Homophobia

**Homophobia** is the act of discrimination, prejudice, or dislike against the LGBTQIA+ community or homosexual individuals. Homophobia is usually used by heterosexuals and cisgender heterosexuals.

Oftentimes, homophobia is built off of a purpose such as religion and/or religious beliefs. In some cultures, being homosexual or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community is forbidden. In some cases, homosexuality is illegal, such as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, etc. Homosexuality being illegal is more common in Southeast Asia and Africa.

## Etymology

Rewrites needed.This page is in need of rewrites in order to meet our standards.
The first appearance in media of the term "homophobia" in its common usage originates in a 1981 *The Times* article that reported that the General Synod of the Church of England voted to refuse to condemn homosexuality.

"Homophobia" previously appeared in Jewish-American psychologist George Weinberg's 1972 book *Society and the Healthy Homosexual*, in which Weinberg states homophobia is a medical phobia instead of a discriminatory phobia: "[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." His book, published one year before the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove from its list of mental disorders, has since then stood a small yet important part in LGBTQIA+ history.

## Effects on mental health

According to a study by Duke University and Vancouver Island University, along with a meta-analytic review done by the NIH, both homophobes and gay people can both be impacted by homophobia because it:

* Can interfere with heterosexual people's ability to form strong friendships with others of the same sex, due to a fear of being perceived as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
* Has a significant association with mental health disorders.
* Affects the satisfaction with one's quality of life.
* Can cause people to conform to specific gender-based roles and stereotypes that cause creativity, self-expression, and behavior, and appearance to be inhibited.
* Is often used as a way to stigmatize heterosexuals, along with those perceived or labeled by others to be LGBTQIA+, the children of LGBTQIA+ parents, and the parents of LGBTQIA+ children and their friends.
* Causes the LGBTQIA+ community to be erased from school discussions, resulting in important, possibly life-saving information to be withheld.
* Is one cause of premature heterosexual involvement, which increases the chances of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Young people of all sexual identities are often pressured to become heterosexually active to prove to others that they are "normal".
* Has the ability to inhibit appreciation for other types of diversity, therefore making it unsafe for all, because each person has their own unique traits that are not part of the dominant part of culture.

## References

1. ↑ Dirk-Jan Janssen, MSc & Peer Scheepers: "How Religiosity Shapes Rejection of Homosexuality Across the Globe" (October 29, 2018). tandfonline.com.
2. ↑ "Map of Countries that Criminalise LGBT People". humandignitytrust.org.
3. ↑ "Map of Countries that Criminalise LGBT People". humandignitytrust.org.
4. ↑ "Homophobia". en.wikipedia.org.
5. ↑ George Weinberg: "Society and the Healthy Homosexual" (1972). books.google.com.
6. ↑ "Homophobia". en.wikipedia.org.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "How Homophobia Hurts Us All". adm.viu.ca.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1  "Homophobia and mental health: a scourge of modern era". ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.