What's the reason for being homophobic?

[Fudgepuppy]

I'm watching the Master of None episode about Denise being gay and her mother's reaction to it, and I just started thinking how we can still have people being homophobic.

When it comes to xenophobia, islamophobia and racism, I can totally see it stemming from us living in a society where we are constantly bombarded with information that makes us afraid of "others", but when it comes to not being heterosexual, we know it's not a choice and that it can be anyone. It's not either like people are able to use the kind of arguments they use for other kinds of phobias, like "All muslims are terrorist".

Other people's sexuality has no bearing on your life, so how the fuck can you logically have an excuse for being homophobic? Unless we're talking someone who's a religious fanatic with lots of hate in their heart, wtf?

 

[the_batman]

you seem pretty naive about the subject, not everyone thinks it's not a choice. and they see it as a breakdown of society

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Certain religious sects.
Self denial of one's own sexuality.
Just general hatred.

Take your pick really.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Homophobes simply believe it's "gross"/"unnatural". They know it has nothing to do with their lives but the existence of something that people enjoy that lives outside of their approved experiences scares, confuses and insults them. Rather than critique that feeling in themselves like an adult, they just seek to destroy the people that don't fit. It's inherently illogical.

 

[Kain-Nosgoth]

Certain religion.
Self denial of one's own sexuality.
Just general hatred.

Take your pick really.

also the "it's against nature" argument

 

[Ventilaator]

It's not either like people are able to use the kind of arguments they use for other kinds of phobias, like "All muslims are terrorist".

I've heard "All gay people are pedophiles" a million times.

you seem pretty naive about the subject, not everyone thinks it's not a choice.

Also this. I've heard "How can we accept gay people, humanity will die out if everyone suddenly decides to be gay????" another million times.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

you seem pretty naive about the subject, not everyone thinks it's not a choice. and they see it as a breakdown of society

If you think it's a choice, you're completely ignoring the logical follow up question "Then why would you choose it?", especially in situations where your child has to leave the house forever because of this "choice".

It doesn't require a lot of critical thinking to blow holes in this concept.

 

[jufonuk]

http://imgur.com/9fng8VG

I also take Dr cox's view as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmZr3NZxHB0

don't recommend searching for Dr Cox Gays at work

I think honestly it's ignorance and fear that can make people homophobic.

 

[the_batman]

If you think it's a choice, you're completely ignoring the logical follow up question "Then why would you choose it?", especially in situations where your child has to leave the house forever because of this "choice".

It doesn't require a lot of critical thinking to blow holes in this concept.

you're assuming these people are capable of critical thinking

 

[Spectone]

Certain religious sects.
Self denial of one's own sexuality.
Just general hatred.

Take your pick really.

The religious thing doesn't make any sense. As the Bible doesn't actually call people to be homophobic just that homosexuality is wrong, just as wrong as lying but you don't get liar phobics.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Fear and ignorance.

Fear of the unknown, fear of the different, fear that people will reject you by association - which accounts for A LOT of family rejection of gay children - what will the neighbours/colleagues/other family members say/think etc, how will it effect their own standing in the family/community. Parents feeling awkward when talking with peers about becoming grandparents etc.

Hundreds of years of lies is not so easily swept away.

 

[EdibleKnife]

If you think it's a choice, you're completely ignoring the logical follow up question "Then why would you choose it?", especially in situations where your child has to leave the house forever because of this "choice".

It doesn't require a lot of critical thinking to blow holes in this concept.

It doesn't require critical thinking but these people are simply uninterested in participating in critical thinking. Easier thing to do in their mind is deny the reality & work to destroy it. If they remove what they're afraid and confused by from the equation, then there's no more big questions they have to ask about themselves or society.

 

[Ventilaator]

If you think it's a choice, you're completely ignoring the logical follow up question "Then why would you choose it?", especially in situations where your child has to leave the house forever because of this "choice".

It doesn't require a lot of critical thinking to blow holes in this concept.

We'd be in a Star Trek utopia for decades now if anyone cared about logic and reality when they have feelings they need to yell about.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

It doesn't require a lot of critical thinking to blow holes in this concept.

I don't think bigots invest much into critical thinking. Well, outside of conspiracy theories maybe.

The religious thing doesn't make any sense. As the Bible doesn't actually call people to be homophobic just that homosexuality is wrong, just as wrong as lying but you don't get liar phobics.

People don't read the bible. People go to be told what the bible says by an individual's interpretation.

 

[truestatic]

It's different from me. I never saw any positive examples of gay people growing up. Now all the examples of gay people I see flaunt their strange alternative lifestyle. I was brought up by parents who thought it was immoral, teachers who thought it was immoral, among peers who thought it was immoral. They're second class citizens because they're not guaranteed the same rights I am by the law. They're constantly complaining. It's against my religion. It feels good to bully people who aren't as powerful as I am.

Take your pick.

(None of the above are my opinions or feelings on the subject.)

 

[Preezy]

To quote Peter Kay:

"I'm not a homophobe, I'm not afraid of my house."

 

[Sojgat]

Religious beliefs/stupidity and just general ignorant hatefulness born out of fear and a need to feel superior to others.

Same basic reasons as any type of bigotry. People just suck.

 

[TissueBox]

You answered it yourself in your post, and no it's not different from xenophobia, racism, islamophobia. No matter the characteristics, be it visual, cultural, or sexual, if you are different you can be feared. In many cases it's a representation of a sense of security being violated, and yes this extends to intrinsic, personal variants just as much as pre-conceived physical ones.

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

A lot of it boils down to people fearing what they dont understand and an unwillingness to try to understand. We are kind of tribal by nature so when we find people who are different to us, its common for people to find someone else who feels its not right and bond with them rather than talk to the person whos different and find out about it.

Lucky there are also plenty of people who are beyond this behavior but I think most things like homophobia and racism stem from this.

 

[m3k]

so many reasons aside from being different

also some people are genuinly scared

 

[EBE]

There's probably some evolutionary angle to it. I'm thinking something like paternity confidence and cuckoldry but for gays.

Too lazy to look it up though

 

[mieumieu]

From what I understand, there are four kinds of 'principles' homophobes would give as reasons:

1. Providence (Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve)
2. Tradition (or mainstream culture. Basically the same as 1 but without a deity)
3. Nature (or 'Nature' as they understand. Which just goes to show how much they misunderstand nature.)
4. Hurtful (basically they think gay people hurts themselves and hurt others. Sometimes confused with pedophilia)

None of which can face scrutiny of course but a lot of them can be deceiving.

 

[Dommo]

There are a number of clear historical reasons for this. On a base level, you can clearly see that something like the the church bombarding countless generations of people with the notion that being gay is wrong will have deep rooted consequences. There are other reasons but that's really all that it takes: the spread of misinformation by a figure of authority can lead to longstanding misled beliefs.

There's also a primal element of humans sticking to a tribe and outcasting those that are different. Once you've convinced a substantial group of people that another group is different for a specific reason, humans find it easy to dehumanise and set aside that group. They're no longer 'one of us'. It doesn't matter if it's skin colour or sexuality. It doesn't matter that they're seemingly amongst us already or that it can happen to anybody. There's a point of difference there that can be used as a divide.

 

[HeySeuss]

Pretty simple really. (Some) People fear that which they do not understand. It's different and foreign to them so they fear and lash out at it.

Really just the adult version of playground bullying like when someone got make fun of for having too many freckles, or red hair, or being poor. Please don't misunderstand my comment to mean I am minimizing the issue of the topic, I'm just pointing out the why in why people act that way.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

It really just comes down to the basic shit. Everything else is just used as a justification.

When a homophobe thinks about having sex with a man it grosses him out, so it's obviously "wrong". It's that simple.

It's why male homophobes seldom have issues with lesbians, unless they "look like men".

 

[pixeldash]

I have a lot of religious relatives I've confronted about this. I know for them they "disapprove" of gay people because they think that homosexuality IS a choice (and of course religion plays a part too). I'm hoping that as more undeniable research comes out, though, they can get past their homophobia.

If anyone knows some good articles on the subject btw, please share. I think a better understanding of what causes a person's sexuality is what will really help turn people around.

 

[Zampano]

When I was young I didn't know any gay people and everyone in school just thought it was gross. Over time and knowing more people from different walks of life your perspective changes.

Some people just stay in that closed off version of life and never have to adjust their views.

 

[SolarMystic]

Religion

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

Religion

There are plenty of non religious homophobes out there.

 

[PaulExcellent]

LGBT sounds like a sandwich and that offends me. So they're gross.

Also Jesus tells me so. But not really.
Someone told me Jesus said that he hates them and that's good enough for me.

 

[SgtCobra]

There are plent of non religious homophobes out there.

Lots and lots of homophobia I've seen irl came from people who never had anything to do with religion. They just "find it gross".

 

[JimmyRustler]

You'd be shocked how many people actually think it's a choice.

 

[DemWalls]

Good question. I think some homophobes just don't think thoroughly about certain matters, just have a gut reaction based on various factors, their upbringing possibly being one of them.

I hope to not sound offensive, but, to put it in Pierce Hawthorne's words (IIRC), why should you care about what a man likes to do with another man's ass?

 

[SolarMystic]

There are plent of non religious homophobes out there.

Yes, but I would bet a lot of it is due in part to religion and it's effect on society, even if not directly related to religion.

 

[Kain-Nosgoth]

You'd be shocked how many people actually think it's a choice.

i thought it was a choice when i was a teenager too (without hating it, it was fine to me either way)

 

[Funyarinpa]

-A feeling that it's gross, born from sheer ignorance
-Religious indoctrination
-Widespread lies ("gays are pedophiles" etc.)
-Pure hatred

 

[Linkup]

I took a required humanities class called Perspectives on Gender at a California State University about 5 years ago. One of the professors, out of three that taught the course, had slides talking about homosexuality as a black box trait and that black box traits aren't understood yet. Another black box trait was left handedness. Class was dead silent while he went through those slides.

I mentioned this before, but at least at this university they still don't make a claim either way of being a choice or not.

 

[T.O.P]

Religion

As of my experiences, this

Biggest homophobic counts I've ever met were all religious nuts

 

[boiled goose]

The religious thing doesn't make any sense. As the Bible doesn't actually call people to be homophobic just that homosexuality is wrong, just as wrong as lying but you don't get liar phobics.

It just calls them an abomination that gays deserve death.

No big deal

 

[Turin]

Between other things mentioned, I've wondered if there's something to do with self hatred. Men finding each other gross in general.

You'd be shocked how many people actually think it's a choice.

Shouldn't matter though. The genetic reality is usually brought up to deflect religious zealots.

 

[Always-honest]

People are scared by the nonsense they hear since being born.
Religion being the worst crap that actively tries to ruin lives. And succeeds.

 

[Acosta]

Many people see it as gross thing (and then religion and all that).

That's your reason, it´s a generational thing, the more is established, the more people will stop caring. You can call them "ignorant" or whatever you want to feel better about it, but it´s a visceral thing and can't be easily changed. It´s just a matter of time and generational leaps.

 

[EdibleKnife]

It just calls them an abomination that gays deserve death.

No big deal

Right?

Leviticus 20:13: 'If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

I don't know why people keep trying to squeeze out of the fact that these words are literally in the good book and have fueled many reverend's tirades against the "scourge" of gay people

 

[le.phat]

because someone told you to, and you never developed your critical thinking skills enough to form your own moral fiber.

 

[toddhunter]

Lots and lots of homophobia I've seen irl came from people who never had anything to do with religion. They just "find it gross".

And they think it is gross because religious people go around telling everyone that it is wrong and gross to push their own agenda. When you grow up around that, you don't know anything else.

Think of the kids today growing up in America, looking at their vice president and being told that there is something wrong with you if you are gay.

It is all religion.

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

Yes, but I would bet a lot of it is due in part to religion and it's effect on society, even if not directly related to religion.

As of my experiences, this

Biggest homophobic counts I've ever met were all religious nuts

Religion just gives people a way to justify it. As I said its a tribal thing. Look what happened when trump won. People felt completely OK saying all their racist views as the president made it seem OK due to his narrative.

The reason people are this way boils down to fear of the unknown or what you dont understand. Things like religion and hate groups (think the KKK for example) All people to justify these thoughts. So yeah religion is an enabler but is often not the cause (although it obviously can be as well). Those who are able to go beyond this instinct and ask questions and seek information will get passed this. They may still be religious but interperate those issues differently.

 

[LeadenStride]

Between other things mentioned, I've wondered if there's something to do with self hatred. Men finding each other gross in general.



Shouldn't matter though. The genetic reality is usually brought up to deflect religious zealots.

But isn't this also mainly taught? At least more open-minded men are more likely to find other men attractive regardless of their sexuality. Conservatives tend to believe that if you think someone looks good, you must be sexually interested as well.

 

[Red Liquorice]

also some people are genuinly scared

Of what, being fabulous by proxy?

 

[Mr-Joker]

To actually give insight here's some quote spouted by my cousin, who are religious.

"Dirty People"

"Think they must not be mentally right"

Yea defo dirty ppl, mentally ill n sick"

This was their response after I told them off.

"Gods punishment for being gay is stoning them to disagree with that is to disagree with Allah, simple regardless if you like it or not."

"Nobodys judging, what do u say about ppl who sleep with with kids or their own children or where drugs are legal and ilegal in some placea. Just because its accepted by society dont make it right. no ones hating on them. They need help and counceling."

"Or killing." ---this was most likely a bad joke.

"Yeh they do need help."

"Society will at some point u sleeping with ur own kids."

"End of I agree with what is written in Islam about gays every bit it to last drop of ink. But if they want to do it then they should do it in their own privacy not out in the open."

I didn't even bother responding as they are so embedded in their belief that they were too stubborn to see it from a different angle which ironic as the cry fowl when the media portray Islam as a terrorist religion and touting that its a religion of peace. Crap like that is why I outgrew religion.

 

[scarlet]

Cuz we're stealing your man. So you should be very afraid.