The 4 types of homophobia, and how to recognize them

The existence of different types of homophobia shows us that this type of discrimination based on sexual orientation is not something easy to isolate and detect from according to stereotypical and repetitive behaviors, but can be adapted to any context, no matter how changing be. Times are evolving, and forms of homophobia, too.

However, that does not mean that we cannot establish categories to better understand this kind of discrimination and the forms in which it occurs. In this article we will look at several of the different forms that this type of discrimination can take, with explanations and examples.

• Related article: "How to stop being homophobic and accept the difference"

The main types of homophobia

Discrimination is capable of taking many different forms. This is so, among other things, because when you discriminate, you also try to do so in a way that fits well with the mental frameworks that establish what is politically correct and what is not.

It may be that in a certain social circle it is possible to criminalize a group for its essence

, for example, but in others it will be necessary to attribute this criminalization not to what these minorities are, but to what they are supposed to do, for example.

In the case of discrimination against homosexual people, this translates into the existence of different types of homophobia, which is expressed in different contexts and situations.

Types of homophobia according to their transmission medium

Considering the way in which homophobia is transmitted and perpetuated, we can find the following two categories.

Cultural homophobia

This type of discrimination against homosexual people is based on unwritten laws that are transmitted from generation to generation. through oral transmission and imitation of behaviors.

Most expressions of homophobia have to do with this category (which tends to overlap with others), and it is expressed in very different ways: for example, assuming that Young gay men are just confused about their sexual identity, or defending the idea that gay men are incomplete because they do not fit the ideal of masculinity.

Institutional homophobia

It is the type of homophobia that has to do with formalized norms present in the regulations of both public and private organizations. For example, in laws that criminalize actions associated with homosexuality or that keep homosexuals apart from certain basic rights, or company statutes that justify the dismissals of people homosexuals.

Also included in this category are samples of homophobia promoted by certain religious groups, even those that do not have a very defined organization or they do not have sacred texts, although in this case it would be a phenomenon halfway between cultural homophobia and institutional.

According to their degree of expression

The can also be divided according to the degree in which it is expressed or, on the contrary, remains latent.

Cognitive homophobia

This type of homophobia refers to the beliefs that are part of the cognitive system of individual people and that show homosexuality as something negative, usually related to vague notions of what is "unnatural" and what is "degenerate". Thus, it is based on stereotypes and associations between concepts related to homosexuality that are also associated with rejection or even disgust.

For example, the predisposition of some people to reject their children if they find out that they are homosexual is a sign of cognitive homophobia.

Behavioral homophobia

This concept refers to the objective expressions of homophobia by individuals who do not hide behind any norm to discriminate against homosexuals for the fact of being homosexual.

For example, those who organize in demonstrations to take away the rights of those who have a sexual orientation other than heterosexuality, who physically attack homosexuals for the fact of being, who exclude people by believing that they are homosexual... the forms that behavioral homophobia can take are practically endless, as varied as human behavior.

• You may be interested: "Bullying for homophobia: its harmful effects on society and education"

The seemingly well-intentioned discrimination

There are variants of behavioral homophobia that do not appear directly under a mental framework of confrontation, but of tolerance. In these cases, homosexuality is "tolerated" (implying that there is something in it that already causes discomfort), as long as it is not expressed in a very visible way.

In any case, in practice, it is assumed that people with a sexual orientation that does not belong to heterosexuality have fewer rights than heterosexuals, or that this lack of rights is justified under the need not to extend it to other members of the population (assuming once again that it is bad, since otherwise there would be no need to take measures to prevent it from spreading). The idea that those who depart from the heterosexuality model should be protected by limiting their freedom is still relatively common.

Conclusion: there is much to question

Centuries of homophobia have left a deeply ingrained cultural mark on how we act and think. For this reason, it is important to ask ourselves whether certain behaviors and beliefs that we thought were innocuous are not actually a basis for homophobia.

Sometimes discriminatory actions and attitudes go unnoticed because since our childhood we have learned to see them as something normal, and to see any questioning of these as a departure from tone or a ridiculous way of thinking. It is an intellectual neglect that is reflected in suffering and victims, since although we do not have to participate directly in the harassment of homosexuals, we participate in the perpetuation of a cultural framework that legitimizes those actions.

Bibliographic references:

• Guindon MH, Green AG, Hanna FJ (April 2003). Intolerance and Psychopathology: Toward a General Diagnosis for Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 73 (2): pp. 167 - 176.
• Meyer, D. (2015). Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination. Rutgers University Press.
• Renzetti, C.M. & Edleson, J.L. (2008). Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence. SAGE Publications.
• Austin, W.G.; Worchel, S. (1979). The social psychology of intergroup relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks / Cole.