During the press conference following this week’s Golden Globes, actress Katherine Heigl confirmed Isaiah Washington’s use of the slur “faggot” in reference to his co-star T.R. Knight, (he’s really cute BTW, I should start watching that show…). T.R. weighed in today on the Ellen DeGeneres show stated “He referred to me as a faggot…Everyone heard it”. This post is not comment on the behind the scene antics of a television show (although Isaiah better watch his back) but the news item I read reminded of an incident I observed/experienced back in August at a White Sox game.
A good friend of mine offered me a ticket to a game versus the Tigers. Although I root for the guys on the North Side, having nothing better to do that day I decided to venture into enemy territory and take in a game. Having tailgated for an hour or so my friends and I made our way our seats in the upper deck. The game was mostly uneventful until the 5th inning, when this drunken Sox Fan/Asshole (note: not all Sox Fans are Assholes), 10 rows down from us started calling the 2 Tigers fans sitting behind my friends and I “faggots”. At first I didn’t even pay any attention since I was watching the game, but then the Tigers fans behind me started calling the Sox Fan/Asshole a “faggot”. They volleyed a few other homophobic phrases back and forth when out of nowhere my two female friends start telling both the Tiger fans and the Sox Asshole to “shut the fuck up assholes, there’s kids around you” and “that’s not fucking cool” (gotta love those Chicago women). Apparently they were not so concerned about The Children picking up new colorful phrases but my females friends succeeded in shutting them the fuck up. They all looked really embarrassed about their behavior and quietly tended to their beers for the rest of the game. I still think they were in some way “defending my honor”, (or at least that what I like to think). But at the time I don’t remember being offended. They weren’t calling me a faggot (that would have been a mistake as I was drinking beer and whiskey from my flask all afternoon) and I generally expect such taunting during baseball games. Maybe I shouldn’t…
This leads to another incident back in high school. I was in math class, it was my junior year, and this little Prick starts picking on the nice, artsy presumably gay sophomore kid. I don’t remember exactly what he was saying to him but the artsy kid looked hurt. Now I was never a bully or anything, and I don’t think I looked tough (although I was wearing my punk rock/steel toe shit kickers), but I l leaned over to The Prick’s desk and told in a slow, measured tone that if he didn’t leave the arsty kid alone he’d have ME to deal with. The Prick went white and left the kid alone and I felt like a bad ass…
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