| Homophobia
Homophobia is the name given to the hatred of people who are gay, lesbian and bisexual. It can also be the term used when homosexual people are discriminated against or picked on by other groups in society.
Homophobia can be displayed in many ways, it can be expressed through bullying, name-calling, physical violence and other forms of attacks on individuals who are gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Why are some people prejudiced against the Homosexual Community?
There are no simple answers to this question. It is likely that if a person does not act in line with their gender stereo-type, they run the risk of being bullied. For example, people might expect a boy to be sporty and to be interested in particular activities and hobbies, or a girl to be quite feminine and have certain personality characteristics. If a boy or girl do not conform to these stereotypes, they can experience hurtful and upsetting or abusive behaviour from others in society.
Read the following poem and think about the questions below:
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS
AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT-
BECAUSE I WAS NOT A JEW.
THEN THEY CAME FOR THE COMMUNISTS
AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT-
FOR I WAS NOT A COMMUNIST.
NEXT THEY CAME FOR THE TRADE UNIONISTS
AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT-
BECAUSE I WAS NOT A TRADE UNIONIST.
THEN THEY CAME FOR ME
AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT
TO SPEAK OUT FOR ME.
By Pasteur Niemüller
- What do you think this poem is about?
- When it says “They” in the poem, what does this mean?
- This poem was written after World War Two. Do you think this poem has any meaning in the world of today?
- If we replace some of the names of the groups mentioned in the poem with groups who are picked on in today’s society, which groups might be mentioned in the poem?
How should we treat people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual?
As the poem above suggests, no two people are exactly the same. We all have our own beliefs, preferences and personalities. We should never be unkind to someone because they look, act or sound differently from us. If we behave badly towards someone for these reasons, we are behaving as a bully might behave.
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