The Politics of "Homophobia"

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?

Let's Get Something Straight: Definitions

First, let's get something straight: Bisexuals and transgenders are not the same as homosexuals. Transgenderism is not an issue of sexual preference but rather gender. Transgenders, just like everyone else, may identify as either straight, bi, gay, or anything else (in fact, until the 1700s, there was no evidence of linkage between cross-dressing and sodomy). Bisexuals are not monosexual, clearly, meaning they are not polarized onto either side of the gay or straight spectrum.

Here are a few sexual preferences/gender identities. Keep in mind that not everyone likes to restrict themselves with labels. 

Queer: An umbrella term for sexual minorities. Since it started out as an anti-gay slur, its use among LGBT is controversial, seen as self-deprecating to some but a reclaimed term to others.

Transgender: The state in which ones gender identity (self-identification as woman, man, neither, both, etc) does not match ones socially/physically assigned sex. May identify as FTM (female to male), MTF, agender, bigender, third gender, or genderqueer/fluid. 

--*Not* an identity, though often confused: Intersex: Uncommon variations of biological sex developmentation.

Transsexual: People who identify and live as a member of the opposite sex assigned at birth. Many undergo gender transitioning, which can include gender and sex reassignment as well as hormone replacement therapies. Afterwards they may refer to themselves as that gender as opposed to transsexual. Unlike transgender people, a transsexual's subjective gender will match their apparent gender.

Bisexual: Often defined as one who has an equal attraction to both males and females, though in reality it represents a large spectrum between the gay and straight polarities. The majority of bisexuals are unequal in their attractions to each gender, and these levels of attraction are often fluid and constantly shifting. Most bisexuals are not genderblind. Depending on which culture they relate to more some bisexuals refer to themselves as gay-identified or straight-identified. 

--For more information see the KINSEY SCALE

Asexual: A lack of sexual attraction/interest or desire for sex.

Pan/Omnisexual: The potential to like people of all gender identities and biological sexes; unlike the majority of Bisexuals, some Pansexuals may refer to themselves as gender-blind, basing their attraction on a person's personality as opposed to physicality.

Polyamorous: Non-monogamous; being in a relationship with the knowledge and consent of multiple people at one time.
--*Not* polygamy/polyandry, which means to have multiple spouses who have no sexual bond between any person but the head spouse.
--*Not* cheating- often a long term, committed relationship as part of a triad, quad, or intimate network.
--*Not* bisexuality, though statistically there are more polyamorous bisexuals than homosexuals.

Ambigender/Androgynous: The combination of masculine and feminine characteristics in one person, be it in terms of fashion, sexual lifestyle, physicality, or personality. They do not fit cleanly into the typical male and female roles of their society. Some define themselves as genderneutral, non-gendered, pangender, or gender fluid.
--For more information see the Bem Sex-Role Inventory

Questioning: A person who is exploring their gender, sexual identity (including sexual characteristics such as breasts), sexual preference, or all three.

Bicurious, Homo/Heteroflexible: When someone experiments/shows curiosity in relations with the gender they don't generally favour.

"I could go on, but the point is that the number of orientations in this world is limited only by the number of people in this world."