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Lili Hsu
ESL33B
Project 3
Final Draft
Prof. Carlisi
13 Dec 2016
Homophobia in Society
After WWII, more and more people were caring about LGBT issue because people will
notice and care about the importance of equal rights for everyone, but there is a kind of people
called Homophobe. Homophobia is defined as the fear and hatred of homosexuality.
(Madureira 2007)
Homophobes also discourage other relationships like love, friendships, and sex between
same-sex friends because homophobes are much feared about being labeled as LGBT by other
people when they have same gender friends. Thus, homophobia works as a system of social
control. (2007) Because the homophobes are so afraid of being labeled by other people, and
then the social perception will treat them like LGBT which is a minority in the world, the
homophobes will have boundaries of relationship with the same sexual people. For example, the
homophobes will be offensive to the LGBT like bullying them for making sure the other people
will not label them into minority group like LGBT. Thus, homophobia not only limits the

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character of intimacy among men but it also reinforces sexist attitudes toward women.
(Andersen 2000)
Also, the homophobes thinking will influence the social perception which is called
Homophobic attitudes. The homophobic attitudes will affect most people to treat and think
about the homosexuals. In the society, most people are usually being unkind and unfriendly to
homosexuals that is because this attitudes. This is the main reason of causing the huge
discrimination problems and gaps of understanding between LGBT group, homophobes, and
heterosexuals. However, right now the tensions between the LGBT group, heterosexuals, and
homophobes are getting better as time goes by because in the society of the country, more and
more heterosexuals and homophobes are willing to accept the LGBT group and being respectful
to them.
Although in the society right now, the acceptability of LGBT group is getting higher
since 1950s, there are always some homophobias who cannot accept the change of the society.
Since the society is becoming friendlier to the LGBT group, the homophobes cannot accept this
change of the society at all, so they become haters to the LGBT. The numbers of active anti- gay
hate groups are increasing fast since 2003. (See figure 1) However, it has been well documented
that lesbian and gay students experience significant negative consequences from being exposed
to violence and harassment on campus. (Iconic 67) These homophobes become risk in the
society because these homophobes are very radical and offensive to the LGBT group. They
might attack other people. Indeed, in this context, risk is seen as a continuing and ongoing
dynamic of modern society. (Pratt 26)

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(Epiphenom Figure 1)
For the homophobes, their families usually stand in very important roles for them. The
reason is if their families values are disagreed with the homosexuality, their children usually
have the same values to the homosexuality, too. Also, this is hard to change because the children
cannot choose their growth environments, so the children will have this value in their mind for a
long time. The homophobes families usually have tradition religions, beliefs, and thinking than
other people. They believe their religions teach to them. No matter the other people and the
society say to them, they are very convinced and stubborn to their beliefs. People
[homophobias] who hold negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men are typically more
traditional in their sex-role attitudes. (Iconic 68)
Homophobes believe the homosexuals are not nature and normal like heterosexuals, and
the homosexuals are against to human being because they cant have their own child. Also, the

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homosexuals are against to their religions because the God create one man and woman to get
marry. In their thinking, they believe homosexuality is like a kind of disease which will
infectious to other and homosexuals can be treatable. That is the reason in long time ago, there
were that much inhuman ways which claimed can be heal the homosexuals to become
heterosexuals. There is a tendency among highly religious people to perceive themselves as
having stronger moral attributes than nonreligious people have. Such bias by a highly religious
counselor could complicate the counseling relationship with respect to gender bias, homophobia,
and racism. (Balkin 2009)
Back to 1950s, during that time, most people were affected by the homophobes, and their
attitudes affected the most of people thought that the homosexuality were challenging their
traditions, values, and customs. Most of people had their own religions; all of the religions were
against the homosexuality. Because the homophobes were incited the heterosexuals by religions,
the heterosexuals could not accept homosexuality, too. Because that, so the people believed the
homosexuality should be destroyed and disappear in the society and the world. Because the
society was disagreed and unfriendly to the LGBT group, no one wanted to fight for the human
rights, and the homosexuals were repressed by themselves, their families, and this society.
Accordingly, some homosexuals became homophobias because they repressed
themselves so hard. The pressures were coming from everywhere. The social perception,
religions, and families values were all giving them the pressure of not to being LGBT. These
homosexuals were so afraid be bullied by others if they admitted or showed their real sexual
orientation. Because they were so fear to be labeled as a LGBT, they became haters in the society
for lying and hiding their real sexual orientations. When they repressed their instincts, they
usually got a lot of pressures and when they cannot handle it, they would be the risk to the

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society, and they needed to take long time to accept the homosexuality and their real sexual
orientation. Deviance was only the surface product of trauma taking place there: of fixations, of
childhood memories that should have been repressed, of primal instincts allowed to roam free.
(2009)
Although, since the social perception is changing to more open with the time goes by, the
homophobes number was not really decrease fast. The main reason is still on the families. The
homophobes families did not change a lot since the society was changing. Their values were
still affecting the childrens value and thinking. Moreover, if the heterosexuals whose parents are
homophobes, the children will only learn how to treat and see correctly and friendly the LGBT
group in the outside world like schools and workplaces. Also, if the homosexuals whose parents
are homophobes, the children will be still repressed their sexual orientation in their houses, so
they might be homophobes or have gaps and barriers with their parents. If the homosexuals are
the latter, they usually have big misunderstanding between them and their parents for maybe
many years or longer.
However, people cannot change any families values because it is personal and private, but people
can change how they think to the LGPT and homophobes. Then, their thinking will affect the social
perception to become friendlier. Homophobes should not be repressed themselves by the families and
society. If people cannot change the growth environments of the homophobes at home, they can change
the other environments like neighborhood. People cannot avoid all the homophobes, but they can prevent
people to become homophobes.

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Worked Cited
Pratt, John. "The Rise And Fall Of Homophobia And Sexual Psychopath Legislation In Postwar
Society." Psychology, Public Policy, And Law 4.1-2 (1998): 25-49. PsycARTICLES. Web.
8 Nov.2016.
Balkin, Richard S., Lewis Z. Schiosser, and Dana Heller Levitt. "Religious Identity And Cultural
Diversity: Exploring The Relationships Between Religious Identity, Sexism,
Homophobia, And Multicultural Competence." Journal Of Counseling & Development
87.4 (2009): 420-427. Business Source Elite. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.
Iconis, Rosemary. "Reducing Homophobia Within The College Community." Contemporary
Issues In Education Research 3.5 (2010): 67-70. ERIC. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.
Amaral Madureira, Ana. "The Psychological Basis Of Homophobia: Cultural Construction Of A
Barrier." Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science 41.3/4 (2007): 225-247.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Andersen, Margaret L. Thinking About Women : Sociological Perspectives On Sex And
Gender. n.p.: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. Book Index with Reviews. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Epiphenom. "What's the Connection between Religion and Homophobia? - Epiphenom."
Patheos. N.p., 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.