How does homophobia hurt heterosexuals?
We feel that homophobia touches everyone. You do not have to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual, or know someone who is, to be negatively affected. In reality, though homophobia actively oppresses gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, it also hurts heterosexuals. In the larger perspective, everyone loses. • Homophobia inhibits the ability of heterosexuals to form dose, intimate relationships with members of their own sex, for fear of being perceived as gay, lesbian, or bi • Homophobia restricts communication with a significant percentage of the population. • Homophobia locks people into rigid gender-based roles that inhibit creativity and self expression. • Homophobia is often used to stigmatize heterosexuals: those perceived or labeled by others to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual; children of gay, lesbian, or bisexual parents, parents of gay, lesbian, or bisexual children; and friends of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. • Homophobic conditioning compromises the integrity of heterosexual people by
