Homophobia: fear or slur?

[Lovelife090994]

Hello and if you are one who is extremely sensitive to questions and colloquialisms or questions based on slurs please do need respond with hate!
I am serious here, what is homophobia and a homophobe?
Isn't homophobia a fear thus why "phobia" is in it? Or something else to others? And Homophobe and Homophobic? If they are a fear then why are they used like a slur to anyone who may tolerate homosexuality but not condone it?

[Swagamemmnon]

The term 'phobia' doesn't only mean fear, it can also mean 'hatred of', like in the definition of Francophobia (hating/disliking French people). So homophobia is usually used to refer to those who hate or dislike the concept of homosexuality, although there are those who are genuinely afraid of homosexuals, they are much rarer.

[WalkingOnDisaster]

My dad is homophobic- that is to say he is scared of homosexuality. So it can go a number of ways.

[JAT14]

My dad is not homo phobic but he has a phobia that I will become homosexual. In that sense it's fear and in some others it's hatred.

[StoneColdNicky]

That's a really interesting point discussion. The term brings to mind fear, though it is used for a lot of people to discuss a bias against of extreme dislike of, which seems kind of unfair. Something like the word 'racism' doesn't carry the same kind of dual meaning.