Cornel West, a philosopher, made his view on heterosexism very clear in an interview with Vitka Eisen and Mary Kenyatta, in 1995. In the interview, West claimed that heterosexism has always been practiced and enforced throughout history for the sake of religion and consistency, and subsequently, the fight against heterosexism necessitates a great political courage. Throughout the interview, West asserts that it is unnecessary for people to associate staying faithful with malevolent acts toward people who stray from the mainstream. West stated that people undergo a process of socialization, at a very young age, to believe that any persons who does not identify within the heterosexual orientation are unaccepted (West 404). Because of this teaching, a fraction of the people feel as though they must exhibit negative attitudes towards the homosexuals in an attempt to remain honest to themselves. However, West also …show more content…
He expressed that, “It's very important that even closeted sexuality be something that's seriously interrogated, because it can lead toward a kind of internalized homophobia within gay or lesbian persons themselves,” (West 404). When society persists in keeping a closed mind and combat homosexuality, then a number of homosexuals will remain hesitant in exiting the closet since, they would be petrified of being terrorized. Consequently, the mainstream causes unjustified homophobia in insecure homosexuals, which could eventually lead to depression. It is abnormal to be fearful of oneself, therefore, communities should put in effort to embrace any sexuality in pursuance of keeping their population mentally healthy. Likewise, “If one is gay or lesbian, one should be proud of it. There’s nothing to hide in that regard...And if one isn’t gay or lesbian, one may just acknowledge that others make certain kinds of choices and have different orientations…,” (West