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Originally Posted by Plaid13
As far as where people learn to hate gays... that starts in grade school from what i can tell. play any online video game where young teens are and you will start to notice the most common way they insult eachother is calling them gay like its the worst thing in the world. i really doubt a 12 year old could go through a day of school without hearing someone being called gay.
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While I'm sure this terminology
does influence some children later in life, I don't think that word is what spouts homophobia in children and adolescents. While it may seem disgusting that small children use words like these...this is an age where lots of little boys still think it's icky to kiss girls, and vice versa. Of course they're going to think kissing each other is gross too. Especially since it's not something commonly seen and accepted in our society. And as they get older, a lot of them continue to say it, but I can say from experience(with a younger brother), it becomes a word that isn't even associated with homosexuals anymore. It's like another word to replace "lame". I don't think many kids think too much into it.
By the time these kids are 15, their friends will most likely be beginning to tell them to please stop using the word "gay" in that way. I think it's just the maturity and awareness of more of the world. When they can think for themselves, read for themselves, see the world for themselves, they make their own opinions about homosexuality and many of them decide that it's okay, even if "that's gay" was their favorite statement in middle school.
I believe, more often than not, true hatred of homosexuals or any other group of people begins in other places, whether it be from their parents encouraging their "gay=bad" remarks from a young age or the variety of other things people have said here already.
By the way, I must add, awesome responses so far from most people
