Homo"phobia"~ by Renate Gritter
Phobia, what does it mean?
A fear, that's at least what it seems to be
What is fear? A thing that makes you scared
Well then what is homophobia?
The fear of homosexuals?
I think not.
I believe that it is so much more than that.
It's question-ing love, it's using wrath
It's saying, "I can love him but you can't love her"
"It's saying I have power, I will conquer"
I think homo-phobia is not fear at all
It's using "fear" as an excuse to build a wall
That threatens the free
That closes them out
That says, "I love all.....
but wait, not you .... you're not the same as us"
Some have minds, that restrict,
that assume that there is a way that all must do things
that think every human must fit a criteria or they are weird
they are not wanted
they are "feared".
Her analysis of her poem reads like this: "I think this poem targets the meaning and structure of the word homophobia. It challenges it, it deconstructs the word. Not only that, but it also challenges those who are homophobic to think about their views on the matter. It makes them think. Maybe they don't think of it as "building a wall" or "questioning love". Maybe they don't realize that they're "using wrath". When I say "I believe that it is so much more than that" I'm saying the truth Homophobia is so much more than fear."
My daughter's generation is the church of tomorrow. She embodies a sense of justice and truth-telling that the church of today needs to hear.
-wg
Well done, Renate. You've pretty much captured the heart of what I'm saying when I use the term (and articulated it much better than I could have). It has been my experience that the only people who quibble over the meaning of the word - or what a gay man means when he uses the word - are fundamentalists who behave in exactly the way you've described (and call it "love").
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this - it's encouraging and reassuring to read support like yours; it is a great hopeful thing to know that our next generation of allies are already here!
Insightful!
ReplyDeleteRenate here: "Thanks everyone that means a lot to me. Brian, my mom told me a little bit about your story and I'm sorry that your family and church don't understand who you are. I think its really great that you're happy being yourself."
ReplyDeleteHomophobia? Isn't it really a word coined by homosexuals to attach some form of a character flaw to individuals who do not accept homosexuality to be morally upright sexual conduct? It is used against anyone who disapproves of homosexual conduct regardless of the manner in which they express that.
ReplyDeleteIt is essentially a "hate" term against people who do not share approval of homosexuality. The poem seems to be very much in tune with the premise of this blog--the guise of which is love for all, but the essense really being the acceptance of homosexuality for all, as well as the promotion of it. The young lady is well trained.
Perhaps we should really eliminate the use of so many labels and fancy terms. What a psychological ratchet all of this homosexual talk is. The continuation of nonsense, hypocrisy, and head trips.
Well, Anonymous, I hope you continue to have a comfortable life in our own sphere.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't much I could tell you to make you feel you should be empathetic; so by all means do make the best of the life that you have.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled on this blog, and I happen to think the poem is beautiful. Would you mind if I shared it on my FB wall for others to see?
feel free to share the poem - perhaps indicate that it was written by a 14 year old :)
ReplyDelete