Homophobia is a DICTIONARY term with a definite meaning and not the meaning that homophobes ascribe to it. It includes:
- CONTEMPT OF
- HATRED FOR
- APPREHENSION OF
- PREJUDICE AGAINST
- AVERSION TO
- DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
homosexuals / homosexuality.
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ho·mo·pho·bi·a
n.
1. Fear of OR CONTEMPT for lesbians and gay men.
2. Behavior based on such a feeling.
homo·phobe n.
homo·phobic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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homophobia
(Psychology) INTENSE HATRED or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality
[from homo(sexual) + -phobia]
homophobe n
homophobic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
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homophobia
fear of or APPREHENSION about homosexuality.
See also: Homosexuality
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun 1. homophobia - PREJUDICE AGAINST against (fear or dislike of) homosexual people and homosexuality
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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ho·mo·pho·bia definition
Function: n
: irrational fear of, AVERSION TO, or DISCRIMINATION AGAINST homosexuality or homosexuals
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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homophobia
noun
an extreme and irrational AVERSION to homosexuality and homosexual people.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/homophobia
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homophobia
1 ( noun ) homophobia PREJUDICE against ( fear or DISLIKE OF) homosexual people and homosexuality
from
http://www.definition-of.net/homophobia
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• HOMOPHOBIC (adjective)
The adjective HOMOPHOBIC has 1 sense:
1. PREJUDICED against homosexual people
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/homophobic.htm
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Definition:
1.[adjective] PREJUDICED against homosexual people
http://www.elook.org/dictionary/homophobic.html
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homophobic
PREJUDICED against homosexual people
http://www.beedictionary.com/meaning/homophobic
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homophobia
Definition
noun fear of homosexuality, expressed in a range of ways from DISCRIMINATION in the workplace to USING DEMEANING LANGUAGE and HOSTILE BEHAVIOUR
http://www.mediadictionary.com/definition/homophobia.html
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Homophobia
noun
[mass noun]
an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/homophobia
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Etymology and usage
Coinage
Psychologist George Weinberg introduced the first scholarly use of the concept homophobia in his 1972 book Society and the Healthy Homosexual,[9] published one year before the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.[10] Weinberg's "term became an important tool for gay and lesbian activists, advocates, and their allies."[11] He describes the concept as:
a phobia about homosexuals….It was a fear of homosexuals which seemed to be associated with a fear of contagion, a fear of reducing the things one fought for—home and family. It was a religious fear and it had led to great brutality as fear always does.[11]
Conceptualizing prejudice against gay and lesbian people as a social problem worthy of scholarly attention was not a new concept, but Weinberg was the first to give the problem a name.[11]
The construction of the word is comparable to xenophobia, a much older term referring to individual or cultural hostility to foreigners or outsiders. However it fails to make sense etymologically, as the Greek 'homo' means 'the same', so, literally, 'homophobia' means a fear of things that are the same.[11] The word homophobia was also used early in the twentieth century, albeit rarely. It then had the meaning of "fear or hatred of the male sex or humankind." In this use, the word derived from the Latin root homo (Latin, "man" or "human") with the Greek ending -phobia ("fear").[12]
Despite its general shortcomings etymologically, the word can be used to describe the fear of a heterosexual that they will be approached romantically by someone of the same sex. It also can describe the apparently fear-based reactions of recoiling from unintentional close contact with another male or of being in close proximity to other males in certain situations such as while in the restroom. These are typically fear-based reactions, but the fear is usually that of the societal stigma of being labelled homosexual. However a disinterested third party might view these reactions and simply conclude that the person displaying the reaction is afraid of others of the same sex, hence, homophobic.
The word first appeared in print in an article written for the American Screw tabloid, May 23, 1969 edition, using the word to refer to straight men's fear that others might think they are gay.[11] A possible etymological precursor was homoerotophobia, coined by Wainwright Churchill in Homosexual Behavior Among Males in 1967.
The first time it was formally used in its modern sense in the press was not until 1981 when The Times reported a General Synod vote where they refused to condemn homosexuality.[13]
from
http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/Homophobia?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=Homophobia&sa=Search#922
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Man-made bibles are not Dictionaries, nor are they psychiatic manuals or the pronouncements of associations of psychiatrists and psychologists..
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In December of 1998, the Board of Trustees issued a position statement that the American Psychiatric Association opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as "reparative" or conversion therapy, which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation (Appendix 1). In doing so, the APA joined many other professional organizations that either oppose or are critical of "reparative" therapies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, The American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Social Workers (1).
....
theories which rationalize the conduct of "reparative" and conversion therapies. Firstly, they are at odds with the scientific position of the American Psychiatric Association which has maintained, since 1973, that homosexuality per se, is not a mental disorder. The theories of "reparative" therapists define homosexuality as either a developmental arrest, a severe form of psychopathology, or some combination of both (10-15). In recent years, noted practitioners of "reparative" therapy have openly integrated older psychoanalytic theories that pathologize homosexuality with traditional religious beliefs condemning homosexuality (16,17,18).
The earliest scientific criticisms of the early theories and religious beliefs informing "reparative" or conversion therapies came primarily from sexology researchers (19-27). Later, criticisms emerged from psychoanalytic sources as well (28-39). There has also been an increasing body of religious thought arguing against traditional, biblical interpretations that condemn homosexuality and which underlie religious types of "reparative" therapy (40-46).
http://www.psych.org/Departments/EDU/Library/APAOfficialDocumentsandRelated/PositionStatements/200001.aspx
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"Since 1975, the American Psychological Association has called on psychologists to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientations. The discipline of psychology is concerned with the well-being of people and groups and therefore with threats to that well-being. The prejudice and discrimination that people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual regularly experience have been shown to have negative psychological effects. This information is designed to provide accurate information for those who want to better understand sexual orientation and the impact of prejudice and discrimination on those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual."
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx
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It is a very simple matter of human rights just the same as allowing women clergy (for which bible verses were ignored) and the elimination of racism and slavery (which the Old and New Testaments both condone and for which bible verses were ignored). Only Christians make the matter complex by their addiction to bible verses.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001.
On July 20, 2005, Canada legalized same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition.
Same-sex marriage in Spain has been legal since July 3, 2005.
Since 2001, ten countries have begun allowing same-sex couples to marry nationwide: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. Same-sex marriages are also performed and recognized in Mexico City and parts of the United States. Some jurisdictions that do not perform same-sex marriages recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere: Israel, the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, parts of the United States, and all states of Mexico.
Nor is it a MINORITY that wants same sex marriage. It is Christian homophobes who are the minority.
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A Galaxy research poll released today, ahead of a rally against same-sex marriage in Canberra convened by religious groups including the Australian Christian Lobby, found that 53% of Australians who identify as Christians support same-sex marriage, while 41% oppose. 67% of non-Christians support it.
http://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/2011/08/16/poll-finds-a-majority-of-australian-christians-support-same-sex-marriage/
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Who are the main group of people opposing homosexual marriage? Christians. Christians also opposed the abolition of slavery, equal rights for coloured people and the ordination of women clergy - and used bible verses fo their opposition. Christians have a history of denying people their basic human rights.
