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By that method, "homophobe" would be one who fears mankind

"homo" can be either "mankind" or "same" If it is taken to be "same" then it refers to "same sex" in the word "homophobe" and is inappropriately applied for political reasons. Very few people fear homosexuals ("same" sex affinity). Those that do or who have an uncontrollable violent reaction to the presence of a homosexual are "homophobic".

It's not proper to mix Greek and Latin roots in a single English word. (That's not to say it doesn't happen - "bigamy" and "bicycle" are two common examples.) "Homophobe" means "fear of same" not "fear of humans". The ignorant people who coined this fake term probably shortened it from the awkward "homosexualphobe" which just doesn't have the same ring if you know what I mean . . . :-o

Homo in Latin means "man" in the general sense (mankind) . . . "vir" is for man in the sense of a male human being. In Greek the same distinction is made between "anthropos" (human being) and "anir" (male human being).

OK, etymology lesson over. (See, my minor in Classics wasn't wasted after all!)