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Homophobia by the numbers

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Pret Allez, Sep 28, 2012.

  1. Pret Allez

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    Sorry if someone already posted this. Here you can see the numbers on homophobia in real time: so ya.
     
  2. SkyDiver

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    Well that's depressing.
     
  3. Artemicion

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    Yep, saw this a few days ago..and...i'm surprised by the amount the word "faggot" is used as I rarely ever hear it where I live...or maybe Vancouver lives in a bubble...
     
  4. justinf

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    "No homo" is not homophobic, though. My friends use that allllll the time, and they're the farthest thing from homophobes.

    The "faggot" number is quite depressing, indeed.
     
  5. Gen

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    Thats pleasant.

    I dont know if there is really much to say :/.

    Edit: Well "No Homo" is technically homophobic, though I understand that you mean, it isnt always used by the homophobic. It still has homophobic origins though.
     
  6. Lance

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  7. Ticklish Fish

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    Reason why people should think before using internet, yo
     
  8. Mogget

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    Intent is not magic. When people say "no homo" they are contributing to a culture of homophobia even if they themselves do not hold homophobic views. Every time someone makes a homophobic joke there's a closet homophobe listening who thinks, "Yeah, he's telling it like it is."

    Non-homophobic people can say homophobic things; people who are raging homophobes can say things about gay people that aren't homophobic at all. It's the words and the meaning (implicit and explicit) that they convey that determine homophobic content, not the speaker's beliefs.
     
  9. Ticklish Fish

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    Personally, i think when people say "no homo", they are trying to imply that whatever they just say or do was not intended to be sexual or romantic. Except, the phrases or way the present it sounds homophobic, wouldn't this be like saying, "not ghetto"? or like "so black" or something?

    excuse me that i can't find something parallel to no homo
     
  10. justinf

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    I think the big difference here may lie in the fact that I don't live in the US (well I do right now, but not usually).
    I literally don't know a single homophobic person, and I may have a somewhat optimistic view here, but I really doubt we even have real homophobes. Yet "no homo" is used by a lot of people, and it's really meant to mean "I'm saying/doing this, but I'm not gay!". People say it after they kiss a guy on the lips, hug a guy real tight, talk about an experience they had with a guy, really in situations that normally would imply they are very gay. So it's actually used in situations that are far from homophobic. They are not saying "being gay is a bad thing", but just that they are not, even though their actions imply they are. If that makes sense.

    I've never ever heard anyone say "faggot". That's considered offensive and so you don't ever hear that.

    So what I'm trying to say is, it really isn't meant or considered homophobic at least where I come from. If it was, people wouldn't use it (like they never use "faggot").
     
    #10 justinf, Sep 29, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2012
  11. sguyc

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    There are degrees of homophobia and negative actions toward gays. Saying no homo implies that they don't want to be seen or mistaken as gay, because that would be bad, because being gay is a negative quality to have. Ask yourself why you never see gay guys saying "no hetero" whenever they come into contact with the opposite sex.
     
  12. justinf

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    I'm sorry, but I really don't agree. I see where you're coming from, but, and I hope I don't offense anyone by saying this, but it just seems like looking for another "bad thing" straights do to gays.

    Being gay where I'm from isn't considered a bad thing at all. I just find it insulting to read people think "no homo" is always meant as a negative thing, when it comes from the most liberal friends I have, who really don't give a fuck about people's sexualities and don't look at them any different because of it.

    I guess the phrase may have come from an environment where being gay is seen as a bad thing or something negative, but in my environment it is most definitely not. And I know for a fact people would be very insulted if they heard that, because being open and acceptive, in particular to LGBT people, is like our biggest pride, it's part of our flag.

    Don't hope that comes off too strongly, it's just that this is such a huge pride thing, and it's weird hearing from someone from a completely different area that we mean a negative thing by saying it, when that's just so not true.
     
    #12 justinf, Sep 29, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2012
  13. Mogget

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    Bryan Safi gives a pretty good rundown on the phrase: That's Gay: No Homo // Current TV (NSFW)

    "No homo" has homophobic origins, and I really don't see how or why someone could or would use it outside of a homophobic context.

    This is not to say that your friends are homophobic. Privilege and bigotry worm their way into a culture and remain long after that culture has disavowed both. Often we aren't even aware that common words or phrases have offensive or oppressive connotations. I doubt most people who use "gypped" have any idea that the word originally referred to Gypsies, for example.

    "No homo" isn't a common term where I live, "that's gay" or "that's so gay" are more common. And I'm pretty sure that a lot of the people who say it don't connect the phrase to gay people. It's just an idiomatic expression meaning "I don't like that." But when I hear it, I worry, I feel unsafe. Their intention is irrelevant to the result: my fear and the closet homophobe in the room thinking to herself, "I'm not alone, he gets it too."

    As always, it's important to distinguish who the person is and what they say, as Jay Smoove explains:

    [YOUTUBE]b0Ti-gkJiXc[/YOUTUBE]
     
  14. Gen

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    I agree with you, it really can differ in some ways depending on the
    environment. However, I think it is also important to note that the greater majority of those who say it in other areas, dont live in the sense of social equality as the area you live in.

    So it is understandable for people to want to rid the world of the phrase if the majority of cases it is not used with good intentions. I dont think anyone is insinuating that your friends are homophobic. But the origins of the phrase stems from a homophobic mindset. Phrases and words these days catch on like wildfire and as time goes on the validity of them may fade with time. But originating from negativity is still....negative. So I'm not speaking ill of you or your friends, but to say that it is a homophobic phrase because not everyone has a negative connotation with it isnt quite fair either.
     
  15. justinf

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    Alright, yeah I see.. I definitely agree on that with you, Mogget and Gen. The phrase indeed has homophobic origins. And I apologize if it sounded like I thought it isn't a homophobic phrase at all, as I understand in a lot of places it is meant that way, and is probably also perceived that way.

    I guess I'll rephrase what I said: "'No homo' isn't always homophobic." That might be more accurate.

    What I would like comment on, though

    It actually really isn't used in a homophobic way in my environment. Yes, it has homophobic origins, but we don't know them. It's just something that flew over from the other side of the ocean, and it's used in more of a practical, serious way, not to be funny or anything.

    Gay guys use it just as often as straight guys. Again, it's used in a practical way in situations that imply a homoromantic/homosexual nature, but where there really isn't one. So even gay guys use it when they talk about stuff, or touch someone (whether that someone is gay or straight). It's actually really convenient to have a way of showing the difference between "real gay intentions", and just "bromantic intentions", as in the last couple of years there's a tendency of the line between the two becoming quite vague.
     
  16. Fiddledeedee

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    It's rather weird -- at school, "fag" or "faggot" is used quite regularly and "that's so gay" is common language. However, the only couple people there I've encountered who are homophobic consider that language rude and don't use it; everyone else is as accepting as can be. I still wish they wouldn't say it, though, so I do gently call people out on saying "gay" like that.