Types of Homphobia

There are many types of homophobia, but four are generally identified: 

1.       Internalized/Personal homophobia: personal feelings of sexual prejudice towards homosexuality. People in (as well as those not in) the LGBTQ community may experience this.  For LGBTQs this may lead to depression, a desire to change one’s sexual orientation, and in some cases, suicide.

2.       Interpersonal homophobia: the actions one takes in response to their personal homophobia – this includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse. Evidence shows that many homophobes react by shutting out LGBTQ people from their lives.

3.       Institutional homophobia: the ways different institutions (business, religious sects, governments, etc.) act in discriminatory ways towards LGBTQ members. 

4.       Cultural homophobia: the actions made by the media (television, online, newspapers, etc) exhibit heterosexism. The majority of television sitcoms do not contain homosexual characters, and when they do it is normally in a negative way, this is an example of cultural homophobia.

**It is important to note that internalized homophobia generally stems from the fear of being labelled as gay or deviant. In an attempt to reaffirm one’s self into the heterosexual role in a heteronormative culture (not wanting to be the “Other”) one may participate in acts of discrimination. 

Blumeld, W.J. (1992). Homophobia: How we all pay the price. Boston: Beacon