Homophobia: A Problem of Moral and Spiritual Development
By Joe Perez
Homophobia is no myth. Over the past weekend, several news stories
highlight the prevalence of homophobic hatred throughout the world.
Clearly a large proportion of the world's population builds their
worldview based on antipathy towards and hatred of gays:
In Hungary, "skinheads and right-wing activists" greeted participants
in a gay-rights parade with rotten eggs and smoke bombs. When
Budapest police tried to disperse several of the protesters, some of
them threw beer bottles at the officers, says another AP report.
In the Croatian capital of Zagreb, about 20 people in a gay-rights
parade were hurt by anti-gay attackers carrying weapons appearing to
be Molotov cocktails, and two required hospitalization for their
wounds. Vile hatred of gays takes aim at marchers advocating for
equal rights, tolerance, and acceptance.
In the Sacramento area, a group of Slavic men on a picnic noticed
that a man did not have a female date and danced with both women and
men in his party. They tossed racist and anti-gay slurs at Satendar
Singh, and later one of the men struck Satendar and hurled bottles at
his party. Satendar died on July 5th from the wounds inflicted by the
attackers.
A man in Massachusetts seeks nearly $10 million in damages because he
failed the bar exam. He told the Associated Press that the reason he
failed is that he refused to answer a question about the rights of
two married lesbians and their children (presumably he had no problem
answering questions about murderers, rapists, and divorced
heterosexuals) .
Because Stephen Dunne found the grounds for the bar exam's
question "morally repugnant and patently offensive," he believes he
is justified in not answering the question. So he sues. This
particular attack against gays is not with Molotov cocktails or beer
bottles, but with inflammatory language, insulting argument, and
frivolous lawsuits that could distract the attention of gay
activists.
Just about any weekend turns up dark or odd stories like this, as you
are well aware if you follow news about gay-rights. The stories serve
as a cautionary reminder that hatred of gays is alive and well and
can't be ignored.
Read the stories and you will see that the methods of anti-gay attack
vary. The motivations and tactics range from overt violence to subtly
worded position papers. The attacks wound physically,
psychologically, and spiritually. But there is a common thread that
unites all homophobes.
In Soulfully Gay (Integral Books/Shambhala, 2007), this author
writes: "In general, the greater the consciousness that develops in a
human being, and the more spiritually enlightened one becomes, the
deeper the sympathy for homosexuals and the sensitivity to our common
humanity. Homophobia is real. It is nasty, it is unseemly, it is
ungodly, and it is present only at the lowest levels of human
development. "
Homophobia is a set of beliefs and behaviors based on the hatred or
fear of gay people, or based on the premise that homosexuality is
intrinsically inferior, sick, and shameful. There is a natural
tendency for younger human beings--especially adolescent males, but
more generally as well--to go through a phase of development in which
they need to strongly repress natural same-sex emotional and sexual
urges in order to pass certain hurdles of entering adulthood.
For this and other reasons, it may be said that a certain degree of
homophobia is natural in our culture for negotiating certain lesser
developed stages of life. Unfortunately, many adults get stuck in
this juvenile and primitive mode of relating, and they continue in
their homophobia well into adulthood. Unfortunately, their homophobia
is often supported by religious beliefs, cultural attitudes, and even
political ideologies.
So the problem of homophobia, broadly conceived, is a problem of
underdevelopment or arrested development in psychological, moral, and
spiritual maturity. Adults trapped in ugly and restrictive juvenile
attitudes are among the worst homophobes, and they must be encouraged
to grow beyond their outmoded anti-gay mindsets.
Adults restricted by selfish and ethnocentric moralities are unable
to empathetically place themselves in the shoes of a homosexual or
transgender person, and therefore their moral horizons have not
expanded enough to let go of their homophobia. They are moral
cripples, in a manner of speaking.
Authentic spirituality teaches empathy and compassion towards all,
and forbids the expression of intolerance and hatred. Adults saddled
with backwards heterosexist religious beliefs must be encouraged to
question their received opinions in the light of more sophisticated
readings of their sacred traditions. They must be taught to
spiritually grow up.
When homophobia is properly understood as a problem of immaturity in
consciousness and lack of heightened spiritual awareness, then it is
possible to reject the impulse to hate the homophobe. We can accept
the homophobe for who they are, and tolerate where they're at in
their own journey towards maturity.
It is human to react defensively and respond to hate with intolerance
of our own. But what is really justified is an attitude that makes
room for the immature to think and act immaturely while creating
barriers to prevent the homophobes from inflicting harm to others.
In other words, let us strive to greet the homophobes not with more
hatred and violence, but with firm barriers to prevent them from
spreading the hate (supplemented with genuine concern for their own
holistic development) . We can't expect the immature to grow to
maturity overnight. We need to give them time and resources to
support their growth.
Let us continue to march for our freedoms and our right to love,
taking prudent measures to protect ourselves from harm, while giving
the ignorant homophobes the gift of our genuine concern for their
well-being. Let us fight off the gay bashers and punish the heinous
murderers, but let us remember their own common humanity. Let us beat
back bizarre legal and political attacks with wisdom and good humor,
not more idiocy.
Let us counter fear with love for our enemies and concern for their
holistic growth. It is difficult and perilous path, but one grounded
in a deep and authentic spirituality.
