Thursday 15 October 2009

Homophobia: what exactly are you afraid of?

Homo, as in homosexual, means 'same'. Same-sex is a more politically correct term than 'homosexual' beacause putting things in Latin makes them look medical and medical = problem. 'Queer' means 'different', but 'homo' means 'same'. Isn't it funny that we read 'queer' as a less offensive term, and 'homo' raises more hackles, I think, on both sides of the Atlantic?
Following this kinda-logic, the word 'homophobia' means fear of sameness. Again, weird. You'd think the one thing homophobes were afraid of was anything different. They'd like nothing better than everything and everyone being the same. Unless... same = well, equal. Maybe homophobes fear equality for all people. They feel more comfortable with the feudal system that places straight white males at the top and crushes disabled genderqueer pansexuals of colour at the bottom and then laughs at them as a symbol of 'political correctness gone mad' (note. if political correctness really went mad, the world would be a far more interesting place...).
Or maybe homophobes fear the idea that homosexual, same-sex people HAVE the same sex, ARE the same sex, and are....the same as them.
As my colleague Gary likes to say to straight people who say the only difference between straight and gay people is the kind of sex we enjoy, "My dear, that's the one thing we've got in common!" I think he's actually quoting someone there, but I couldn't tell you whom.
Maybe it's the fact that heterosexuals (or "different-sex people", but then, no-one seems worried that anyone is going to get offended about THAT little piece of Latin medi-speak)are the ones who are, well, queer.
Maybe it's just jealousy.
In case you're wondering, I commuted by rickety bus through the Peak District for 3 hours and spent a further 6 sitting in health and safety lectures in Buxton today. Your mind starts to wander.
WG

2 comments:

  1. I've never understood it, personally. I've also never understood racism, and being a biracial person who just five minutes ago read a story about a judge in Louisiana refusing to marry a biracial couple, I just about flipped.

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  2. Those darn lesbianese and homeless-sexuals. To say nothing of the bi-one-get-one-frees.

    Your revised RK cake recipe had me in stitches. ;-)

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