In response to my criticism of the term “homophobe,” Andrew Sullivan asks: “[D]oes Ed Whelan believe that anti-gay animus doesn’t exist? If so, what would he call it, if not homophobia? Seriously: is there a better term?”
Well, setting aside inevitable disagreement over when the terms would be justified, I’d think that “anti-gay animus” (or “anti-homosexual animus” if “anti-gay” leaves out lesbians) is much better than “homophobia” and that “anti-gay” (or “anti-homosexual”) is much better than the “homophobe” epithet.