophobic.
I agree with those laws but I do not have a dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Those are really good points and I am glad someone finally said it.I just see this as one of the many things we just have to accept as being a natural part of human nature and not something to get worked up over. There are far more important issues, and that affect so many more.
I don't believe gods exists but even if I did I would not accept uncritically that a god is incapable of biases and prejudices on their say so, and I certainly wouldn't accept that humans who write about them aren't.
In short, perfectly representing the will of God my lily bum.
Observing laws which prohibit interracial sex acts are racist because placing a different value judgement on interracial mixing when evaluating relationships is prejudicial and disdainful.
Observing laws which prohibit gay sex acts are homophobic because placing a different value judgement on people's gender or sex when evaluating relationships is prejudicial and disdainful.
I do not accept 'god says so' as not homophobic, nor do I accept 'god says so' as anything but a vacuous appeal to authority. I want material, tangible reasons why the discrimination is happening, or I'm going to call it as I see it, an irrational aversion.
Heyo
Veteran Member
Homophobic people believe in homophobic gods. Ever wondered why that is?
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I don't believe there is any such thing as a homophobic God or gods, just a God who reveals laws..
Heyo
Veteran Member
Homophobic laws. From homophobic gods. Revealed by homophobic messengers. Believed by homophobic adherents.
That's how I see it because I don't have to defend an immoral aspect of a god or "messenger" thought to be "perfect". I don't believe that you are a homophobe. You are just caught in the perfection trap. I believe you fear to admit that Baha'u'llah made an error in moral judgement when he declared his homophobia - because it could lead on a slippery slope.
If you don't believe in Divine Command theory, you'll have to admit that, even by other Baha'i moral standards and surely by modern western standards, homophobia is immoral. Being prejudiced against a group of people who can't help what they are and are moral people aside from that one aspect can't be justified by any other means than Divine Command theory. And by Divine Command theory slavery, war and genocide are also justified. (Or were to all Abrahamics until Baha'u'llah.)
I think this is a real male-
He basically says that he wants so many men to be gay because this implies more women available for him.
So we must admit homophobia is kinda irrational if you think about it.
If I think that my husband has a female coworker and she is a lesbian ..I am relieved.
Because a lesbian cannot steal my husband from me. Logical, no?
He basically says that he wants so many men to be gay because this implies more women available for him.
So we must admit homophobia is kinda irrational if you think about it.
If I think that my husband has a female coworker and she is a lesbian ..I am relieved.
Because a lesbian cannot steal my husband from me. Logical, no?
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