Someone's sexual orientation

Homophobia is made up of two Greek words homo (meaning the same) and phobia (meaning a fear).

Together they refer to a fear or a negative attitude towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people which can sometimes lead to homophobic bullying.

Homophobic bullying refers to hateful language and actions which are used to discriminate against lesbian, gay and bisexual people or even those thought to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Phrases such as “that’s so gay” or “your bag is so gay” are sometimes used to insult an object or a person without any reference to sexual orientation.

Other actions include physical abuse, such as hitting someone or emotional abuse, such as being made to feel it is wrong to be lesbian, gay or bisexual when it is not.

For more information Click Here to view our handy guide to homophobia.

Written with help from Stonewall - Challenging homophobic language