As a journalist I know very well the power of words, and how they can be carefully constructed to form beautiful ideas or to tear down. Then there is also the careless use of words that in the end does harm, intentionally or not.
The latter use of words is what I want to talk about today. In particular, one word: faggot.
Recently during a recess of a municipal council meeting I observed an elected official make a joke that Oilers player Connor McDavid is a “faggot,” and listened as this councillor’s colleagues laughed at the joke.
Nowadays, making fun of being politically correct has become a past time to some, and sometimes I agree it can go a little far. Something I find totally unacceptable however is use of the word “faggot”, which is widely known in society today to be offensive and diminishing. Suffice it to say, I was shocked to hear this language used in an open council space.
You have to take into account the context of the word. Regardless of whatever civil liberties may have been gained, even in Canada to this day LGBTQ people cannot peacefully live a normal life without fear of discrimination or violence toward them.
Further, to someone that is gay, the word faggot often precedes brutal attacks on them.
Elected officials represent their communities in how they vote on issues but also in how they act. Residents are watching for leadership on what is right and what is wrong, and when leaders use such derogatory language it makes it OK for their residents to follow their questionable lead.
It also signals to LGBTQ members of the community that maybe they are not welcome to co-exist in a municipality where councillors openly use language that was birthed out of violence against them.
I called up the councillor who made the comment and gave them a heads-up I would be writing this column, and kudos to this person for apologizing. However, they said I just “did not get the joke”.
That brings me to my next point, that while the f-word may not always be used in a violent or derogatory way, it is still a nasty word to use. For too long, LGBTQ people have been at the brunt of a joke, and even using “faggot” in a joke makes it seem we are something to laugh about. We are not.
The English language is a wonderful thing, in that there are many synonyms for the same word. So next time the f-word bubbles to the surface, please take a moment to search your brain for a more respectful way of expressing yourself.
