Using "Heterocentric" To Fight "Homophobia"

Reporting on the culture wars can get a bit sticky, especially when dealing with LGBT terminologies.

Linguistic lines become blurred and once neutral or even reclaimed words, like "gay," take on new meaning, one that can be completely derogatory. The word choice challenge is no less daunting when discussing the opponents of LGBT rights, so often referred to as "anti-gay" or "homophobic."

Those expressions, however, are past their prime and should be replaced with a term typically restricted to academia, "heterocentric." Or, if you're so inclined, "heterosexist."

A recent article about the National Organization for Marriage described the traditionally anti-gay group as "hetero-centric."

"The hetero-centric group was recently slammed by the Human Rights Campaign for its ties to other anti-gay nonprofits, in violation of IRS rules," wrote Matt Baume for a Bay Area NBC affiliate. Use of the term in a Bay Area paper wasn't so astounding: the region's known for its liberal intellectualism. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see it in an NBC-backed article, and I would like to see more media embrace the term.

"Homophobia," which concerns emotions like anxiety, fear or prejudice, has lost much of its meaning. The concept has been repackaged and dissected for years, and can now be applied in the loosest of contexts: for example, some suggest Vince Vaughn himself is homophobic for defending a "comedic" line, "That's so gay," in his new movie.

I'm not sure that's such an appropriate label, for "homophobia," with its psychic focus, doesn't get to the meat of the matter, and so often fails to do so. The same goes with "anti-gay," a term that can easily be neutered by an old conservative favorite, "Hate the sin, love the sinner, so I can't be 'anti' anything." The term's instantly extinguished. Neither "homophobia" nor "anti-gay" are sufficient terms for the battles LGBT people face around the world.

Heterocentric, meanwhile, puts homophobic, anti-gay and related attitudes into a more expansive context. The term, and its cousin, heterosexist, doesn't simply address fear and prejudice. It's fundamentally about institutions: our entire society has been built on the idea that heterosexuality is normal and, therefore, right, and our institutions, like marriage, should reflect that normality. In this light, the National Organization for Marriage is far more heterocentric than homophobic.

Idiomatic subtleties aside, "heterocentric" works in another way. Like the term "white supremacist," "heterocentric" puts the oppressor first. The subject isn't the "homo," a prefix that can turn some people off, but the "hetero" who pulls the discriminatory strings. The repressive ego behind anti-equality efforts then gets revealed for what they are: a false superiority over a minority group, rather than, as conservatives so often say, a specific group trying to get "special rights."

Photo credit: Rin-Tin-Tin's Flickr