What is homophobia?

Introduction

Homophobia encompasses a spread of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or those perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Bias is noticeable in essential and hostile behavior such as discrimination and violence on the premise of non-heterosexual sexual orientations. Homophobia is the emotion or stereotype, generally resulting in acts of violence and expressions of hostility. Bias isn't confined to any one section of society and may be found in individuals from all walks of life. Organized hate teams have savagely attacked homosexuals and have used particularly violent language in trying to oppress and intimidate them.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals seem to expertise intolerance, discrimination, harassment, and also the threat of violence, because of their sexual orientation than those who establish themselves as heterosexual. A number of the factors that will reinforce bias on a bigger scale are the ethical, religious, and political affairs of a dominant cluster. Living in an exceedingly prejudiced setting forces several LGBT individuals to hide their gender orientation. There's no single definition for the term bias because it covers a large and various viewpoints and attitudes. Bias is usually outlined as hostility or worry of homosexuals, however, they may sit down with stigma arising from social ideologies concerning homosexuality. Negative feelings or attitudes towards non-heterosexual behavior, identity, relationships, and community, will result in prejudiced behavior and this can be the foundation of the discrimination faced by several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Bias manifests itself in several forms, for instance, prejudiced jokes, physical attacks, discrimination within the geographic point, and negative media illustration. For those that are observed to believe that homoeroticism is wrong, the belief that they could be gay will cause feelings of shame and self-hatred, resulting in low vanity. Suppressing homoeroticism involves denying a vital a part of human identity, and may have a heavy impact upon their lives and relationships. LGBT those that build the choice to declare their sexual orientation will face prejudice and discrimination from their family, friends, and additionally from wider society. Bias will cause extreme damage and disruption to people's lives. For instance, several LGBT individuals became homeless as a result of being rejected by their families once revealing their sexual orientation. Prejudiced people play a good role in inferring with the lives of LGBT people. They harass LGBT people verbally or physically and expose them to violence.

History

Although very little is understood concerning pre-modern women's sexualities, it's for the most part believed that the physical attraction of a man for another man was acceptable and tolerant in ancient cultures. Intolerance toward homosexual behavior grew notably within the middle Ages, particularly among the adherents of Christianity and Islam.

To understand the broader cultural impact of bias, awareness of the final societal consensus of the character of homoeroticism is important. In Western cultures within the later nineteenth century, some psychologists began to look at homosexuality as over a short-lived behavior, understanding that it was changeless and 'just a phase'.

The term homosexuality was first utilized in 1868, and also the analysis of Richard von Krafft-Ebing two decades later in Psychopathia Sexualis (1886; trans. into English in 1892) represented homosexuality as a hard and fast physical attraction. In 1905 Sigmund Freud popularized the erroneous notion that homosexuality was the merchandise of a child's upbringing, writing, "The presence of each folk plays a vital half. The absence of a powerful father in childhood does not occasionally favor the incidence of inversion." Psychiatrists even gave child-rearing tips to assist parents to lead their kids to heterosexual adjustment.

Contemporary Attitudes towards Homosexuality

Western homophobia peaked in the 1980s with the spread of AIDS. The disease brought greater public awareness that homosexuals existed in every social institution, and the infectious nature of the disease further stigmatized homosexual men. It also ended, particularly in Western cultures, the presumption of heterosexuality. As Christian-based fundamentalism grew stronger in the United States during this period, men there were particularly resolute to align their behaviors and identity with heterosexuality; feminine expressions among men were thus edged toward extinction. Simultaneous with this homophobia however, there was also a growth of political advocacy for the rights of homosexuals and an abatement of antigay laws. By the beginning of the 21st century, AIDS was recognized as a problem of heterosexuals as much as homosexuals, and anti-gay laws were stripped from most Western countries. This, combined with the increased visibility of gays and lesbians, decreasing homophobia from some branches of Christianity, the ability of heterosexuals to socialize with gay men and lesbians on the Internet, an increasing percentage of homosexuals coming out, and the greater awareness that homosexuality is produced biologically, greatly reduced cultural homophobia. In Europe and much of North America, sexual minorities were awarded most of the rights of heterosexuals, including in some jurisdictions even marriage or state-recognized civil partnerships.

Hate crime

One in five LGB people has experienced a hate crime because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in their life.

Two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime because of their gender identity in their life.

The number of LGB people who have experienced a hate crime, because of their sexual orientation has risen by 78% since 2013.

Four in five LGBT people who have experienced a hate crime didn't report it to the police.

Conclusion

It is high time for the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, and Society at large to understand, that they cannot demean the existence of people with the same sexual desires. They also need to acknowledge that by legalizing homosexual relations they will not permit a mere sexual activity but will also decriminalize the lives of citizens who are connected to such sexual acts.

Finally, it can be said that if laws are supposed to represent socially acceptable do's and don'ts, then a new mindset is the need of the hour. Otherwise, normal human beings will continue to suffer inhuman exploitation just because nature has nourished them with the need to be different.