avatarCollin McGuinness

Summary

The author argues for retiring the term "homophobia" due to its implication that fear underlies anti-LGBTQ sentiment, suggesting "hetero-supremacy" as a more accurate descriptor.

Abstract

The article titled "Time to Retire the Term Homophobia" contends that the word "homophobia" is outdated and inaccurate in describing the current state of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, which is rooted in hatred rather than fear. The author, Collin, points out that "homophobia" was coined by George Weinberg and has been used to describe discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, but it no longer serves its purpose effectively. Collin criticizes the term for implying victim blaming and for being uniquely applied to LGBTQ issues compared to other forms of prejudice. He suggests that the term "hetero-supremacy" better captures the systemic and hateful nature of the opposition faced by the LGBTQ community, citing examples such as Disney's censorship of gay characters, hateful rhetoric from public figures, and the introduction of "Don't Say Gay" bills. The article calls for the eradication of the term "homophobia" and encourages the adoption of more precise language to reflect the gravity of the situation and to motivate action against such hatred.

Opinions

  • "Homophobia" is an inadequate term that fails to convey the true nature of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, which is hatred rather than fear.
  • The use of "homophobia" can be seen as a form of victim blaming, suggesting that the target of prejudice is responsible for the feelings and actions of the oppressor.
  • Unlike other groups, the term "homophobia" uniquely ascribes a psychological condition to the discrimination faced by LGBTQ individuals, which is problematic and inaccurate.
  • The author proposes "hetero-supremacy" as a more fitting term to describe the systemic oppression and desire to dominate or erase LGBTQ existence.
  • The article emphasizes the importance of language in shaping perception and action, advocating for the retirement of "homophobia" in favor of terms that accurately reflect the severity of the issue.
  • The author is personally invested in changing the discourse around LGBTQ rights and is ready to take action to challenge the use of the term "homophobia."

Time to Retire the Term Homophobia

Words matter, and this word serves us no purpose anymore

Editor’s design, based on Nazi-era pink triangle designating “homosexuals” in death camps

homophobic (adj.): by 1971, from homo- (2) “homosexual” + -phobia + -ic. Related: Homophobe; homophobia (which word is said to date from 1969 in this context; earlier “fear of men,” by 1908).

“Homophobia” was coined by George Weinberg, first appearing in 1969 in a porno magazine called Screw. As much as I love a classic, I think the word has outlived its usefulness. I believe it is no longer appropriate and even detrimental.

We’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of homophobia, and in some cases it has been well used. The most recent example is the revelation that Disney intentionally censored gay characters as so they wouldn’t scare off anti-gay bigots. They recently changed their tune, to the dismay of bigots everywhere.

Why are WE the only group that if you hate us, the word for it includes a term for fear?

But “homophobia” has bugged me for a long time. Fox News and its parent company have been called homophobic for years, and I’m sure someone at NewsCorp noticed HRC slapped them on the wrist. But they don’t care. They never have and never will. Not only has the word lost its punch, but bigots like Matt Walsh practically wear it as a badge of honor.

When words have a clear meaning, they have power.

As a writer, I hate the word “problematic.” It’s overused by millennials, but in this case, it’s appropriate. The term homophobia is itself problematic. The fact that homo is part of the word tends to lay the blame for someone else’s prejudice on the target of the hatred.

It’s the epitome of victim blaming.

This is “she was wearing a short skirt, so she had it coming” wrapped up in one 10-letter word. Explain to me very slowly how we are responsible for someone else’s feelings and actions towards us by merely existing? I don’t feel very kind, giving, generous or understanding when it comes to someone else’s hatred.

This is a level of empathy I’m personally incapable of. Maybe this was ok when we weren’t as visible as we are today. When it was more common to be in the closet than out in 1969. It doesn’t sit well with me in 2022 when even the term “coming out” is starting to look antiquated. In fact, when you think of how it lays the blame on us, it’s actually barbaric.

Furthermore, I’ve NEVER been OK with a double standard or accepting less than what everyone else gets. If you hate Blacks, Whites or Latinos, you’re not Afro-phobic, Euro-phobic, or Latin-phobic. You’re a racist. If you hate women, you’re a misogynist and if you hate men then you’re a misandrist. If you hate Jewish people, you’re anti-Semitic.

Why are WE the only group that if you hate us, the word for it includes a term for fear?

What we’re seeing right now isn’t fear. It’s hatred. When I was a little kid, I used to have a fear of Santa Claus and clowns. I LITERALLY pissed my pants at the sight of them. My family went out of their way to avoid bringing me near either of them. I have a fear of snakes. You know what I do? I stay the fuck away from them. When someone is claustrophobic, they don’t go looking for elevators to punch and call names. They go out of their way to take the fucking stairs.

Fear: NOUN 1. an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. “I cowered in fear as bullets whizzed past”·

synonyms: terror · fright · fearfulness · horror · alarm · panic · agitation ·

Fear: VERB 1. be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or harmful. “I hated him but didn’t fear him anymore” ·

synonyms: be afraid of · be fearful of · be scared of · be apprehensive of · dread …

We LGBTQ people are not dealing with fear

Opposition to our full equality springs from raw uncut hate. When they don’t want you portrayed in media, it’s not fear, it’s hate. When a sitting congresswoman thinks it should be illegal for you to come out until you’re 21, they think gay is a kink. They hate you.

When Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman and unsuccessful presidential candidate with a history of peddling conversion therapy, goes on Twitter to say the Florida Don’t Say Gay bill doesn’t go far enough, she doesn’t fear you. She FUCKING HATES YOU.

When we are physically attacked in places like NYC or a middle class-suburb in the UK, as my editor James Finn recently wrote happened to his friend, that’s not fear. It’s hate.

Conversion therapy costs the United States $9 billion a year.

For real. For all intents and purposes, it’s an industry. Just to put it in scale, ONE division of Microsoft is worth $1 billion. SpaceX is worth around $12 billion. Lots of successful startups in Silicon Valley aren’t worth even $1 billion.

As much as I fear snakes, I wouldn’t spent $9 BILLION to get rid of them. If you have that kind of scratch, you’re spending it to get rid of something you hate. And with more Don’t Say Gay bills coming down the pipe, understand they plan on being thorough.

As I said earlier, words matter.

I know we’ve changed the word literally to also mean figuratively or virtually. But, when we use the right words, when we respect them enough to understand words carry weight, we know how to act accordingly.

George Carlin remarked in his Parental Advisory comedy special how once upon a time, the term PTSD was called shell-shock. He noted the American penchant for using “euphemistic expressions that conceal reality and take the life out of life.” We conceal the truth with clinical descriptives, rather than face ugly facts delivered poignantly with the bluntest of terms.

“Homophobia” is one of those descriptives. Let’s be honest about what we’re seeing.

This is Hetero-Supremacy. This is the BLUNTEST and most HONEST term I can come up with. When someone wants to wipe you off the face of the earth and eradicate any trace of your existence, it’s a supremacist movement. When someone wants to marginalize you until it’s like you don’t exist, it’s a supremacist movement.

This isn’t some college professor’s latest buzzword that I’m throwing out there. This is the only word I can use to describe what I saw after staring into the abyss of the latest hate toward LGBT+ people. My goal in laying homophobia to rest isn’t to get the rest of the world to see what they’re doing to us. If it does, great.

My goal is to get you to open your eyes and take action.

Is this an exercise in futility? Maybe, but I HATE homophobia as a term. It has become the unseen bane of the LGBT+ community. If it should become my Moby Dick, so be it.

“He piled upon the whales white hump. The sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a canon, he would have shot his heart upon it.”

I will do my best to irradicate it from my vocabulary and ask others to do the same. I will go after it with all the fury of Captain Ahab himself. Because like the whale in Herman Melville’s story, it has harmed us, and it needs to die.

If you have a better term, fine. I’m all ears. For now, I’ll continue to use the term hetero-supremacist. I advise that you be as relentless in purging the term homophobia from your dialog.

Collin is a natural born atheist who doesn’t believe in dogma, religious or political. He grew up in NYC, but his heart belongs in the midwest where he’s moving. Bi-ish, but mostly gay. Nerd! Dogs are the very best kind of people.

LGBTQ
Homophobia
Equality
Social Justice
Language
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