Free Essay On How Homophobia Hurts Everyone

Introduction

Homophobia refers to the general prejudice of people who are not heterosexual. It is the act of discriminating individuals who are homosexual. According to the author, in the article "homophobia hurts everyone," homophobia hurts everyone in that both the minority (homosexuals) and the majority (heterosexuals) are both affected in one way or another. He uses the example of his sister and himself where they were both affected in one way or another due to homophobia in their school. The sister was not able to speak up for her brother despite the fact that she was not homophobic, she instead kept silent which hurt her emotionally as she was not able to have the kind of relationship she would have wanted to have with the brother. He on the other hand was bullied and made fun of because of his sexual inclination.

Interrelated Ways in Which Homophobia Operates

The personal homophobia is homophobia due to an individual's belief that homosexuals deserve either pity or hate. An individual may also hold the belief that homosexuals, lesbians, and transgenders are confused and mentally and emotionally disturbed. Personal homophobia also tends to carry the notion that heterosexuals are basically more superior to those that are not. Interpersonal homophobia is manifested when an individual’s prejudice affects the relationship among other individuals. Some examples of interpersonal homophobia include making jokes of people who are not heterosexual, calling them names, physical and verbal intimidation among others. Cultural or societal homophobia is manifested when the society behaves in a manner that oppresses minority groups like the homosexuals. It is a code of conduct practiced by society to represent bisexuals, lesbians and homosexuals in a negative manner that is oppressive. Institutional homophobia is manifested when institutions, governments, religions and other organizations discriminate against groups of people based on their sexual inclinations. There are very few institutions that have policies that protect individuals that have sexual orientation that is not considered mainstream.

Ways in which Homophobia Limits the Lives and Experiences of Heterosexuals

In my opinion I feel that homophobia limits the lives of heterosexuals in three significant ways. First is that it prevents people of the same sex from forming close relationships due to fear of being discriminated against. This hinders the socialization of heterosexuals between same sexes and pushes them to form opposite sex relationships just to prove that they are normal. Secondly, homophobia can be an agent of stigma and inhibit family members from having close-knit relationships. In this case, family members of a person considered a homosexual are unable to fully relate with him due to the stigma that surrounds him. This means that they get to miss out on experiencing a relationship with their loved one. This to me is important because the family is the single most important unit of society. Last but not least, homophobia is responsible for increased teen pregnancies and STI's. Teens feel pressurized to indulge in opposite sex activities to prove a point and in the process mess themselves up. This is significant because it contributes a large percentage of the irresponsible and misguided sexual behavior of teenagers.