No. Phobia is not merely a synonym for fear. It is defined in lay terms (standard dictionary) as "a persistent, irrational fear ... that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it." First of all, I'm not sure that, given our biological underpinings as a species, fear of the homosexual act is irrational. It may indeed be quite rational. But it's not my point to get into that here. But when the Catholic Church, for example, calls homosexuality a sin they do NOT hve a compelling desire to avoid homosexuals -- in fact, quite the contrary, they want to interact with them so that they can convert them. So one has to know, first, whether homophobia is being used to refer to the act itself, to persons who are engaging in the act at the time they are engaging in it, or to persons who simply self-identify themselves as gay or lesbian or bisexual.
Medically, phobias in DSM IV come under "anxiety disorders" which are characterized by panic attacks, which have very definite physiological symptoms. A specific phobia is "characterized by clinically significant anxiety provoked by exposure to a specific feared object or situation, often leading to avoidance behavior." An social phobia is "characterized by clinically significant anxiety provoked by exposure to certain types of social or performance situations, often leading to avoidance behavior." Both require clinically significant anxiety. DSM IV p. 393 BTW, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is classified as an anxiety disorder. So medically, homophobia would be in the same class of illness as PTSD. How many people do you know who break into a sweat, have elevated blood pressure and heart rate, sweat, etc. when they are introduced to a gay man or lesbian woman? Personally, I've never met one, though they probably do exist.
But using a powerful medical term to refer to what is most often either extreme personal distaste or religiously proscribed behavior (I know of no religion which condemns homosexual persons as such, though Islam might; I think the more general approach is to "hate the sin but live the sinner") is, IMO, not only inaccurate but fundamentally (and intentionally) dishonest. Right up there with those who call homosexuals "sickos" and "psychos." Neither truthful nor helpful. |
