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Homophobia / Biphobia
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 Homophobia
: A History by Byrne R.
S. Fone
The first comprehensive history of
homophobia-from ancient Athens to the halls of Congress-this bold,
original work is certain to become a classic.
It is the last acceptable
prejudice. In an age when racial and ethnic name-calling are
viewed with distaste, and physical epithets are frowned upon,
hatred of homosexuals remains rife. Now, in a tour de force of
historical and literary research, Byrne Fone chronicles the
evolution of homophobia through the centuries. Delving into
literary sources as diverse as Greek philosophy, the Bible,
Elizabethan poetry, and the Victorian novel, as well as historical
texts and propaganda from the French Revolution to the Moral
Majority, Fone finds that same-sex desire has always been the
object of legal, social, and religious persecution.
Fone shows how the biblical story
of Sodom became the primary source for later prohibitions against
homosexuality. He charts the subtle shifts in public attitudes and
law, from Anglo-Saxon edicts that imposed death by burning upon
"confess'd sodomytes," to Victorian decrees that
punished sodomy with "forfeiture of all rights, including
procreation" (i.e., castration). Sifting the evidence of our
own times, including Reader's Digest articles and TV talk-show
transcripts, Fone demonstrates that homophobia remains one of the
central tenets of law, science, faith, and literature, and defines
the very essence of what it means to be male or female.
Written by an acclaimed expert in
gay and lesbian history, Homophobia is the best sort of history:
lively, accessible, and enlightening.
About the Author
Byrne Fone is professor emeritus in English at the City University
of New York. A pioneer in the teaching of gay and lesbian studies,
Fone is the author of The Road to Stonewall and several other
books.
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Allies is a student organization at UNL
dedicated to advancing and supporting issues concerning sexual
orientation.
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By Lani Ka'ahumanu and Rob Yaeger from
conversations with Gerard Palmeri, Danielle Raymond, Loraine
Hutchins, and Cianna Stewart. Portions adapted from material by
the Rape Crisis Center of West Contra Costa County, CA; the Boston
Lesbian Task Force; and Building Bridges.
Excerpt:
Most people are unaware of their homosexual or
heterosexual assumptions until a bisexual speaks up/comes out and
challenges the assumption. Very often bisexuals are then
dismissed, and told they are "confused" and "simply
have to make up their mind and choose." For bisexually
identified people to maintain their integrity in a homo-hating
heterosexist society they must have a strong sense of self, and
the courage and conviction to live their lives in defiance of what
passes for "normal."
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The Campaign to End Homophobia is a
not-for-profit corporation with diverse, international support.
Friends include parents of lesbian and gay children, rabbis,
priests, therapists, writers, community organizers, family
planning staff, sexuality educators, AIDS activists,
anti-oppression educators and diversity trainers, college students
and their advisors, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual
activists.
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From the University of Toronto, Sexual Education
and Peer Counseling Centre
Excerpt:
Heterosexism is a term used to describe a bias
exhibited by a society or community that is often ssubtle but
nonetheless pervasive, whereby cultural institutions and
individuals are conditioned to expect others to live and behave as
if everyone were heterosexual. Heterosexism, like sexism, is
firmly entrenched in the prevailing customs and traditions of
society. Also, it seeks to fragment society into different
categories of people and it attempts to judge those
disenfranchised groups to make them appear weak, impotent or
inferior, thereby seeming to justify their "lower"
status. Heterosexism serves to silence and erase the lives of
lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGB's), creating a dearth of
positive cultural images. Living in such a climate where your
sexual orientation is consistently devalued and frequently
maligned as abnormal, pathological or "just not
appropriate" for any setting, just serves to further isolate
LGB's and make it that much harder for them to meet, live and love
each other.
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The Heterosexism Enquirer began
as an online research project, getting the scoop on heterosexism
in Newfoundland & Labrador. In order to work towards the
elimination of heterosexism beyond Canada, this group has returned
as an online magazine -- now giving the scoop on a global level,
from sources all over the world.
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This speech by the Triangle Bisexual Alliance was delivered on June
22, 1996 at Pittsburgh
Pridefest '96 for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered
Community.
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The Organization For Antisexualism is a
non-profit organization working to educate, promote, and work
toward a better understanding of antisexualism.
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This web page is an outgrowth of the
award-winning Overcoming
Heterosexism and Homophobia: Strategies That Work, edited
by James T. Sears and Walter L. Williams (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1997). Because most of the essays in this book
are based on experience of the authors in the United States, this
webpage is designed to emphasize international perspectives on
reducing heterosexism.
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Prejudice against lesbians and gay men remains
widespread in US society, although the public appears to be
increasingly opposed to discrimination based on sexual
orientation. The links on this page provide a brief introduction
to sexual prejudice, the phenomenon that is often labeled homophobia
or heterosexism.
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