Category Archives: Media

Is “Faggot” the New F-Bomb?

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Kellie| Comments Off

Has “Faggot” become the new F-bomb? Remember the good old days when any garden variety profanity uttered by a public figure and caught on tape would make news? I promise you, it used to happen. It was around the same time when “fuck” was among the most shocking things you could say in mixed company.

“Faggot” has a long and storied history as one of the worst things you can say to insult a straight male. By calling into question his sexuality in this way the person who slings this insult is essentially saying “the worst thing I can imagine being is a gay man”.

Recent high-profile cases of athletes, actors and comedians throwing the F-word around have raised awareness of the damage this word can do but it’s nothing new. Jerry Lewis was unapologetic about his use of “fag” for decades. Even going so far as using it on-air during the 2007 Muscular Dystrophy Telethon:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DILmHDNJNcY&feature=youtu.be&t=21s]

He did issue an apology for that incident but he was back at it in 2008 when asked what he thought of the sport of cricket he responded with “Oh cricket is a fag’s game!”

And 28 years ago when Eddie Murphy was one of the funniest men in America he set a land speed record for the number of “fag” references in the opening sequence of his debut comedy concert Delirious:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYNDVaPrTMs]

And he followed that up four years later in RAW:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pmimdt9CTk]

I’d post an Andrew Dice Clay clip, but really? Who needs that?

But what happens when someone thinks it’s just fine and dandy to call a gay man a faggot? Over the weekend a Safeway cashier called two shoppers “faggots” to their face. Not once, but twice. To the cashier’s credit (what little is deserved) she didn’t deny it and allowed herself to be videotaped apologizing for her actions. She’s since been fired.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqg4N5_VQes]

Here’s a little Louis C.K. to help illustrate the disconnect on f-word usage:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IFloXOuLgA]

Comments Off

Posted in Media

Tagged , , ,

Former NY Giants Baller Says Gay Marriage = Anarchy

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Kellie| 1 Comment

For real? In an interview with the National Organization for Marriage former NY Giant football player David Tyree says that “Marriage is one of those things that is the backbone of society. So if you redefine it, it changes the way we educate our children, it changes the perception of what is good, what is right, what is just.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6lwIx9f5uk]

Um, dude? You mean like how in 1865 the US ratified the 13th Amendment and redefined who is free? Crap, that was horrible for the country! C’mon people. Don’t use arguments like this to deny equal rights – it just exposes your hypocrisy. Slavery was abolished because it was wrong and unjust. So is keeping queers from having the same rights are you have.

Just be honest. You’re a homophobic jerk. Own it.

via: The Advocate.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Equal Rights, Media

Tagged ,

Lesbian Cliche Song

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Kellie| Comments Off

That’s What She Said has posted their latest video. I’m afraid to say I’ll have this stuck in my head for a few more hours.

Comments Off

Posted in Media

Frameline35 Kicks Off Today

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Kellie| Comments Off

San Francisco’s venerated Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Frameline, kicks off its 35th anniversary event today. This is the sort of thing that makes me wish I lived in the City By the Bay. Then I remember that I pay less for my mortgage in Denver than I would for a closet-sized studio in the Castro and I’m happy again.

Some highlights:

I’m not sure how Kai Blackwood did it, but he clearly has read my mind. His 18 minute short Cupcake combines five of my favorite things: Film, cupcakes, lesbian, zombies and musicals. I do love a man with a flair for the odd.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmp8esoBmOM&NR]

Hannah & the Hasbian asks the question “If your girlfriend decides she’s suddenly totally hetero, do you have to give a straight guy a toaster?” in this superbly acted feature.

Genderbusters is a short film with a pressing problem around the gender binary and public restrooms.

Gayby examines  the many paths to queer parenthood.

The shorts program Dyke Delights is sure to do just that with a selection of quickies just for the ladies.

In the category of Most Awesome Name we have Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same. The promo reel includes a couple of clips and the trailer. The clip in the stationery store gets me every time, if only because I’ve met real live lesbians who are this awkward.

If you’re in San Francisco over the next eleven days I suggest you grab some popcorn and catch a show.

Comments Off

Posted in Events, Media

Tagged , , ,

Will The Real Lesbian Bloggers Please Stand Up?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Kellie| 4 Comments

I hate the very idea that someone could consider me “old school” but I guess in many ways I am. I like my lesbians to be, well, lesbians.

That’s the end all and be all of the Gay Girl In Damascus and LezGetReal.com Blogger scandals for me. It’s as simple as that. I wasn’t a reader of LGR so I don’t feel personally betrayed. I’d never even heard of it until a few weeks ago when I bought lez.org and started to research the idea of launching it as an aggregation site for queer news and opinion.

I like to know who I’m dealing with and I like to know a little about them so I can understand where they are coming from. To that end I have walked away from more than a few people who raised my BS flag. When you deal with people in the online world long enough you develop a pretty good BS meter and while it certainly seems inconceivable to me that multiple people who worked with Paula Brooks/Bill Graber day in and day out for years could have been fooled I’m willing to admit that people aren’t always as smart as I give them credit for. This is all the more true when it comes to people who want to share their voice in some sort of authoritative manner. Much like a struggling actress in Hollywood is willing to believe that creepy dude at the party has the influence to get them a staring role – an unknown or underknown blogger is willing to believe they are dealing with someone who shares a common history and a common goal.

I find the irony of the one revelation leading directly to the other particularly fitting. I try my level best to lead an authentic life online. It’s not a game to me. It is my life – It’s where I earn my living and it’s where many of my closest friendships have originated. It’s also brought some not entirely great things into my life, but I take the good with the bad and move on.

If you’re writing behind a pseudonym, I urge you to reconsider. If what you write isn’t something you’d want associated with your real name, I urge you to consider whether you should be writing about it in a public space. Mostly, I just urge you to be authentic.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Media

Tagged , ,