Homosexuality

“I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.”

The term “homo-phobia” is regularly misused in the American culture to label someone who considers homosexuality to be unhealthy or “wrong”. The clinical basis for diagnosing a patient with a phobia requires that the patient has a debilitating physiological response to the stimulus of the phobia. This includes anxiety, increased heart rate, sweating, and dizziness. Phobias also do not require the phobic to have a negative opinion of the stimulus. For example, if a person has a generalized fear of dogs they will show the physiological symptoms associated with the phobia when in the presence of a dog, even if their opinion of dogs is a good one. Often these individuals will experience fear-related anxiety to images of dogs or to a stuffed animal in the shape of a dog, despite their rational understand that the images or the stuffed animal can not bite them. A more accurate example of “homo-phobia” would be a person who has these physiological responses to a known homosexual stimulus out of fear of physical endangerment. With the diseases that are associated with homosexuals, particularly acquired immune deficiency syndrome, it is possible that the term “homo-phobia” originated from cautiousness toward homosexuals out of fear of acquiring a disease that homosexuals may carry. While the fear in this case is only indirectly associated with homosexuals, as disease such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome could be acquired elsewhere, this situation could result in a physiological authentic phobia. Other situations such as post traumatic stress based phobias form a homosexually childhood molestation could accurately be termed “homo phobia”.
The quote in question does not claim that “homo-phobia” does not exist, only that feeling homosexuality is wrong does not qualify as a phobia. The words “fear” and “concern” should also be used carefully in referring to public opinion of homosexuality. Many parents are concerned that their children may be at risk among homosexuals. Current scientific research suggests that homosexuality is the result of both biological and developmental factors. Is it possible that homosexual relationships could influence psychosexual development? Originally, homosexuality was classified a neurological disorder, even a disease. Concern about the scientific reality of homosexuality is reasonable and does not necessarily constitute fear. To extend “concerned opinion” to “phobia” is must often a blatantly incorrect diagnosis.
The final aspect of this quote that I would like to reflected on is of whom is calling whom “homo-phobic”. The relationship between the opinions involves a healthy control group and a potentially contagious diseased group of the homosexuals. The homosexuals in a sense have nothing to lose. They are the end of an evolutionary chain. Heterosexuals, however, have everything to lose as they are still alive in an evolutionary sense. Heterosexuals likely have concern for at least their own genetic involvement in the future. If heterosexual concern can be called phobic, than homosexual carelessness could be called sociopathic.

— Bobby Walker