Have you heard of heterophobia?

[quinnox]

Poll question: Have you heard of heterophobia?

I came across a new term today, and found it interesting and novel. "Heterophobia". Has this been around or is it a new term? I think it means that heterosexuals are being discriminated against in some quarters. Please, no debate on that in this thread, only interested if you have heard it before.

[QC]

1. Yes. Like much of what is posted on DU lately,

it is a popular right wing meme.

[Greyhound]

34. LOL! and thank you. I hope you are allowed to stay after this.

:rofl:
:kick: & R

[Sweet Charming Dem]

43. +1

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Similar to "reverse racism" and often used the same way.

Ever heard the term: heterosexist?

[myrna minx]

3. It's the religious right 'reverse racism' term for LGBTQI.

[muffin1]

4. Are you kidding?

Pray tell, where did you hear this - on FR?

[quinnox]

6. Its referenced on a thread

today here on DU.

[Bluenorthwest]

49. You mean it is used by you on a thread here onn DU?

So why don't you say that truth?

[QC]

59. No, that thread was started by someone else,

a straight man who insists that he will keep saying things like "sexual preference" because he does not personally consider it homophobic, despite the testimony of many LGBT people who do find it homophobic.

After all, who is more qualified to determine whether something is homophobic than a straight guy?

[VMI Dem]

5. Yes. It's like reverse racism.

[donco6]

7. It's used to refer to anything opposing the anti-gay RW agenda.

Like when fundie Christians can't wear "Gay Faggots Burn in Hell" t-shirts to school. It's because the school is heterophobic.

[muffin1]

9. !

:thumbsup:

Those poor heterosexuals...they face so much discrimination in this country. What a crime. It reminds me of all the discrimination that white folks face, too. :crazy:

[xchrom]

8. Recommend

[Unvanguard]

10. I've heard of the boogieman too.

:eyes:

[MrSlayer]

11. No, but it makes a lot more sense for gay people to be afraid of straight people.

I can't remember the last time I heard about a bunch of gay dudes kidnapping and torturing a straight person.

[Bluebear]

12. 'Please, no debate on that in this thread' - of COURSE not!

[quinnox]

17. and what is that supposed to mean

I simply wanted to know if other people were in the dark about this new term, and I got my answer. Anything else and you are reading way too much into this thread.

[Bluebear]

18. This took a poll? OK.

[blondeatlast]

20. This from the same poster who complained about "pet issues"

and "narrow focuses" earlier.

I'm going to eat pizza today if I'm not careful.

[quinnox]

24. Im sorry you are so grumpy all the time

Lighten up once in a while, and try and be more civil and nice in my threads, I'd appreciate it! All I hear from you are nasty insinuations all the time.

[Heidi]

42. He's not "grumpy all the time." He simply does not suffer fools and shit stirrers.

I don't think that's a character flaw.

[Iggo]

13. Why, yes I have.

Only this afternoon...

[NMMNG]

14. Sure I have

It's used by the same people who claim white people and Christians are being persecuted here in Amurka. :eyes:

[blondeatlast]

15. "No debate in this thread." From the same poster that brought us "pet issues."

If I get through this day without a pizza, it'll be a miracle.

[quinnox]

19. What the heck is your problem

You seem to be on a personal crusade against me, and please just let it go already. I'm a nice guy, honest.

[blondeatlast]

21. Sure you are; you've presented yourself so very well already... nt

[Bluebear]

25. +

[donco6]

27. I wouldn't pee on you if your hair were on fire.

See what a nice guy I am?

[Bluebear]

29. "Lighten up once in a while!"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9318974&mesg_id=9319636

[donco6]

30. snort!

yeah, we all need to get off our pet projects. !!

[myrna minx]

22. LOL - no kidding.

i've had to get up and walk away many times today. Hang in there. :hi:

[Upton]

16. I'm not sure..

I might have. Only makes sense though, if there can be homophobia, why not heterophobia?

[Starry Messenger]

23. Yes, on right wing web sites.

See also: Christophobia, Warren, Rick. Heterosexuals are not discriminated against, they are the dominant social power. Pretending to be oppressed is one way of defending privilege if you are a privileged bully.

[DainBramaged]

39. So the question begs to be asked

Am I in the right crowd by being a gay atheist, or the right crowd by being a straight Christian?

[Starry Messenger]

44. I have no idea.

What do you mean by "right crowd"?

[DainBramaged]

60. As clear as a starry night........

[GoneOffShore]

26. Coined word - made up and referenced elsewhere

And I think I only saw it today - here on DU.

Used ironically, I think.

[leftstreet]

28. Yes, aka rightwing conservative propaganda

next?

[Touchdown]

31. It's a "pet issue" for those who think heteros are being picked on.

:hi:

[JackBeck]

32. Historically privileged groups exerting more oppressive power over the minority

would be an apt definition of 'heterophobia'.

On edit: and to answer your poll, I had never heard of the term until today. Sounds like it could have been ripped out of the Maggie Gallagher/Brian Brown script of flipping the blame from the oppressor to the oppressed.

[ismnotwasm]

33. No

But I've known Gay people who are uncomfortable around straights. I know an older Gay men who survived the AIDS holocaust, with almost everyone he knew dying around him, who says it took him years to be able to tolerate straights. Gay people who've had to put up with asinine comments and 'lighten up' jokes and multiple bouts of rejection, the kind of rejection that scars ones soul---from close family, from church, from government, from society. Family says get out, you're no blood of mine. Church says you'll suffer and burn for eternity Government says you don't have equal rights. Society stereotypes you into what society considers comfortable to contemplate and expect you to conform and like it.

That Gays do as well as they do speak well for their communities and strength of character.

All that being said, it's a co-opted term, and disrespectful. If it's being used I suspect it's a frame to hang on to power by the hetero-entitled.

[Lyric]

35. Well gee, if anyone *hadn't* heard of this imaginary phenomenon, you ensured that they have NOW.

:eyes:

[Heidi]

38. Ding, ding, ding.

We have a winner. :thumbsup:

[Bluebear]

40. +

[walldude]

36. ROFLMFAO... Yeah those poor oppressed heteros...

Interesting and novel? More like lame and pathetic.

[saras]

37. We can play too...

I hereby redefine 'heterophobia' as the irrational fear of people who are different from oneself. There's no reason to always let the wacko extremists define our terms for us.

Straights afraid of gays? Heterophobic AND homophobic.

[treestar]

41. Why would it have to mean discriminated against?

Sounds like it means being afraid of them, or just hating them as such.

[Bluenorthwest]

52. You should look the definition of the word up!

It is not in actual dictionaries, but it is in the Conservapedia. It is a right wing term, and not even very popular with them due to the obvious problems with such a term. In most States, it is perfectly legal to openly discriminate against GLBT people in housing, employment, whatever. Nationally, we are denied many basic rights that others have without thinking about it. The level of verbal attacks from the straight community toward the gay community has no equal and the number of actual physical, violent attacks against us by the straight community is so great that even the media is starting to take note. 9 of your kids attacking our own, one by one. Got to feel good about that, so good that you just have to rush out and find a counter word to use, in order to claim that your majority suffers oppression from the minority that you beat, organize against, and slander.
So crack open your Conservapedia and learn up on your right wing terms!

[stuntcat]

45. no but

I'm phobic about people who make babies, it's similar.

[Prism]

46. Allow me a clinical definition

Heterophobia - the social state resulting from a privileged straight person throwing a tantrum because some LGBTer just called them on their defenses or promotion of homophobic bullshit.

"Some gay guy just got in my face over my use of 'sexual preference' to describe his lifestyle. He's obviously a heterophobe."

Hope that helps!

[HopeHoops]

47. "I don't mind straight people as long as they act gay" - bumper sticker.

I saw that for the first time recently and find it to be a very clever twist on the attitude of homophobic people. A lesbian at a bar a few weeks ago had a t-shirt on that read "Homophobia Is Gay".

As for "heterophobia", I took it to mean basically the same thing as "homophobia" but from the other side of the fence. Essentially, the irrational fear of someone with the sexual orientation opposite to your own. Curiously, some of those who are the loudest homophobes have been exposed as homo/bi sexuals.

From either perspective, it is pretty silly. Sexual orientation is a personal matter and none of anyone else's damn business.

[Bluenorthwest]

48. I thought you made it up on your bait thread yesterday.

It sounds made up. Your framing of it was half baked and improvised badly. You made it up.

[Bluenorthwest]

50. From Mirriam-Webster online dictionary.

The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary. Click on a spelling suggestion below or try again using the search bar above.

1. hydrophobia
2. acrophobia
3. hydrophobic
4. heterophile
5. heterospory

So actual dictionaries say it is not an actual word. It is listed as a word, however, in the thing called 'Conservapedia'.

The OP claims to have seen the word 'referenced' on DU, but what the OP is not saying is that the OP is the one who used it here, and the OP is 'referencing' himself.

[Upton]

57. However..

it's also listed in the Urban Dictionary..don't know what that means, but I found it interesting nonetheless.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=heterophobia

[Bluenorthwest]

58. Anyone can add a word to that 'dictionary' and it could be the OP

who put it there. At Urban Dictionary, just click 'add' and you get this information:

All the definitions on Urban Dictionary were written by people just like you. Now's your chance to add your own!
Remember:Write for a large audience. Lots of people will read this, so give some background information.

Don't name your friends. We'll reject inside jokes and definitions naming non-celebrities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note that they do not reject jokes, just inside jokes, and definitions that include celebrity figures are allowed. So the readers make up words, even joke words, and add them to the site and they call it a 'dictionary'.
The OP used the word yesterday on DU, references it here today as if he just read it here. The legitimate dictionaries say it is not a word, the Conservapedia and an improvised joke dictionary are the only places it is listed.
I could right now make up a word and list it in Urban Dictionary. Then cite that here. And ask what people think.

[Renew Deal]

61. Figures. It's another example of the oppression of straight people.

:silly:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

51. Hah! Nice.

:thumbsup:

[Bluenorthwest]

53. The OP is strangely non responsive

Must be off at Conservapedia working on his master's degree in making shit up.

[Bluebear]

63. lol

[eyepaddle]

54. Wouldn't that translate as "irrational fear of hetero(sexual)s?"

No, I've never heard the term before yesterday, but given that there are a few billion people on the planet I'd suspect that there are several who actually have this fear.

I'd also add that given today's climate it would be difficult for an LGBTIQ person's fear of heterosexuals to be considered irrational, and hence isn't a phobia. But still, since there are tens of millions of LGBTIQ I'd suspect that there are one or two out there somwhere....

On a side note, while I understand and concur with the use of the word "homophobia" I'm not really deep down sold on the suffix "phobia" here--I can't imagine there are many heteros who feel the same way around gay people as I do when I have to climb out on a roof or something like that--I don't hate the existence of heights--they just scare the hell out of me!

Homophobia is really more about bigotry than fear.

[Bluenorthwest]

55. Show us this discrimination against the majority.

Tell us which 'quarters' you mean. It is up to you to define this word, as no legitimate dictionary counts it as part of the English language, and most of us will not visit right wing sites to read up on your lexicon of choice.

[lightningandsnow]

56. There is no such thing as heterophobia.

Like I said in the Christophobia thread, an oppressed group cannot marginalize the group in power.

"Heterophobia" is a direct response to institutionalized oppression by straight people.

There is biphobia and subversivism in LGBTQ circles, but that is different.

[DainBramaged]

62. It's a word, why does it make you so angry?

BOTH OP's asked simply if you had heard of the word. My OP was the polar opposite of heterophobia, but my word is the cause of this word.


Yet you try to explain what the word means TO YOU.


Both words invoke hatred in opposite circles. THAT has been proven in both threads.


Thanks for playing.