[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Oberon, have you ever been called a reasonophobe? Well, today's the day.

Excellent, I shall add it to the list.

Originally Posted by vanjast

You most likely find homophobia origins in religious texts.. and funny enough some churches/religions ban it outright.. although their 'brethren' obviously haven't heard about that yet. ?

If we're going to be all treated like human beings, irrespective of orientation, one has to be able to roll with what it takes to be 'different'. We all have to go through this in our lives... being gay doesn't require any more special attention than being straight, or just being a weirdo.

Jokes, quirks.. etc.. are par for the course.. time to toughen up and stop crying, otherwise they'll 'ride' you.

It most likely did originate in religious texts, probably as a means to make sure that humanity kept breeding back when the population was in the high millions as opposed to billions. Back when child mortality was such that if you didn't have lots of children then the continuation of your linage was in doubt.
Those days, like so many things people fight to cling on to now, are long gone. Our population is 7 billion and climbing, so a percentage of homosexuals really isn't going to make a dent in it.
I fully agree with you if we are to all be treated as equals...but unfortunately many many people haven't got that message, many people still think that x person is better than y person because z. Be it that a white person is better than a black, a man is better than a woman, or a heterosexual is better than a homosexual. As such, equality is not possible if the status quo is not challenged. I have posted two examples in this thread already of where homosexual people have been persecuted for their beliefs, and I have challenged people to find me a country in the current day where heterosexual people are persecuted in the same way. As of yet I have received no answer.
And as for being 'different', surely the whole point of being treated equally is that you are not 'different'? Surely the point is to eliminate the focus on what makes us different, and celebrate that which we have the same? Of course, this also works in detriment of gay pride, but I suspect that if homophobia was to disappear overnight then eventually gay pride events would also become a thing of the past. As has already been said, the only reason there is gay pride is because there exists such a thing as gay shame. You remove the shame, there's no need for the pride.

In regards to jokes, I'm all for them, but if you wouldn't make the same joke in regards to a straight person, then why make it for a homosexual? Again, is this not emphasising the difference?

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

I'm going for broke and claim Panphobia.

No, I think that's someone else on this thread...certainly judging by the amount of things that are going to cause the downfall of humanity/Europe/the world: The EU, Banks, Capitalism, Socialism, Democracy, Religion, Muslims...have I missed anything out?