Can LGBT people be homophobic?

Should homophobic (or transphobic, biphobic, all the others) language be accepted if it is by someone who calls themselves LGB or T?

This is what really annoys me. When you get a group of gay people together they start calling each other ******s but as soon as a straight person or someone they're not friends with does they will make a huge deal out of it. Their arguement when asked about is is it's 'funny' or 'black people do it'...

I feel it's sort of worse when a gay person says ******, it just shows they actually don't care about what anyone around them has gone through or might dislike. If someone was bullied or called with that word in particular I doubt when they finally find confidence in someone else who is gay they would like to be called a ****** by them too.

Perhaps I'm completely off here and it only counts as homophobic if the person feels like it is...

Self-deprecation is very different to outward abuse, so using a slur to refer to oneself to being like hey fat gurl coming through*+*+ or something, but as with all things involving language, context is very important. There are times and places when you need to be more formal and/or professional where such phrasing is obviously not appropriate, and projection on others isn't particularly nice either. Saying "I'm not offended by it so you shouldn't be" isn't a valid defence when using slurs as they have a clear negative connotation to them, so it's necessary to know your audience and all that.

tl;dr yes anyone can be [insert root word here]phobic/ist, but that doesn't mean that everyone is

no it shouldn't be accepted?? and of course they can be homophobic. for one, you've got self-hating gay people so a gay person using gay slurs might actually dislike gay people. there are also loads of gay people who will reject bisexuals (biphobia) or tell us to get out of their "safe spaces", that we're fake, greedy etcetc

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Originally Posted by buttons

no it shouldn't be accepted?? and of course they can be homophobic. for one, you've got self-hating gay people so a gay person using gay slurs might actually dislike gay people. there are also loads of gay people who will reject bisexuals (biphobia) or tell us to get out of their "safe spaces", that we're fake, greedy etcetc

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the argument that bisexuals are greedy makes me laugh so much. people seem to assume that by being bi you automatically go for everyone with even half a pulse. if you're straight you don't automatically go after EVERYONE of the opposite sex and if you're gay you don't go after everyone of the same sex, but apparently that's not how it works if you're bi lol???
also the greedy argument sounds like someone who's not bi got butthurt about someone who is bi getting more action than they were and crying about how unfair it is.

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Yeah i think LGBT+ people can be homo(etc)phobic but I don't really think it applies to slurs as much. self-deprecating humour is a good thing i think because comedy is one of the more effective ways of normalising things that otherwise people would be uncomfortable talking about. And it's not even like anyone who's not a part of that group isn't allowed to use the same kind of humour, but because they're not a part of the group it's harder for them to understand when it's acceptable and when it's not.

I don't accept the word homophobia, it's a rather sinister way of classifying people who may disagree, dislike or even hate homosexuality.

In terms of whether gay people can disagree, dislike or hate homosexuality: sure. If one has religious convictions or moral convictions yet finds themselves gay, then they are going to disagree with homosexual acts are they not? In the same way for dislike in that they may dislike the position they have found themselves in through no fault or choice of their own. In terms of hate, I think that is unusual however obviously there have been cases of people railing against homosexual acts yet have then been found with a bloke, trousers down, in the public toilets.

So gay people can dislike or disagree with homosexuality, and there's nothing wrong with that. The only people I have a problem with are the hypocritical ones who rally against it but are the next moment caught having sex with rent boys. You ought to practice what you preach or don't preach it, in other words.

Personally, I don't have a problem with my friends calling me a ******. We are all LGBT and all of us have that mutual understanding that we're just joking. Saying that, we're also intelligent enough not to go shouting it out at each other around town or at the pub because we respect that others could get offended or upset.

I think when it comes down to homophobia in the LGBT community it comes down to the labels you're associated with. I personally hate when other lesbians feel the need to make comments about my personal appearance and think its then appropriate to stick labels like 'Stud' or 'Butch' onto me just because I have shorter hair. I also notice a lot of lesbians who feel superior to every other lesbian based on their Gold Star Status (When a lesbian has never slept with a man, not sure if its the same in the gay men community) and proceed to plaster that fact on every social media, page or profile they can.

As others have said, Bi-phobia is such a common one in the LGBT community which has to be the most baffling thing for me. The "bi's are just confused or greedy because I'm not one" argument is just as bad as going "homosexuals are confused and sinners because my special book told me so". For a community that is supposed to be accepting of people its really sad to see the small pocket of idiots that feel the need to talk about what a struggle its been for them, while simultaneously bad mouthing and insulting other members of the LGBT community.

Also, the small pocket of people who feel like its their place to pick a person at random, who is happy with what gender/body they were assigned with and bombard them with "CIS SCUM" types of comments. Those types of people I can't take seriously enough to write a reasonable sentence, they're just an insane level of stupid. Maybe you're transgender, thats totally fine and wonderful and im glad you're finally in the body you were suppose to be in but you don't need to try and put down other people who are happy in the body they were born with

I think when you're having a joke with your friends and you're all ok with it and not in a public place, yes fine go ahead. But when you're undermining other communities and not respecting other people then no of course not

Lots of possible SPAG errors, too early for my brain

If it's meant as a joke, I think it's okay. ~Like jazz calls me a ****** all the time in calls etc, and I don't mind that because we're joking. But when it's genuinely meant, or if someone is actively against them (even if they are LGBT themselves), then it's a bit pathetic.

happens all the time as groups separate themselves from others by ostracising the "queens" or the "butch" or even recently (on the Internet at least) the heteronormative and the "cis". It's important for queers like any other people to be able to feel part of a certain group and with that comes obligatory shaming of undesirables within (or outside of) that group. It should be encouraged as it enables people to discover and become ultimately confident with their sexuality/gender and identity.

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Originally Posted by Kyle

It should be encouraged as it enables people to discover and become ultimately confident with their sexuality/gender and identity.

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But surely then only one party can benefit at a time?

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Originally Posted by Kyle

happens all the time as groups separate themselves from others by ostracising the "queens" or the "butch" or even recently (on the Internet at least) the heteronormative and the "cis". It's important for queers like any other people to be able to feel part of a certain group and with that comes obligatory shaming of undesirables within (or outside of) that group. It should be encouraged as it enables people to discover and become ultimately confident with their sexuality/gender and identity.

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Why is it important to categorise ourselves into these victimhood groups. I'm white, gay yet I don't classify myself as belonging to either 'community'. The community I belong to is my local area and my country: my identity is tied up in much more than who I fancy or the colour of my skin, and it's summed up in a scouser/British subject.

Of course they can.

My first thoughts were of those stereotypical thugs that just shout homophobic abuse when they're out in their little gangs but are actually gay themselves. I think there was a scene in Skins like this - Series 2?

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Originally Posted by -:Undertaker:-

Why is it important to categorise ourselves into these victimhood groups. I'm white, gay yet I don't classify myself as belonging to either 'community'. The community I belong to is my local area and my country: my identity is tied up in much more than who I fancy or the colour of my skin, and it's summed up in a scouser/British subject.

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same, u get people walking about with QUEER on their shirt or their tumblr name/description and i just don't care about being part of that ~community~ when i can just not segregate myself. i do think it's a good thing for raising awareness and as a means of support but i don't care about making it my whole identity

bleh of course they can be homophobic, transphobic etc. being a member of a transparent "community" doesn't absolve you from your bigotry... obviously.

When I say 'can' I don't mean is it possible that LGBT people can be homophobic I mean it in the way of should they be allowed to be.

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Originally Posted by Aiden

When I say 'can' I don't mean is it possible that LGBT people can be homophobic I mean it in the way of should they be allowed to be.

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How and why should you stop them?

LGBT humans are the same as any straight human, and therefore capable of being homophobic themselves. I would say maybe because they don't want to be classified, as what buttons & karter has said, with the community.

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Originally Posted by -:Undertaker:-

How and why should you stop them?

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Should people be racist?


And I don't have a solution. Again you misunderstood.Is it okay for gay people to be homophobic when straight people mostly cannot be without the same gay people being pissed?

Of course. Saying there is a one size fits all gay or straight is ludicrous. Loads of gay men hate other gay men, particularly ones which take on this weird, egotistical type of gay guy which just becomes annoying and fulfills the annoying gay stereotype. You hear it all the time. Doesn't necessarily mean it is a crime. Homophobia is like a spectrum. If you have pure hate and you have pure annoyance. Most people sit in the annoyance side - they don't hate the person but find the attitude annoying. This is perfectly fine and above all normal.

Homophobic is a term that is used to describe someone that has a hatred or fear of homosexuals. A lot of gays that use homophobic slurs don't have a fear or hatred of gays, but they just don't particularly like certain subsections of the community.

Like for instance, being gay does not define who you are. Just because you choose to lie with someone of the same sex, that shouldn't change the way you act, dress, speak or the people you hang out with. It also shouldn't mean that you're more promiscuous than the general man.

So for many gay people accused of homophobia, that's where the issue lies. The gays that don't find themselves defined by their sexuality criticise gays that do for giving homosexuality a bad name, a stereotype. There shouldn't be a gay stereotype, we're all individual people. You wouldn't say straight white people have a stereotype, yet gays, blacks, asians and other minorities tend to get stereotyped.

The reason for this is clear: minorities often create segregated communities (or are forced to) rather than trying to integrate. When it comes to the colour of your skin it can be hard to integrate, but when it comes to being gay it shouldn't be as hard. Most straight people have nothing wrong with gay people and are more than willing to be friends with them. Yes there are a certain subsection who are ********, but that shouldn't push gays to act overly camp or be different to who they are - just because they can't find someone who wants to be friends.

Now there are people who are naturally camp. And there's nothing wrong with those people. What's wrong is that people feel the need to fit into the gay community stereotype, not realising that we're all individuals. We all have personality traits that define our lives but being gay shouldn't be one of them.