Many activists in our community are angry because Isaiah Washington , a star on Grey's Anatomy, said the following statement: "I did not call him a faggot." I agree that if he did call someone a faggot that it is an outrage, but I disagree with people who have a problem with that statement. Maybe his denial of calling T.J. a faggot is an honest denial. Why are we so suspicious of him? There is a big difference between calling someone a faggot, and saying "I never called him a faggot."
Gay rights activists seemed more enraged by the statement of denial than the initial allegations that he had called the other actor the name in the first place, pressuring him (or his pr specialist) to issue the following apology:
"I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance. "
S0 now I, as a queer person who is repeatedly called faggot, can't even use the word to talk about it? No context or circumstance... ever? Ridiculous. To hear the executive director of GLAAD agree with that statement is absurd, but that is exactly what he did on CNN today(watch). I think if we ban words in any context it just gives them more power. If I was accused of calling someone a slur of anykind, I think I should be able to say "I did not call so and so a ____" and not get in trouble for it.
Considering actors and sports players make comments like this all the time I am curious as to why this particular incident has drawn so much attention... thoughts?
5 comments:
Can't really comment without having heard how "faggot" was used. Context is everything. As for the term faggot being forbidden, uh, where do you get that? I took what Washington said to mean he understands it is unacceptable for (phobic?) heteros to sling the term around in a negative way. Like non blacks using nigger. Only by permission. But LGBTQIP folks - we have free use of any LGBTQIP term we want.
Washington called a fellow actor who is gay a faggot. At the award ceremony the other day he was saying shit like "oh, I want to be gay, I wish I was gay, blah blah blah" mockingly. Then he used the word faggot again to say he never said it, which he did.
He's not being framed.
Again, I have a problem if he is mocking gays, and if he is saying faggot towards gays. But why are people upset because he used the word in the sentence " i did not call...faggot." That is a slippery slope I think...
I didn't call him a faggot...
hehe. Looks like he probably did call the guy a fag in some context. The reaction has just been a little odd perhaps. Interesting discussion tho.
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