Like any gay, GLAAD holds a special place in our hearts. The organization throws fun parties and does diligent work watching a lot of television to learn which networks are featuring the most queers. But they’re also like a whiny overprotective parent on the sidelines of their kid’s soccer match: Always complaining and crying foul. So when GLAAD got offended by a cartoon drawn by Kenny Be in the Denver Westword (for using the word “fag”), eyes rolled. But also: Kenny Be has responded. In kind. And who looks like the bad fags now?
What got GLAAD so upset in July was Kenny’s “Campground Confidential” comic, where he referred to the camping-obsessed as “gear fags.” (Amusingly, Kenny notes, “Ironically, I was originally going to use the term ‘gear queers’ because I liked the rhyme. But I chose to use ‘fag’ because the word gets less gay every day.”) It wasn’t a derogatory use of the word, he says, and he should know: “If you have read only one of my comics, I may come across as an attractive, laid-back, athletic and straight-acting version of Rush Limbaugh. But I assure you, I am all gay. I have been ever since I came out to my family in my late teens.”
So in responding to GLAAD, not only does Kenny draw a few new funnies, he also notes GLAAD’s hypocrisy:
GLAAD’s attempt to publicly shame me in the name of gay rights is a lost cause. I have been shaming myself — without help — for years! … I don’t recall GLAAD ever offering to lift a finger to help me during those eight long years when Republicans controlled the Statehouse and I singlehandedly had to shame myself repeatedly by drawing comics that taught conservative politicians how to dress for Gay Pride, with tips on how to be handled by the gay press.
[…] It was brazen of me to make such a campy word choice without GLAAD’s permission. But if you GLAADsters could just tear yourselves away from TMZ.com for a moment and look at the Urban Dictionary website, you’ll see that the word “fag” can now also mean “Hard-core fan,” as in art fag, band fag, fur fag, Twitter fag, Apple fag, bike fag, shoe fag and past fag, just to name but a few.
Imagine my (lack of) surprise to find that many winners and nominees have used the word “fag” and yet still have won GLAAD Media Awards of distinction! Comedienne Sarah Silverman used the word in a noun phrase, much like I did, and was still nominated for an award in 2008. Award winners Margaret Cho (GLAAD’s Golden Gate Award 2000) and Kathy Griffin (Vanguard Award 2009) are guilty of using the word as a gay pejorative.
So Kenny accepts GLAAD’s critique, like so: “Instead, I shall honor the spirit of National Coming Out day on October 11, 2009, and come out to accept GLAAD’s Worst of the National Media’ Award with pride!”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Josh
And we give GLAAD $10 million a year for this? We’re stupid.
Landon Bryce
LOGO chooses to produce The Sarah Silverman Show rather than LGBT programming, too. It’s the same thing.
DarrylS
It’s cuz LOGO is, like totally, a kike fag network Landon.
Qjersey
If you care about LGBT rights or concerns at all, donate to your state or local organization. The “national” organizations have become nothing but self serving self aggrandizing and self promoting bureaucracies who bend over for any “star” or “celebrity” all while playing the PC Police and shaking fingers at others.
Yes GLAAD, I CAN quit you, and HRC and the NGLTF.
scott ny'er
while i’m not too keen on fag. I did use homo in a sentence as in homos vs. heteros and some queerty poster got all on my case. He got his panties in a bunch and was saying i didn’t have respect, blah, blah.
so, yeah, i can see how this happened.
Landon Bryce
It’s because LOGO is run by MTV, which wanted to produce Silverman’s show more than LGBT content. So Silverman’s show, which has peripheral gay characters and some gay people like, is being co-produced by LOGO. Does anyone think a rich straight girl making jokes about sending everybody with AIDS to the moon is LGBT content?
The only decent series I’ve seen on LOGO is Beautiful People, which is from the BBC.
Landon Bryce
Scott:
You describe a gay man’s anger at you as “having his panties in a bunch.”
That makes you by definition a homophobic asshole.
It is probably that attitude– that gay men are inherently feminine, trivial, stupid– not using the word homo, that made people mad.
Get it now?
scott ny'er
oh it’s just an expression. i knew someone would get uptight over it. Again, someone took it the wrong way. I bet ur taking it as I’m saying he’s gay and feminine.
Sheesh. and i thought i was uptight and overly sensitive.
Zack
I’m still happier that GLAAD is around than Kenny B. He used the word Fag without context and wants some kind of pat on the back for making it “less gay”? Nah. Maybe next year.
Cam
What he is saying is that GLAAD jumped up and attacked an out gay person who has worked for gay rights, and yet has given awards to straight people that have used the same word. They need to figure out their shit before doing that.
scott ny'er
@Zack.
I’ve actually never heard of FAG used in that context before. So, I can see how some peeps would have a problem with it. But the dude has a point. If those women comedians can use it, why can’t he?
MountainMan
@Qjersey: Don’t give up on ALL the national groups: The legal groups (Lambda, NCLR, GLAD and ACLU) are still doing great work. Check out today’s victory in Montana where, in a same-sex parenting case, one of the justices wrote:
“Every person in Montana is entitled to human dignity; every person in Montana is entitled to individual privacy; and every person in Montana is entitled to seek happiness in all lawful ways… [N]o person may be denied these elemental, natural rights because of his or her sexual orientation. Indeed, while it will, no doubt, come as a shock to some, the fact is that lesbian and gay people are NOT excepted out of the protections afforded by the Montana Constitution. Lesbian and gay Montanans must NOT be forced to fight to marry, to raise their children, and to live with the same dignity that is accorded heterosexuals. That lesbian and gay people still must fight for their fundamental rights… speaks, in unfortunate clarity, of a prevalent societal cancer grounded in bigotry and hate.”
– Justice Nelson in his concurrence, Kulstad v. Maniaci
AlwaysGay
First, I rebuke anyone who uses derogatory words for gay people. Second, many gay people are afraid of rocking the boat. They are fine doing what heterosexuals expect of them which is to be silly, docile and SUBSERVIENT. GLAAD is a status quo group. Every year they have an award ceremony and don’t you know it the last award (which is always the biggest for awards ceremonies) is reserved for heterosexuals. The point is to maintain the status quo where heterosexuals are always of a higher status than gay people and that’s the point of GLAAD’s rebuke of Kenny and praise of these heterosexuals. Third, we don’t have activists working FOR gay people. We have activists who calibrate what they say and do to placate heterosexuals. You know what heterosexuals want, they want gay people to be perpetually disadvantaged, silly, docile and subservient. That’s what we get with GLAAD, HRC, GMHC, Equality California etc.
No, those heterosexual comedians can’t use derogatory words for gay people. Don’t buy Margerat Cho’s bs that she is a “queer” either. Having gay friends and family isn’t an excuse either for using derogatory words too.
drewbrown
What a silly overreaction by GLAAD. Especially since they’ve given awards to these three women who also used that word. Making us look like sensitive whiners is not helping the cause. Dumb dumb dumb.
bruce
I have also been concerned about GLAAD for a while. GLAAD seems to be selective in its criticisms.
Fitz
I use the word FAG all the time, and GLAAD can kiss my furry ass. It’s a great word, it’s emotive and it takes ownership of the word away from the bullies. FAG FAG FAG. It’s got a very, for me, different meaning than “That fucking fagot”. (which I also use, but with a little less pride).
alan brickman
Glaad obviously has low self esteem issues..man up Glaad faggots!!
Hal Shipman
@Landon Bryce : I don’t think “by definition” means what you think it means.
Dumbass.
Nuclia Waste
I live in Denver, the home of Kenny B. and Westword magazine. I read Kenny B’s comics on a regular basis. Kenny B. has done more things to further the positive image of GLBT people through his comics. And he is constantly exposing the hypocrisy of the far right. This criticism of Kenny B. by GLAAD is so far off the mark, it’s beyond ridiculous. Long live Kenny B. and shame on GLAAD.
Landon Bryce
Well, Hal, you’re wrong. I know what “by definition” means and I don’t expect people to pay attention to me when I have nothing to offer but name-calling. Try to learn something.
Yuki
I really dislike the word fag no matter who says it, but I find it amusing that GLAAD seems to think it’s absolutely horrible that a “fag” used the word.
Daniel
what a joke! Kenny is trying to justify his actions after the fact. “Hard core fan” what bs! It is still meant as a derogatory slap at gay people – the prissy hyper “fags” that many straight people imagine all gay people to be. Kenny is only fooling himself with transparent bs if he believes otherwise. It is completely lame. And if you think the average straight person in the USA thinks gay people are human beings you need only look at the 30 states that wrote gay people out of democracy! One third of straight people are cool, the other two-thirds are assholes – just look at how they treat other straight people much less how they treat gay people.
Robert, NYC
Be aware of a right wing jewish anti marriage equality hater by the name of Michael Letterman who is a frequent visitor to Queerty. If you use vulgarity against him, he resorts to the word “fag”. I’ve been on the receiving end of it. Its a disgrace that Queerty allows this low life to come in here and get off by agitating the rest of us. Ignore him if you can though its hard not to by the offensive things he says about us. He believes same-sex marriage demeans marriage and that our orientation is a perversion. He claims he’s married to a woman but I doubt it and I even doubt if he’s truly straight because he’s here constantly spewing his venom and his familiarity with terminology such as “barebacking”, “cum covered cocks” that he relishes in saying are indicators that we have a very sick, conflicted individual. No well adjusted straight male would bother with a gay blogsite now would he? Ignore him if you can, the best remedy.
Frank Anthony Polito
Perhaps this is why I didn’t win any GLAAD awards when my debut novel BAND FAGS! came out in 2008.
Pablo
Obviously an overreaction – and we should abolish the national LGBT movement because of it. In the future I hope to see the following words in my newspaper everyday: “nigger”, “spic”, “faggot”, “kyke”, “gook” and “dyke”. Does it sound better to call you a bunch of “drama chinks”? Why not? Because when someone says they have reclaimed a word, I’m sure the general population always gets it. Just like no one is ever called “queer” in a violent and derogatory way because of visionaries like the ones on this site. It’s not censorship to ask someone to refrain from using slurs in print…it’s human f*cking decency. Stop apologizing for this guy and pretending he’s some sort of humanitarian for calling people fags.
Cam
No. 24 · Frank Anthony Polito said…
Perhaps this is why I didn’t win any GLAAD awards when my debut novel BAND FAGS! came out in 2008.
_____________________
I read it, nice job.
scott ny'er
@pablo.
u have a pt. But who draws the line and where is it drawn. As i mentioned before some dude got into a teether because i used homo. But Queerty has used it twice so far in their heading postings and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of mr. landon bryce complaining about their usage nor has anyone else objected to it. But to Mr. Bryce it would be common decency for Queerty and I to cease and desist in such usage.
Yet, we are both using homo as descriptive and not as a slur.
I’m not down with using “fag” but is it ok if margaret cho says I’m a fag hag? Where is the line?
That’s why I think the meaning behind it is more important.
Landon Bryce
Scott:
I guess I wasn’t clear. I find the word “homo” completely inoffensive. I was guessing that someone offended by your use of the word may have been reacting to something more legitimately homophobic in the rest of your remarks. Frankly, I was being completely unfair, and I apologize. If you can remember the thread where your “homo” remark caused offense, I’d be interested in seeing the context.
scott ny'er
@landon bryce
Sheesh. I can’t believe I looked AND found that link. And you know what I realized, I was talking to a crackpot and decided to let it drop but I guess it was still bothering me. I’ve got to thank you, I need to REALLY let it drop.
I think I might have mixed u and that dude’s comments together a little. What I didn’t mix up and took a little offense was you basically calling me an A-hole. Which wasn’t cool.
anyway, here’s the link…
http://www.queerty.com/the-christians-hate-gays-in-jamaica-so-what-are-gay-jamaicans-doing-praying-to-jesus-20090925/
Landon Bryce
Scott:
I called you a homophobic asshole for using the phrase “panties in a bunch” in reference to a gay man who was mad at you. I stand by that. I don’t find your use of the word “homo” in the context you used it homophobic at all, and I apologize again for over-generalizing.
scott ny'er
@ landon
Well then you’re an oversensitive asshole. Because it’s an expression. I wasn’t even thinking of him being a gay man. Do I have to ask someone, are you gay, is it ok to use this standard expression that’s been in the english language for years, so I MIGHT not offend you. Get a grip.
And resorting to expletives/name-calling seriously undermines your arguments (and I believe you said something similar in this thread, which is ironic). IMO, any thing of interest you might’ve had to say is gone.
I let it go the first time but since you still feel that it’s cool to resort to that. Right back at you.
Landon Bryce
I certainly can be an oversensitive asshole. I would encourage you to discontinue your use of “panties in a twist,” or any of its variations, referring to anyone, gay or not. It’s sexist and ugly– it has no point other than to suggest that someone’s anger is feminine and unjustified, does it? If it isn’t sexist, why the feminine word for underwear?
I’ve never heard a person I liked use this expression. I certainly would object if a friend used it in conversation, but it isn’t an expression nice people use.
scott ny'er
well, i’m glad you recognize it. i’m not.
sigh.
the phrase isn’t sexist. and it’s not suggesting someone is feminine. again you are making things up. it’s JUST an expression. Just like get a grip that i used before. I guess if you had no hands you would thing I said that on purpose and take offense. Look at the other side. Step back and realize you are READING into things that aren’t there.
here’s something i found on the net…
“There are seemingly many variations of this phrase, such as “don’t get your knickers in a knot” and “don’t get your underwear in a bunch”. One might wonder, who in the world came up with this? After all, how would one get one’s underwear twisted in the first place — putting them on too fast? the washing machine did it? And is one walking around all uncomfortable with a wedgie, or is one simply having a difficult time putting on his or her underwear?
So I was hoping for a great story behind this expression (such as the theories behind the expression “white elephant gifts“) but apparently it was just some silliness conjured up by The Basil Brush Show, a British television program that started in the late 60s. From there, the Australians turned the original expression “don’t get your knickers in a twist” into “don’t get your knickers in a knot” (source). Then, of course, the Americans implemented the “panties” term.”
i hope i’m not coming across as condescending. but it’s just crazy how people take things to the extreme. Btw, I won’t stop using it because it’s not offensive. It’s not like I said, stop being an asshole. NOW, that’s offensive and I wouldn’t be friends with someone who uses that phrase easily.
Landon Bryce
Scott, I certainly appreciate the attention you’ve given using the phrase– I don’t think I could ask for more than you’ve done. I do find the phrase offensive, and I don’t find the word asshole at all because I don’t find it bigoted.
Fitz
It’s a useful word, used correctly. This fag is not submitting to the word police. It’s all intentionality. Said with vitriol and misogynist and homophobic meaning, any word can be foul.
rudy
How can Margaret Cho be blamed for calling herself a “fag hag?”
That’s been a gay phrase from before the stone age.
Fitz
And clearly Tom Amianno need’s to get Glaad-slapped, right? no!
scott ny'er
@ Fritz.
Exactly. Yay for someone who gets it.
Attmay
GLAAD are a bunch of breeder-lovers.
Don’t get mad, get even people!
djm
I’ve referred to myself as a fag. My ex-bf gets offended and wonders why I say that about myself. People used to find “queer” to be terrible to say but no one thinks anything about it now. Is it how I most commonly term myself in regard to my sexuality? No. But I don’t see the problem, particularly in the way it was used in the cartoon.
Paola Bread 'n Water
@Pablo:
Thank you! It was unnecessary, and of course people were going to get offended. I sure am. It’s not because I’m gay, it’s because I’m human. I feel like this is a really good implication that homosexuals are at the bottom of the pecking order. I don’t think there is power regained through using such an awful word (if you know the origins).