jews and homos&xuals, page-32

Anti-Semitism and Heteros&xism: Common Constructs of Oppression
by Moshe Rozdzial, PhD

All oppressions, borne of misinformation directed
towards the "Other" in our society, have common roots.

For in every case the goal is the unjust,
destructive, and unequal distribution of power. And
although there is no specific hierarchy of oppression,
the context within which it manifests itself--
history, economics, or politics--makes some forms
thereof more closely related than others.

I propose that the elements that define the oppression
of homos&xuals, known as heteros&xism, and
homophobia, as its major form of expression, are
directly analogous to the oppression of Jews, known
as anti-Semitism. To understand the former while
disregarding the latter is to overlook the most potent
of historical lessons. More precisely, I believe that
these two oppressions share many elements that are
deeply roo ted in the psyche of our culture, and, as
anti-Semitism has gone underground and heteros&xism
has become institutionalized, the hatred and
scapegoating of Jews has, almost effortlessly, been
transferred to homos&xuals.

Homos&xuals and Jews are feared and despised not
because they can be identified as outwardly
different, but precisely because of the relative ease
with which both can be disguised. Both groups share
the capacity to "pass", as either straight or
gentile, respectively, and therefore are objects of
suspicion and even as sources of conspiration. This
has resonance especially in connection with the fear
that centers upon children, for homos&xuals are
viewed not only as furtive perpetrators of pedophilia,
but as proselytizers of the gay "lifestyle". These
fears echo the blood libel and kidnapping charges of
historical anti-Semitism, when Jews were accused of
ritual slaughter of Christian children. This was seen
in this country in the trial of the Rosenbergs and
in the recent murder of Dr. Schlepian.

Within the psychology of group hatred both Jews and
homos&xuals are viewed as wielders of political and
economic power. Under the scrutiny of the prejudiced
eye, they are charged with promoting "special rights"
and are blamed for social ills and misfortunes. These
same accusing voices, that exclude those without
power in the political arena, would never deny the
overwhelming majority its political voice.

Moshe Rozdzial, Ph.D., is a child of holocaust
survivors, a psychotherapist and former research
scientist, and co-chair of the National Council of
the National Organization of Men Against S&xism
(NOMAS-www.nomas.org).