# "Homophobia is Based in Arousal" WOW!? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 31, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobia-is-based-in-arousal-wow/79151 "2001-08-31T17:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobia-is-based-in-arousal-wow/79151/21 "2001-09-03T04:21:51Z")
You might also want to check out our own **SPOOFE** and **MEBuckner** ’s rendition of [The Jack Chick of Homosexuality](http://www.teemings.com/extras/spoofe01.html), right in the Straight Dope’s own online magazine, Teemings. Puts Mr. Cameron’s words to much better use, IMHO. 😉 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/0ea827/32.png) [@Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zaphod_Beeblebrox)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobia-is-based-in-arousal-wow/79151/22 "2001-09-03T11:44:09Z")
**Esprix** sez: > [@](#): > > Quick, let’s have the “homophobia” etymological discussion yet again! It’s been, what, an entire month? Well, if I may… 😃 I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, but I find the word “homophobe” quite interesting. For one thing, it is etymologically incorrect. Literally translated, _homophobia_ means _fear of the same_. I suppose that a word like _homoerophobia_ would have been a much more accurate alternative when referring to a fear of homosexuals/homosexuality. That said, could it be that this “mis-coined” term actually says something of note in this discussion? If a _homophobe_ is someone who is both afraid of homosexuals, and afraid of “the same,” wouldn’t that imply that said homophobe is in fact a homosexual? OK… this is just a play on etymology, and adds very little of substance to this discussion, but I thought it was mildly amusing. For the record, I am neither homophobic nor “homoerophobic.” Whew… got my tracks covered there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobia-is-based-in-arousal-wow/79151.md?page=1)