Expressions of hatred

Abstract

'Expressions of Hatred' focuses on the individual experiences of ten young gay men and lesbians and how homophobia affects their everyday life. The term Homophobia is now popularly constructed to mean fear and dislike of gay men and lesbians. As children many gays and lesbians lived with homophobic parents. Now as young adults they live in a homophobic society. They live with homophobic individuals on the job, where they suffer professionally, and at home where they suffer personally. This research will demonstrate that homophobia has taken various forms and arisen from many sources throughout historical events. Gay and lesbians need affirmative innovation in a society where they endure prejudice and discrimination. Using a phenomenological model will help to examine these individuals' life experiences in an effort to understand this phenomena, investigate its dynamics and give meaning to how it relates to their everyday life. This will be done using biographic narrative approach through a snowball methodology; by collecting narrative data that will later be analyzed and given meaning. All this will help in compiling the evidence that is put forward by Maltese gay and lesbian interviews and sum up their conclusions about how homophobia affects their everyday life. How these people are made to feel; in other words provide a taste of what it is like to be a homosexual sexual in Malta, and how societal responses affect these same gay and lesbian persons. That is to fear random harassment by strangers; explore and appreciate that to be openly gay takes considerable courage, see through their eyes that they are forced into vulnerability. Investigate their shock and fear, episodes of both physical violence, verbal abuse and the overall feeling of violation, their inability, at times to retaliate, the conspicuous branding, the stereotype; in a nut shell, how homophobia diminishes and dehumanizes gays and lesbians.