Homophobia may be defined as aversion or hatred to gay or homosexual people or their lifestyle or culture, or generally of people with a different sexual orientation.
In many parts of the world, individuals that have a different sexual orientation (different from the majority) are subjected to discrimination that ranges from being insulted to being murdered. In many countries, the practice of homosexuality is still a crime and in some of them it is punishable by the death penalty. Within Europe, although progress has been achieved, in changing legislation, many people still see homosexuality as a disease, a psychological disorder or unnatural behaviour.
Homosexuality means different things to different people. Some basic definitions:
Living as an LGBT person in Europe today varies from being very easy (in the larger towns in western Europe, with a well-developed subculture, bars, clubs and organisations), to being relatively difficult (in small-town western Europe, and large parts of central Europe where views about homosexuality are slowly changing) all the way to being outright dangerous (harassment by the police as well as "normal" people as well as discriminatory laws and hate-crimes are the order of the day in some eastern European Countries such as, for example, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania and Moldova).
Lesbian and Gay couples across all of Europe are also victims of legal discrimination, in areas such as the right to marry, to constitute a family or to adopt children (in other words, they can not benefit from the same status as heterosexual couples).
In many parts of the world, individuals that have a different sexual orientation (different from the majority) are subjected to discrimination that ranges from being insulted to being murdered. In many countries, the practice of homosexuality is still a crime and in some of them it is punishable by the death penalty. Within Europe, although progress has been achieved, in changing legislation, many people still see homosexuality as a disease, a psychological disorder or unnatural behaviour.
Homosexuality means different things to different people. Some basic definitions:
- Bisexual refers to somebody attracted to person(s) of the same and the opposite gender.
- Gay is a term used for homosexual men. In some circles it also includes homosexual women (Lesbians).
- Homosexual refers to a person attracted to persons of the same gender only.
- Heterosexual refers to persons attracted to persons of the opposite gender only.
- Lesbian is used to refer to female homosexuals, i.e. women attracted to other women.
- Transgender is used to refer to a person who has a different gender from what their biological sex indicates (i.e. a man in a female body or the other way round).
- LGBT is an abbreviation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.
Living as an LGBT person in Europe today varies from being very easy (in the larger towns in western Europe, with a well-developed subculture, bars, clubs and organisations), to being relatively difficult (in small-town western Europe, and large parts of central Europe where views about homosexuality are slowly changing) all the way to being outright dangerous (harassment by the police as well as "normal" people as well as discriminatory laws and hate-crimes are the order of the day in some eastern European Countries such as, for example, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania and Moldova).
Lesbian and Gay couples across all of Europe are also victims of legal discrimination, in areas such as the right to marry, to constitute a family or to adopt children (in other words, they can not benefit from the same status as heterosexual couples).
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