What is homophobia? What is heterosexism?
A. Homophobia is a fear of or discrimination against LGBTQ people. Homophobia is structural in that there are public policies that discriminate against LGBTQ folks and societal in that there still exists an attitude that being an LGBTQ person is wrong. Homophobia can also be internalized by people suppressing their own feelings about their sexuality. Heterosexism is the attitude that being heterosexual is normal and anything else is against the norm and/or the belief that heterosexual people are superior to everyone else. For example, when a woman says she is going on a date, many people will ask, “What’s his name?” or “Is he cute?” assuming it is a heterosexual date. This assumption reflects the societal belief that heterosexuality is the norm and everything else is strange. Q. How do I know if I’m LGBTQ? A. Determining your sexuality and/or gender can be very confusing and it’s common to feel pressure to define yourself to your peers. Some people know that they’re LGBTQ for their who
