The construction "noun + phobic" supposedly meaning "irrational fear of x,y,z noun" is quite widespread in "psychiatry", psychology, the "social sciences" and political culture and politics too.
It is a dubious construction, borrowed from the pseudo-science of psychiatry for dubious and sometimes morally questionable motives.
Possibly it's first use was in "hydrophobic" with relation to a strong and irrational - possibly "irresistible" - fear of water - an undoubted psychological near-physiological symptom of the physical illness of rabies.
It seems that this use dates back to about 1759 and that the word also meant "madness".
Now a point to make straight away with regard to political language is that "disliking or disagreeing with something" simply cannot be the same as being scared of it or having a strong (and irrational) fear of it.
For example, if I genuinely don't particularly like the taste of carrots when I eat them and I spit them out, I cannot possibly be "carrotphobic."
And of course an obvious point that follows from this is that therefore anyone can apply this term to someone who opposes them.
For example, if someone is a socialist and there is someone who disagrees with them the socialist (whatever that term means) can conceivably call his opponent "socialism-phobic" if he choses to; and could obviously use this as a tactic rather than say arguing with his opponent.
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Kenan Malik has written an article questioning among other things whether there really is such a thing as "islamophobia"..
http://www.kenanmalik.com/essays/prospect_islamophobia.html
Thomas Szasz makes the point (in his set of esssays "The Medicalisation of Everyday Life" (2007)) that until about 1970 homosexuality or homosexual behaviour was an "illness" - whereas now aversion to homosexuality is - if not an illness - stigmatised, condemned and given a quasi-medical term - "homophobia".
"The Medicalisation of Everyday Life" (2007) is a very important set of essays that deal with
philosophical issues as well as the lie of "mental illness."
The breadth of learning is very wide.
It is a loss and a disgrace that it is not more highly regarded and read.
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If a piece of terminology with the meaning "(supposedly) irrational aversion to gay behaviour" is insisted upon; then surely "gayfobia" or more accurately "antigayism" would really be improvements as terms; even on the terms of those who insist we employ such politicized propagandistic buzzwords.
Especially for offended (Ancient) Greek-speakers of the world!!! :)
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