Homophobia
George Weinberg, a psychologist based in New York City, spoke the word homophobia for the first time during a speech in the 1960s. He combined the Greek root phóbos meaning fear with the word homosexual to create a new term. This coinage appeared in print on the 23rd of May 1969 inside an article published by Screw magazine. The publication was known as an American pornographic magazine at that time. Weinberg used the phrase to describe heterosexual men who feared others might think they were gay themselves. His concept evolved from a clinical observation into a broad social descriptor over the following decades. By 1972 he had published Society and the Healthy Homosexual where he expanded his ideas further. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders one year after this book release. Critics later argued that calling hatred a phobia was medically inaccurate since it implied irrational fear rather than conscious prejudice.
In Afghanistan under Taliban rule the death penalty applies to anyone convicted of homosexual acts. Iran executed more than four thousand people charged with homosexual behavior after the Islamic revolution of 1979. Saudi Arabia maintains public execution as the maximum punishment though fines or jail time often serve as alternatives. Seven countries currently carry the death penalty for homosexual activity including Sudan Yemen Mauritania and Brunei. Nigeria and Somalia impose capital punishment only within certain regions of their territories. During the Medieval Inquisitions sects like the Cathars and Waldensians faced accusations of sodomy alongside Satanism. Thomas Aquinas linked condemnation of same-sex relations to natural law in the thirteenth century. North Korea condemns Western gay culture as decadence caused by capitalist society. Vladimir Putin enacted federal laws in June 2013 criminalizing materials promoting non-traditional sexual relationships among minors. Robert Mugabe introduced legislation banning homosexual acts in Zimbabwe during September 1995. He told an audience at the 1995 Zimbabwe International Book Fair to arrest those parading as lesbians and gays.
A controlled study conducted in 1996 examined sixty-four heterosexual men at the University of Georgia. Researchers found that homophobic men experienced significantly stronger erectile responses when exposed to homoerotic images compared to non-homophobic peers. Jesse Marczyk argued in Psychology Today that homophobia does not necessarily stem from repressed homosexuality. Up to thirty percent of non-heterosexual youth attempt suicide due to internalized stigma according to research findings. Clinical depression often arises when deeply held religious beliefs clash with strong emotional desires. Ego-dystonic sexual orientation describes a condition where one's attraction conflicts with their ideal self-image. This discordance causes anxiety and a desire to change one's orientation or become more comfortable. Gay affirmative psychotherapy helps resolve these internal conflicts between identity and belief systems. Many diagnostic Internalized Homophobia Scales exist to measure discomfort though critics note they enforce heteronormativity.
At least four hundred forty-five LGBTQ Brazilians were murdered or died by suicide during 2017 alone. The Southern United States reports more anti-gay prejudice than any other region within the country. Republicans show far greater negative attitudes toward gay people than Democrats based on National Election Studies data from 2000 through 2004. Michael Kimmel identified how heterosexual adolescents construct masculinity partly by avoiding identification as gay. Taunting of eccentric boys in rural American schools has been linked to risk-taking behavior and school shootings. At least ninety percent of the UK population supported anti-discrimination laws protecting gay and lesbian people according to a 2007 Stonewall study. Coretta Scott King stated in a 1998 address that homophobia seeks to dehumanize large groups of people. Janet Baker conducted a study at the University of Cincinnati involving white adolescent males. Her research suggested hatred of gay people often accompanies antisemitism and racism as likely companions. Religious views lack of homosexual feelings strongly correlate with homophobic attitudes according to AVERT charity data.
India spent an additional twenty-three billion one hundred million dollars on health expenses caused by depression suicide and HIV treatment due to homophobia in 2014. M.V. Lee Badgett estimated total economic losses for India reached thirty billion eight hundred million dollars representing 1.7% of its GDP. A 2018 study calculated worldwide economic costs at one hundred nineteen point one billion dollars. Asia accounted for eighty-eight point two nine billion dollars while Latin America and the Caribbean lost eight point zero four billion. The Middle East and North Africa region suffered sixteen point nine two billion dollars in economic damage. LGBTQ tourists contribute six point eight billion dollars annually to the Spanish economy alone. The Williams Institute found a positive correlation between LGBTQ inclusion and gross domestic product per capita. One-point increases in their Global Acceptance Index showed fifteen hundred six dollar gains in GDP per capita. Legal rights added another thousand six hundred ninety-four dollars per capita increase. Nigeria faces annual losses amounting to one percent of its GDP according to activist Adebisi Alimi's preliminary estimation.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemn laws making homosexual relations between consenting adults criminal offenses. The United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled since 1994 that such laws violate privacy guarantees in international covenants. The first permanent rainbow crossings appeared on roads in Lambeth England as part of pride celebrations. The International Day Against Homophobia was first celebrated the 17th of May 2005 across more than forty countries. Four largest Latin American nations including Argentina Brazil Mexico and Colombia developed mass media campaigns against homophobia starting in 2002. Hate speech and hate crime legislation have been designed controversially to oppose discrimination based on sexual orientation. Teaching pupils about historical figures who were gay serves as successful preventative strategy in schools. Warren J. Blumenfeld argues this emotion functions as a tool for extreme right-wing conservatives and fundamentalist religious groups. Elizabeth Segal Robin Lennon-Dearing and Elena Delavega published research in the Journal of Homosexuality in 2016. Their work suggests exposure explanation and experience can reduce homophobic prejudice effectively.
Wainwright Churchill coined homoerotophobia as a possible precursor term documented in Homosexual Behavior Among Males in 1967. John Boswell suggested homosexophobia as an alternative in 1980 citing etymological issues with the original phobia suffix. Hudson and Ricketts introduced homonegativity in a 1980 paper to avoid presumptions about motivation. Gregory M. Herek preferred sexual prejudice as descriptive free of presumptions about motivations and lacking value judgments. He noted homophobia was probably more widely used yet often criticized compared to other terms. William O'Donohue and Christine Caselles stated in 1993 that the term makes illegitimately pejorative evaluations of open value positions. The Associated Press Stylebook added entries for homophobia and homophobic for the first time in 2017 after excluding them previously. Lesbianphobia targets lesbians while gayphobia focuses on gay men specifically. Biphobia targets bisexuality and transphobia addresses transgender individuals and gender role nonconformity. Stephen M. White and Louis R. Franzini introduced heteronegativism to refer to negative feelings some gay individuals hold toward heterosexuals.
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Common questions
Who coined the term homophobia and when did it first appear in print?
George Weinberg, a psychologist based in New York City, spoke the word homophobia for the first time during a speech in the 1960s. This coinage appeared in print on the 23rd of May 1969 inside an article published by Screw magazine.
Which countries currently carry the death penalty for homosexual activity?
Seven countries currently carry the death penalty for homosexual activity including Sudan Yemen Mauritania and Brunei. Nigeria and Somalia impose capital punishment only within certain regions of their territories while Afghanistan under Taliban rule applies the death penalty to anyone convicted of homosexual acts.
What economic costs does homophobia cause globally according to 2018 studies?
A 2018 study calculated worldwide economic costs at one hundred nineteen point one billion dollars. Asia accounted for eighty-eight point two nine billion dollars while Latin America and the Caribbean lost eight point zero four billion and the Middle East and North Africa region suffered sixteen point nine two billion dollars in economic damage.
When was the International Day Against Homophobia first celebrated and how many countries participated?
The International Day Against Homophobia was first celebrated the 17th of May 2005 across more than forty countries. Four largest Latin American nations including Argentina Brazil Mexico and Colombia developed mass media campaigns against homophobia starting in 2002.
Who introduced alternative terms like homoerotophobia and homonegativity and when were they documented?
Wainwright Churchill coined homoerotophobia as a possible precursor term documented in Homosexual Behavior Among Males in 1967. Hudson and Ricketts introduced homonegativity in a 1980 paper to avoid presumptions about motivation while John Boswell suggested homosexophobia as an alternative in 1980.