Some semantical confusion on homosexuality.

[PrinceofLight2000]

My questions:

Does the word homosexuality refer to feelings or behaviors?

Which of the following does the word homophobia refer to?

"- Fear of homosexuals. Judging by its etymology, this may have been Its original meaning when the word was coined in the 19th century.

- People who hate homosexuals and/or homosexuality.

- Persons who want to retain some unique privileges for heterosexuals, like marriage, spousal visitation privileges in hospitals, insurance benefits, inheritance rights, ordination, etc.

- A person who is frightened to speak out against homosexuality.

- A belief that homosexual behavior is intrinsically immoral and should be criminalized.

- A belief that homosexual orientation is intrinsically disordered."

and lastly one not included in the quote from the link:

- A belief that homosexual behavior is intrinsically immoral.

Does there need to be a new term (eg homoscepticism) brought to common usage that separates hateful prejudice and mistreatment toward homosexuals from "a member of society that does not hate homosexuals, but generally does not agree with the principle of homosexuality in moral and ethical terms."

I think one is needed, desperately. My fear is thus:

"Q: Are all Christians homophobic by default?

A: If we aren't now the word will be redefined until we are."

Source material for consideration:

How Can a Heterophobic Call Me Homophobic and Heterosexist? (check the webmaster's comments in this link)

Do you object to being labelled 'homophobic' when you are actually just 'homosceptic'? A suggested approach for defusing an inflammatory issue. | The Lausanne Global Conversation

Are all Christians homophobic by default? - Yahoo! Answers

[annewandering]

Some other word ought to be used. It is annoying to be called homophobic when they dont really scare me at all. Maybe they are scared of me?

[Soulsearcher]

ho·mo·pho·bi·a

   [hoh-muh-foh-bee-uh] Show IPA

noun unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality.

or

Medical Dictionary

ho·mo·pho·bia definition

Pronunciation: /ˌhō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə/ Function: n: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexualsho·mo·phobePronunciation: /ˈhō-mə-ˌfōb/ Function: nho·mo·pho·bicPronunciation: /ˌhō-mə-ˈfō-bik/ Function: adj

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

So as seen it's not just referring to a fear of homosexuals. I do think the word is used too much these days but because it covers such a broad range of behaviors and attitudes it's just become a blanket label. That being said both sides have kinda fallen into using blanket terms and assumptions here and there.

[Blocky]

An other thing I've seen on here is interpreting 'i am gay' as saying they act upon homosexual thoughts. If I hear someone is gay, I just interpret they are attracted to the same sex, not that they act upon it.

As for what you asked, homosexuality would be in reference to feelings, not necessarily behaviors.

When I think of the word homophobic I think of someone who hates people who are gay or finds homosexual acts so weird that they can't act normal around someone who is gay.

[Darak]

By semantic do you mean issues like if a gay guy with good DNA makes a deal with a bunch of lesbians for them to have his DNA if he at least give them a spare bedroom to crash in while the mothers are on vacation?

[PrinceofLight2000]

By semantic do you mean issues like if a gay guy with good DNA makes a deal with a bunch of lesbians for them to have his DNA if he at least give them a spare bedroom to crash in while the mothers are on vacation?

se·man·tics

   /sɪˈmæntɪks/ Show Spelled[si-man-tiks] Show IPA

noun (used with a singular verb)

1. Linguistics.

a.the study of meaning.

b.the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.

2.Also called significs. the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.

3.the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.

4.general semantics.

[JudoMinja]

By semantic do you mean issues like if a gay guy with good DNA makes a deal with a bunch of lesbians for them to have his DNA if he at least give them a spare bedroom to crash in while the mothers are on vacation?

That would be sementics.

[NeuroTypical]

Heh - I was at a lunch-n-learn at work a few years back, hosted by the GLBT people. The host defined "homophobe" as someone who had some baseless fear about homosexuals or was ignorant of them. I raised my hand and said "I've got a little baseless fear and some ignorance about you folks - it's why I came to this lunch and learn. Am I a homophobe?" He mumbled and backtracked a while, and I think we both went away with a better understanding that the word has lost a lot of validity because people just unthinkingly hurl it at each other as an insult or attack.