Faggot - the Other F-Word

(name deleted) - "Why is it sad Sarah? I find her funny and I like to read what she says...is that so bad? I thought the faggot joke was hysterical and a great way to poke fun at a stupid situation. But of course that is just my opinion and everyone thinks their opinion is right so no one's comments are ever right ;) "

Ann Coulter as a public figure just brought to light the kind of double standards that Gay people deal with all the time. By calling John Edwards a "Faggot" she has shown that it is still ok to belittle, hurt and degrade an entire group of people. The fact that so many people don't understand or don't care that using the term "faggot" is the same as using the "N-word".

What if Ann Coulter had said this, "It turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the 'N-word,' so I'm kind of at an impasse -- I can't really talk about Edwards."
Every Black organization in the country would be screaming for her blood. The Republican Party would be issuing statements disavowing her. Her personal appearances would be canceled and she would be treated like Michael Richards.

Now some will think that Richards used the word in anger and uncontrolled emotion but Coulter did not. So I ask you what is worse, to use it because you've lost control of your emotions and go off the deep-end, or to be calculating and use it to put someone down. Isaiah Washington went to rehab for help with anger/behavioral issues. Coulter would need a different kind of help because she doesn't see anything wrong with what she said.

Here is an excerpt from the March 5 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: But you used a word that's very offensive to gays. Would you use a word offensive to another group of people and say, "Oh, it was only a joke"? Where do you draw the line?

COULTER: It isn't offensive to gays. It has nothing to do with gays. It's a schoolyard taunt, meaning wuss. And unless you're telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person.

To quote many, many people, "It is never, never ok to say or use the N-word". This is not an opinion this is a matter of right and wrong. And it's just wrong. It is just as wrong to say or use faggot. It is a word with the same background and hurtful violent meaning. Discrimination comes in many forms and all those forms are equal in creating pain and suffering.

All the Gay Community is seeking is equality. We want the same rights as any other minority group. We want the same protections under the law. We want to be treated as humans, not subhuman. That goal will only be obtained when people have a better understanding of the differences in human beings and when people treat each other with a degree of respect. The first step to understanding is to know that words do hurt; spread hate and can lead to physical violence. Whether it's the use of the N-word or the use of the word faggot, they both have the same meaning and promote the same emotions.