When we look at the general terms for discrimination, it all comes down to -isms. Racism. Sexism. Ageism. The attachment -ism implies that this discrimination is a system of belief, either for or against certain groups. Quite a bit less popular are the words sexualism and heterosexism. Instead, we use homophobia.
The term phobia connotes an irrational but powerful fear that is neurologically wired into a person's way of thinking. It implies that homophobia is not a choice and extremely hard to reconcile. But perhaps this is correct? Let's look at the history of the word.
Before 1890 the terms homosexual, gay, and lesbian did not exist. Until the 1950s transgenders were classified as gays. Bisexuality only emerged as a concept in the 60s, and only started gaining a separate identity from gays in the 70s. The word homophobia didn't emerge until 1969.
Who is to say that a cross-dresser-- Joan of Arc, King James-- is transsexual, or gay, or a drag king/queen? Who is to say that historical figures who had liasons with both men and women-- Socrates, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marie Antoinette-- are bisexual? What is the social meaning of LGBT?
Many early texts from other cultures speak of same-sex desire, but do not categorize people solely by the sex of their partners. Is it possible that all Romans, all Greeks, all Egyptians, and many other cultures had no homophobes whatsoever? Is it possible that animal species, which exhibit no signs of homophobia, also have no homophobes? If homophobia is an illness of the mind, what is it in our modern-age DNA that's breeding it? An evolution? A mutation?
Looking at history, we can see that homo/bi/transphobia aren't psychological fears but rather social and political forces, which have consequences for civil rights and community inclusion.
Rarely, the word heterosexism has been used instead. But is this truly a better alternative? Heterosexism implies that only straight people discriminate against others, when in reality there is a significant amount of inner-LGBT discrimination as well. It places heterosexuality as the dominant group within our society, promoting the concept of heterosexual privilege and superiority. It denotes the "system of ideological thought that makes heterosexuality the sole norm to follow for sexual practices", whereas homophobia refers both to "unreasoning fear of or antipathy towards homosexuals and homosexuality" and to "behavior based on such a feeling". Lastly, the term heterosexism may be confused as discrimination against heterosexuals.
The term sexualism appears to be the most inclusive. It is discrimination against a person or group on the basis of their sexual orientation or sexual behaviour without the assumption that everyone or the majority of people in any given society are heterosexual. Unlike homophobia, sexualism is not a psychological illness. It is related to the term sexual prejudice, which is a negative attitude towards someone due to their sexual preference. Part of sexualism is the argument that one preference is superior to another. Sexualism can also simply refer to sexuality itself. Overall, it seems to be the best word for what we mean when we say homophobia. So why don't we use it?
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