The Article, How Homophobia Hurts Everyone By Warren J....

In the article, How Homophobia Hurts Everyone by Warren J. Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld describes his experience growing up as a homosexual, and how homophobia affected him, as well as his family and peers. To begin, homophobia can be separated into two different catergories, personal homophobia and interpersonal homophobia. Personal homophobia can be described as a personal belief system, or prejudice that homosexuals, bisexual and transgender people are entitled to, should be disliked or remain powerless, due to their desires. They are also sometimes seen as psychologically disturbed, genetically modified or defective and overall, unfortunate human beings. While on the other hand, interpersonal homophobia refers to the personal prejudice or bias that affects relationships within individuals. An example of interpersonal homophobia could be making a joke, name calling, or insulting certain individuals or groups. This can be either verbal, physical or intimidation related. Blumenfeld first describes his experience with his sister, Susan, after his retinas had detached and he was faced with possibly being blind the rest of his life. During his recovery from a surgery to reattach his retinas, he began to bond with his sister again after many years of estrangement. After tears, apologies, regrets and rage, their relationship finally began to heal. The main focus of the article is Blumenfelds’ primary premise, â€Å"Within each of the numerous forms of oppression, members of the targetShow MoreRelatedHeterosexualism And Heterosexism1089 Words   |  5 Pages Heterosexism, according to Warren J. Blumenfeld, is the system of advantages given to heterosexuals based on the social construct of gender roles and heterosexual norms, while marginalizing and oppressing homosexuals and others who do not fit into the heterosexual culture (373). The enforcement of this system is known as heteronormality. This is seen in the binary system, which is a social construct that divides people into different strictly bordered categories organized by â€Å"social roles, values