I agree that I don't like the use of the word "homophobia" to include all forms of prejudice against homosexuals, but I think it's clear that is the common usage. It's a word that has "spin" on it, conveying the implication that all prejudice against homosexuals is fear-based. Certainly, fear is a significant element in prejudice, but I don't think it's the whole story.

If somebody has a "phobia," it's ordinarily a fear that is not brought on willfully. The phobic person is a victim, not an aggressor. It seems clear to me that the preponderance of prejudice is willful and mean-spirited.

Interesting observation about the "your mother wears combat boots," kat. I used to hear that all the time when I was in my early teenage years in Wisconsin, and wouldn't have thought there was any implication of sexual orientation. Of course, I didn't KNOW anything about sexual orientation at the time, and really didn't even think about the meaning of the phrase. I thought the "combat boots" thing went along with the "your momma is SO ugly..." jokes. Oh, and back in those days in Wisconsin, working-class mothers WERE ugly (oftentimes) and did not have what one would call "fashion sense," and you could imagine them wearing combat boots to go with their pin curlers and babushkas.

-Joe-