Homophobias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An irrational fear or aversion towards individuals who identify as LGBTQ+
2. A negative attitude or discriminatory behavior directed at those who express non-heteronormative sexual orientations
3. A range of negative feelings, beliefs, or actions targeting people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity

Etymology: The plural "homophobias" is simply the plural of "homophobia", so the story is that word's. In 1971, the American psychologist George Weinberg used "homophobia" in his book "Society and the Healthy Homosexual", building it from "homo-", a clipped form of "homosexual", and "-phobia", from the Greek "phobos", meaning fear. Weinberg's coinage was a deliberate invention, not an ancient term: the Greek element "phobia" supplied the sense of dread, while "homo" came from the modern shortening of "homosexual" rather than from the Greek "homos" meaning "same". The pairing is a blend of two traditions. The "-phobia" ending is a New Latin and Greek-derived suffix used in medicine and psychology for irrational fears, so attaching it to a sexual identity was a striking shift from clinical terms like "agoraphobia". Speakers later used the plural form to refer to multiple distinct instances or kinds of such attitudes.

Synonyms: prejudices, biases, intolerances

Antonyms: acceptance, tolerance, open-mindedness