Homophobia: Homosexuality and Men

Homophobia has been around for a long time and in most cases is not a valid argument for the hate and fear people have towards homosexuals. This is a very important and relevant topic in today’s time. Many people claim that homophobia is a valid reason to hate gay people. In all reality, many times people who are homophobic just don’t understand gay people. If you look up homophobia in the dictionary, it would say something like fear of lesbians and gay men. This is somewhat true but very misleading. I believe it should say unreasonable or irrational fear, and while some include these thoughts, most do not. This is a reflection of the overuse of the word, and the fact that most people feel their claims are valid. The reasons for homophobia are not usually valid and their effects can be everlasting and very hurtful, both emotionally and physically. Homophobia was first coined by psychologist George Weinberg in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual (“Homophobia”). A year before this, the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove “Homosexuality” from the list of mental disorders. This was not a new concept, however. It was just given a name by Weinberg. The word first appeared in an article in 1969 but it was used to refer to straight men's fear that others might think they are gay (“Homophobia”). There are some very disturbing facts in regard to homosexuals and homophobia. Many gays and lesbians are the victim of anti-gay violence. However about 80% never report it for fear of being called a homosexual (National). Also 85% of teachers oppose integration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT themes into their classes. Now homophobia is not only in schools. It is in the workplace, too. In a national survey, 191 employers were polled and the results were shocking. Eighteen percent would fire, twenty-seven percent would refuse to hire, and twenty-six percent would refuse to promote any person they perceived to be lesbian, gay or