Copy the code below and paste it into your profile. Have your friends join you in supporting Stop The 'F' Word.
Stop the F Word
Stop The 'F' Word is sponcered by SparxCafe.com
The Story:
The word ‘faggot’ has surprisingly innocent origins. Hundreds of years ago, it referred to a bundle of firewood tied together at the middle. Its offensive use began sometime in the 16th Century, when it evolved into a term for an elderly woman as an object that weighs heavily upon one’s shoulders. Today, ‘faggot’ is a slur targeted at members of the LGBT community. It is used to condemn gay people, especially when used aggressively, much the same way that the ‘N’ word is used as a racial epithet targeting African Americans. In recent decades, however, its derogatory use has spiraled out of control. In schools across the United States, adolescents nonchalantly mock each other as ‘fag’ on the playground. Heterosexual men and boys will use the term ‘fag’ or ‘faggot’ to attack another’s masculinity. Phrases such as, “you’re so gay,†or, “don’t be such a faggot,†are insults used by thousands of people in the United States every day to make others think less of themselves.
The magnitude of the ‘F’ word epidemic came to the limelight in a widely publicized incident in late 2006, when actor Isaiah Washington called one of his gay costars a faggot while working on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. Only a few months later, best-selling author Ann Coulter jokingly referred to Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards as a faggot at a political conference, and stirred a roomful of laughs in response.
Although some LGBT people use the term ‘fag’ within the community in reference to each other, they still deem it pejorative when those outside of the gay community use it in reference to them. If we as lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendereds use the ‘F’ word, we should be mindful that we are condoning its use by others as well.
The Mission
We founded SparxCafe® as a community dedicated to effecting social change. As part of this mission, we launched the Stop the ‘F’ Word campaign as an important step toward preventing discrimination against LGBT people worldwide.
At SparxCafe, we believe that all use of the ‘F’ word should be eradicated. Further still, we must start within our own community if we expect to achieve success.
We hope we have sparked a debate with this website and video. Now it’s your turn to take a stand, fight for your beliefs, and engage others to make the change.
Yours in social activism,
Team SparxCafe
The Stop the F word message and video is being brought to you by SparxCafe; a place where the LGBT community and its friends gather over issues of social change and unite to make a difference in our world.
Featured Supporter:
