Psychology of Homophobia/Sexual Prejudice Essay -- Homophobia Sex Prej

Psychology of Homophobia/Sexual PrejudiceSociety began to rethink homo internality in the 1960s when heterosexual psychologist George Weinberg coined the term homophobia. Weinberg used the term to label heterosexuals fear of world in contact of homosexuals as well as the self-loathing of homosexuals, meaning that homosexuals hated themselves for being intrepid. As of the new millennium, there has been a new special term that has been born to define the fear, hate and disgust that plenty show towards anyones sexual orientation called sexual prejudice. Like other types of prejudice, there are three main principals that surround sexual prejudice it is an attitude, it is directed at social groups and its members, and it is invalidating as involving hostility or dislike. As time goes by there has been differing perspectives on sexual prejudice (homophobia). In an interview with Karen Franklin, a forensic psychologist and creator criminal investigator, which was conducted by PBSs prog ram FRONTLINE, reveals her interest and perspective on anti- cheery hate crimes that relate to homophobia. Franklin has interviewed multiple perpetrators of anti-gay hate crimes and with San Francisco Bay Area College students that has widen to the production of important data of the nature and extent to the negative reactions to gays. When Karen Franklin was asked, What makes a person become a gay basher? she answered, there is no simple answer to that question. Franklin explains that for a person to commit any violent act one must have had something influence them to be violent and the fact that a gay person is being targeted is another motivation. She explains that there are several motivations for these acts. The first motivation is peer dynamics, in which a person tries to nurture masculinity, or to prove heterosexuality, or just not to back down and let ones peers down. The next most common motivation she found was what she called anti-gay ideology in which their reasons fo r their anti-gay feelings are based on morals or religion. Another common motivation was that a person might be thrill-seeking and act to have a good time at someone elses expense. Franklin states that, in general, people are trying to endorse a cultural message that gay people are second class citizens and are not worthy of respect. Franklin feels that this sexual prejudice is a c... ...use whether we know it or not, we all contribute in rase the smallest ways to this problem. For instance, when we go up to our male youth and ask them if they like any girls in their class or when we ask a female if she has a boyfriend, we are contributing to the problem in a subliminal and subconscious manner. We are sending a subliminal message to society we are trying to tell them who they are supposed to be. It is quite ironic to find that men hate gay men, although, at the same time they love and desire gay women and it is acceptable. Sexual prejudice is very complex, confusing, wrong, misun derstood, and very harmful to society.References1.Internalized Homophobiahttp//www.lgcsc.org/internalized.html2.Psychological Perspective Henry Adamshttp//www.rtis.com/reg/bcs/pol/touchstone/november96/muehlen.htm3.The Mind of A Gay Basher Karen Franklinhttp//www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/interviews/franklin.html4.Bigots and Buggers pricking Tatcheellhttp//www.petertatchell.net/homophobia/bigots%20are%20buggers.htm5.American Psychological Association Henry Adamshttp//www.apa.org/releases/homophob.html