The root of homophobia

In the reading, the bit that really caught my attention was in the Bennett and Royle essay entitled “Queer”.   They quote Leo Bersani in saying “Unlike racism, homophobia is entirely a response to an internal possibility”.   While it makes sense that the two are different in that way, I wonder the extent to which homophobia is similar to other forms of prejudice in that it merely preys on some element of difference to set one group of people above another.   I was also left with the question of whether, if what Bersani says is true, a heterosexual person can better understand the view of a homosexual person as opposed to one being able to understand the view of someone of a different race.   If we inherently understand that it is possible for us to be gay, does that both fuel fear and understanding?   And what does this say about how we read?   Discussing methods of queer reading, how much of an effect does sexuality have on the way we perceive a text and the meaning we attribute to it?