The 4 types of homophobia, and how to recognize them.

Various ways of expressing intolerance or hatred towards those who are different.

The existence of different types of homophobia shows us that this type of sexual orientation discrimination is not something easy to isolate and detect according to stereotypical and repetitive behaviors, but can be adapted to any context, however changing it may be. Times are evolving, and so are the forms of homophobia.

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

The main types of homophobia

Discrimination is capable of taking many different forms. This is so, among other things, because when we discriminate, we 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 possible in a certain social circle to criminalize a group because of its essence, for example, but in others it will be possible to criminalize a group because of its identity.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 means of transmission

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

Cultural homophobia

This type of discrimination against homosexual persons is based on unwritten laws that are passed down from generation to generation through oral transmission and imitation of behavior. through oral transmission and imitation of behaviors..

Most expressions of homophobia relate to this category (which often overlaps with others), and is expressed in a variety of ways: for example, assuming that young homosexuals are just confused about their sexual identity, or defending the idea that homosexual men are incomplete because they do not fit the ideal of masculinity.

Institutional homophobia

This is the type of homophobia that has to do with formalized norms present in the rules and regulations of both public and private organizations. For example, in laws that criminalize actions associated with homosexuality or that keep homosexuals away from certain basic rights, or company bylaws that justify the dismissal of homosexuals.

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

According to its degree of expression

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

Cognitive homophobia

This type of homophobia refers to beliefs that are part of the cognitive system of individual persons and that portray 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 linked to homosexuality that are at the same time associated with rejection or even disgust.

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

Behavioral homophobia

This concept refers to objective expressions of homophobia by individuals who do not hide behind any norm. do not hide behind any norm to discriminate against homosexuals because of the fact that they are homosexuals..

For example, those who organize demonstrations to take away the rights of those who have a sexual orientation other than heterosexuality, those who physically attack homosexuals because they are homosexual, those who exclude people because they believe they are homosexual... the forms that behavioral homophobia can take are practically infinite, as varied as human behavior.

Seemingly well-intentioned discrimination

There are variants of behavioral homophobia that do not present themselves directly under a mental framework of confrontation, but of tolerance. In these cases, homosexuality is "tolerated" (implying that there is something about 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. under the necessity of not extending 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 deviate from the model of heterosexuality should be protected by limiting their freedom is still relatively common.

Conclusion: there is much to question

Centuries of homophobia have left a deep-rooted cultural mark on the way we act and think. It is therefore important to question whether certain behaviors and beliefs that we thought were harmless are not in fact 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 them as a way out of tone or a ridiculous way of thinking.and to see any questioning of them as an outrage or a ridiculous way of thinking. This is an intellectual laziness that takes the form of suffering and victims, because although we do not have to participate directly in the harassment of homosexuals, we participate in the perpetuation of a cultural framework that legitimizes these actions.

Bibliographical 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.