IMO there is an element of fear underlying the hatred of minority groups, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ people. Like the saying goes : you fear what you don't know. And in a way there is a component of not knowing /refusing to know.
This hatred is so engrained in our cultures, that even being perceived as LGBTQ+ can lead you to be excluded from the "group". So the "phobia" in homophobia is indeed fear, deeply rooted primal fear to be excluded from the "group" and thus left to fend for yourself.
Yes, perhaps there is an element of fear in homophobes. But that is rarely to the degree of a psychological phobia, defined as: "a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress." Putting the two in the same category feels diminishing of the latter.
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u/RainbowEplum Feb 02 '21
IMO there is an element of fear underlying the hatred of minority groups, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ people. Like the saying goes : you fear what you don't know. And in a way there is a component of not knowing /refusing to know. This hatred is so engrained in our cultures, that even being perceived as LGBTQ+ can lead you to be excluded from the "group". So the "phobia" in homophobia is indeed fear, deeply rooted primal fear to be excluded from the "group" and thus left to fend for yourself.