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Homophobes likely homosexual themselves.

SiroMar said:
I'd say homophobia passed to Christianity from Judaism. In fact, agricultural societies of antiquity tended to be homophobic. I recommend a book called Sex at Dawn. It explains the subject very well. However, the reason homophobic attitudes persist in the modern world is mostly due to religion.

And you seem really smart. I'm glad you joined the conversation. :D
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The thing that you have to remember too is that back in Jesus' time there was no concept of homosexuality as an orientation or identity. There were men who had sex with other men or boys, but that didn't mean they were gay. But it was a common enough practice for the Romans, and there were also non-Jewish peoples who used to practice homosexuality in fertility rituals, or rape conquered enemies as a means of humiliation. The Jews distanced themselves from those practices partly as a means of differentiating themselves from others, and in any case it was just against the acts as acts done by otherwise "straight" people. If anyone had thought that homosexuality was actually a fundamental orientation rather than something that straight people occasionally did, it might have created a different conversation.
 
SiroMar said:
I am simply talking about homophobia in American culture.
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Probably should have stated that in an earlier post.

SiroMar said:
While I am sure homophobic non-believers exist,
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This is the important point I wanted to hear. They do exist, although they may be few and far between.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but you haven't backed up your claims with any links to studies or experiments. A study that many homophobes might be gay isn't connected to the point you are now trying to make. 83% of Americans (Link Below) identify with a religious denomination, 90% believe in God, and I would imagine nearly 100% have religious backgrounds in their family tree. Thus the claims you are making (that homophobes are all religious or are homophobic because of religious views passed to them from family members) have to be backed up with some studies because the parameters you defined would basically include everyone in America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States

I could make the same claim that 100% of people that like PB&J sandwiches are religious people or people who have religious family members. It's hard to disprove that notion because the parameters include nearly everyone.
 
AlaskanAssassin said:
Probably should have stated that in an earlier post.


This is the important point I wanted to hear. They do exist, although they may be few and far between.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but you haven't backed up your claims with any links to studies or experiments. A study that many homophobes might be gay isn't connected to the point you are now trying to make. 83% of Americans (Link Below) identify with a religious denomination, 90% believe in God, and I would imagine nearly 100% have religious backgrounds in their family tree. Thus the claims you are making (that homophobes are all religious or are homophobic because of religious views passed to them from family members) have to be backed up with some studies because the parameters you defined would basically include everyone in America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States

I could make the same claim that 100% of people that like PB&J sandwiches are religious people or people who have religious family members. It's hard to disprove that notion because the parameters include nearly everyone.
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The key here, I think, is not generic belief in God or identification/membership in a religion, but degree of 'religiosity.' As an example, and in very general terms, I'd say the more 'fundamentalist' one is with regards to religious belief, the higher the degree of religiosity, and the higher the degree of opposition to homosexuality.

Your categories are far far to broad to be useful. To take just one example, among 90% who believe in God, there is tremendous variation in the intensity of that belief and in the fundamentalism of the religious dogma they espouse. Again, my a priori hypothesis is that 'homophobia' is positively and significantly correlated with religiosity. And again, I'll bet the farm that there are studies on this that someone, who has the time and inclination, can look up and cite. And once again the final caveat, my hypothesis may be wrong which is why evidence is so, so much better than ideology/belief.
 
Is being homophobic thinking what they do is gross? I don't think of my self as homophobic but the thought of putting my junk in a dudes hairy bum hole makes me nauseous.
 
Beantown said:
Is being homophobic thinking what they do is gross? I don't think of my self as homophobic but the thought of putting my junk in a dudes hairy bum hole makes me nauseous.
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I think this is a good point. In my mind the Fred Phelps of the world are homophobic. That being said, if I were to say anything negative towards gays, no matter how benign, there are those that would instantly call me homophobic.
 
Beantown said:
Is being homophobic thinking what they do is gross? I don't think of my self as homophobic but the thought of putting my junk in a dudes hairy bum hole makes me nauseous.
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No.

I am equal-opportunity in thinking that buttholes are gross and not to be explored recreationally. Poop comes from there. The End.

More power to those that consent to all of that stuff, I guess. Not my - or anyone else's - business.
 
NUMBERICA said:
I use slurs. I don't think that's homophobia, because I love *****.
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Gay slurs are awesome. My gay friend said that the only slur that really bothers gay people is "queer". Of course, that's just him, but I'm taking it as the word of the entire gay community.
 
TroutBum said:
Gay slurs are awesome. My gay friend said that the only slur that really bothers gay people is "queer". Of course, that's just him, but I'm taking it as the word of the entire gay community.
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The fact that it's called "queer studies" tends to refute your friend's statement. If that's the only slur that bothers him, I think he's unusual in that regard. "Queer" is a lot more neutral and PC these days than "******."

Edit: Borne out again by the fact that "queer" is not censored on this board, while the "f" word which originally meant a bundle of sticks is censored!
 
AtheistPreacher said:
The fact that it's called "queer studies" tends to refute your friend's statement. If that's the only slur that bothers him, I think he's unusual in that regard. "Queer" is a lot more neutral and PC these days than "******."

Edit: Borne out again by the fact that "queer" is not censored on this board, while the "f" word which originally meant a bundle of sticks is censored!
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Ya, I can dig it. Honestly, the only term I use with any type of regularity is "gay". Wanda Sykes hates me for it, but I'll manage.
 
AtheistPreacher said:
The fact that it's called "queer studies" tends to refute your friend's statement. If that's the only slur that bothers him, I think he's unusual in that regard. "Queer" is a lot more neutral and PC these days than "******."

Edit: Borne out again by the fact that "queer" is not censored on this board, while the "f" word which originally meant a bundle of sticks is censored!
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Yeah, but words like "******" and "***" have been used so much, their meanings have become watered down to nothing in most people's eyes. Queer may hurt his friend because it's used so much less, and he may perceive the use of it more of an attack on gay people where "******" and "***" have just become general insults.
 
Cyrone Torbin said:
Yeah, but words like "******" and "***" have been used so much, their meanings have become watered down to nothing in most people's eyes. Queer may hurt his friend because it's used so much less, and he may perceive the use of it more of an attack on gay people where "******" and "***" have just become general insults.
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Unless of course you're a ***. Then it's OK to use the word.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_Eye
 
jimmy eat jazz said:
This is actually an empirical question, and I'd bet there's empirical data on it. Without having seen the empirical data, my a priori hypothesis would be that homophobia (or more generally opposition to homosexuality) is strongly and positively correlated with religiosity.

But as I said, this is not a matter of opinion but one of evidence, so I could be wrong.
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Because you're a religophobe and can't help yourself from such preconceived bigotry. I'm sure the religious here have forgiven you in advance though.
 
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