[lsbskins1]

People react the way they do to homosexuals because of the power of taboo.

ta·boo or ta·bu (t-b, t-)
n. pl. ta·boos or ta·bus

A ban or an inhibition resulting from social custom or emotional aversion.

As you can see from the definition, taboo need not be rational, it need only be social custom (true in this case) or based on emtional reaction (also true, therefore a double whammy). This becomes less of an issue as time and humans progress, and our problems and persecutions are definitly less severe today than they were even 20 years ago. But there is still plenty of homophobia to go around. Witness a previous statement of a member who believes it is enough to not favor a law banning homosexuals, as if you could apply that statement to anyone else and not be wrong. I mean, if you said, "I don't support banning Christians, but I believe they are immoral and should not be allowed to marry" what do you think Christians would think about you? I do not claim that these people do not have the right to their belief system, because they do. I would not attempt to stop a priest or preacher from teaching the willing members of his congregation any religious tenent that is a part of their faith, but if that tenent is biggoted, I will not be prevented from calling it just that. Would you tell me that I could not call a member of a church who teaches that black people are the carriers of the "mark of Cain" and that they are less,a racist just because their church endorses that position. I doubt it. You may not like to think of yourself as homophobic if you believe gay people are immoral simply because they are true to who they are, but you are.