Quote Originally Posted by jimnyc View Post
Here's the thing, you can post definitions from 99 different sources, but they still wouldn't be correct. A phobia is a specific term, and no other phobia am I aware of that doesn't contain 'fear', and no others I can think of mean hate or contempt instead. I believe you with the definitions, and that's how it's explained - but it's still an incorrect term meant to vilify those against homosexuality instead of merely explaining their feelings. How about just "This man detests homosexuality, or this man disagrees with homosexuality". The few extra words/characters won't kill people. But they prefer the incorrect word as it vilifies or makes them look like they have some sort of condition, and also allows people to lump everyone who disagrees with homosexuality, regardless of their reasons, into one incorrect group.
Think of it this way... Xerox vs. copy. Is it more correct to say 'I'll Xerox this right away' or 'I'll copy this right away'? Of course, the answer is 'I'll copy this right away', everyone knows this. However, a great number of people still to this day say 'Xerox' instead of copy. It has come to men copy in their vernacular.

Is 'homophbia' technically the correct way to say what the definitions I have posted for it is? No. But it has come to mean that in the common vernacular. When somethign is used often enough to mean something, it 'becomes' commonplace and generally recognized as the 'correct' way to say something... even if it 'technically' isn't.