Gaymer.org looks to trademark 'Gaymer'
Can a man own the term "gaymer"? Chris Vizzini, owner of community site Gaymer.org, is looking to find out as he's applied to trademark the term. Now, before we lose people in a hail of righteous fury and legalese, it should be noted that Vizzini is only looking to trademark the word from online groups trying to use the term in another context. It's also worth noting that the controversial term "gaymer" had been used to describe the gay gaming community before Gaymer.org showed up on the scene. Also, as can be clearly seen in the photo, Gaymers original cider has been enjoyed since 1770 by the island of Britain.There is currently some heated debate about the issue on the Gaymer.org forums and the other large gay gamer community site Gamers.Experimentations.org. Although many don't identify with the term "gaymer," it's still interesting that the term has gotten to the point of needing trademark protection.
GayGamer.net's site owner, who goes by the handle Fruit Brute, says, "I know there are many people that frequent our site who are members of both Gaymer.org and GamersExperimentations and I am all for that. I wish there was someway we could combine them all together in one big, happy, rainbow filled, pink glitter sprinkled family, but situations like this really seem to cause people to draw their lines in the sand."
To bring the issue into wider focus, what if someone tried to trademark terms like noob, pwn and other commonly used words part of gamer speak? Should one man control a word's destiny online when it's tied to a group in our gamer community?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim @ May 8th 2007 6:58PM
Wow if they do then that's pretty gaymer of them.
AirIntake @ May 8th 2007 7:09PM
Nothing like trademarking something you didn't invent, eh?
fwacce @ May 8th 2007 7:14PM
From Gaymer.org:
"The truth is, in the gaming community, there are some pretty staunchly homophobic players and Gaymer.org is about having fun without hearing the bashing. So I give this site to you as a safe haven where gaming is the focus, not hate."
Horseshit. It's just a way for him to make money, as is now evident with the trademarking. It doesn't help gay people by polarizing them against straight people by giving them their own section of the net to play. It only makes them more isolated, and brings down ones that never thought it was a problem to begin with. You want to actually do something for gay people? Make a gaming site that welcomes ALL gamers, regardless of their sexual preference. Then everyone can play together without any of the political bull.
refinedsugar @ May 8th 2007 7:31PM
You're gay ... you're a women gamer ... you have three eyes - whatever - who f'ing cares! All this stupid publicity over it and now someone trying to trademark their own brand of stupidity.
Gaming is about games, you know? Lame.
GaryM @ May 8th 2007 7:34PM
Layme.
John @ May 8th 2007 7:35PM
@2 - "Make a gaming site that welcomes ALL gamers, regardless of their sexual preference."
Yeah how about NONE OF THOSE EXIST....it would be nice to go to a site that doesn't use the terms "gay" or "fag" in a derogatory way.
John @ May 8th 2007 7:35PM
and by site, i mean message board/comment areas...
Aberu @ May 8th 2007 8:13PM
Seriously what is the point of a gay gamer site anyways. It's not like in gaming websites people are like "your a FAG I hate you go to hell and you die" and get away with it. It's not like there are "gay" games that need news coverage, or there is some elusive gay "angle" to a game that might come up only if a gay man/woman reviews a game. We don't see gangmers, a black community for gamers. We don't see oyvaymers, a jewish community for gamers. So why does this cultural sect have to convince people they are only welcome when it has the word gay in the site. If people of a certain culture would stop shutting themselves into exclusive areas and, like this, reserving trademarks for things that exploit their culture then maybe they wouldn't feel so unwanted on game forums.
Seriously gamers rip on each other all the time as well. What's the difference here? That' like at gaymer.com they will say the other one has bad fashion sense?
Aberu @ May 8th 2007 8:16PM
@8 Just because someone says "dude ur gay" or "dude ur a fag" or something like that doesn't mean he knows your gay and is intending to scare you and make you sad. It's simple shit talk. I mean people talk about each other's mother's vaginal fluids. Should we start a community for people that like their mothers too much to ahve them be insulted? I think that would be Wiiland or something... Getting ideas to trademark Wiiers and reap the benefits of people with such low self-esteem and presence they feel they have to identify with terminology.
Rubang B @ May 8th 2007 8:27PM
Once again Aberu makes absolutely no sense, and magically transforms his argument that it's ok to insult homosexuality without insulting homosexuals into an insult against the Wii.
And hey comment 9, (whoa, that's also Aberu)your use of the word "gangmer" to describe a black gaming community is even dumber than comment 10.
REUYL @ May 8th 2007 8:43PM
Shouldn't I be AVOIDING "gay" games?
Kieron @ May 8th 2007 8:52PM
So, when is straightmer.org coming?
I'll never truly understand catering to minorities--don't minorities want to be a part of the majority (in some cases, such as this one), and not be polarized and segregated from the rest?
Nino @ May 8th 2007 8:57PM
The problem with trying to change people's vocabulary to eliminate the use of "gay" as an insult is that it can't just end there. You'd have to take out "retarded" because that is offensive to the mentally challanged. Also, "bitch" and even "sissy" can be sexist, so those are gone too. Don't forget "fatass," or is that just okay now that overweight people have become the majority in some areas?
Obviously "fag" is getting to the same level of offensiveness as racist remarks, so that'll probably be on it's way out. But "gay?" Probably not.
Anyway, my opinion on the trademark thing: dumb. Oops, sorry people who have below-average IQs, I meant that it's crap. Lingo should not be trademarked.
waLLy @ May 8th 2007 8:59PM
Kieron - If minorities weren't already segmented by the majority, we wouldn't have the need to seek each other out.
Regarding the story: I own a couple URLs this guy's gonna want...
FatOprah @ May 8th 2007 9:00PM
Eww.. who would drink that homosexual cider?
ranphi @ May 8th 2007 9:04PM
Well, everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinion, but I will say that unless you are gay/bi/transgender and like to play video games, then you just can't understand why some of us gaymers feel a need for a site like gaymer.org. It's just like that recent South Park episode where Stan's dad said the "n word" on "Wheel of Fortune" and then Stan kept trying to apologize and tell Token it really wasn't a big deal and Token would reply that it is a big deal and there was no way Stan could ever really "get it" because Stan is white.
It's the same thing here. Unless you're gay, you're just not really going to understand/know what it's like to be gay and why some of us want a place like gaymer.org. Yes, I know that "fag" and "gay" are generic slang terms that lots of people just freely throw about and are not being used to really attack a person's sexuality, but still -- it can be very hurtful. You're using words that describe a homosexual person as an insult. It's a very negative thing. And it's really bad if you play online games. The words "fag" and "gay" are said a LOT and, for me anyway, it just gets to be too much.
With a site like gaymer.org, at least people who want to avoid such situations can go there and be amongst their own kind and not have to worry about being flamed or insulted (be it intentional or unintentional) over their sexuality. Besides that, it's human nature to feel more comfortable amongst people that are the same as you/share similar traits/interests. I see gaymer.org not as a place to "discriminate" against heterosexual gamers, but as a place I can go and talk with fellow gay people that play video games and feel like I fit in and can identify more with.
As to the trademark of the word "gaymer", this article was actually the first I'd heard about it, so I don't know all the deets and don't really have an opinion on it. I just had to say something to the negative comments posted so far on a site such as gaymer.org for even existing in the first place.
tavin425 @ May 8th 2007 9:11PM
As a gaymer, and a member of the gaymer.org site, all I need do is direct you to some of the comments here as to why such a site is necessary. I look forward to the day where we don't need sites like gaymer.org or gaygamer.net etc. but sadly that day is not here.
As far as getting facts straight, the website is free and the owner does not make any money from it. He also is only trying to protect himself from other sites trying to use the gaymer term. That's it. It's ridiculous to read some of the arguments against this claiming he has no right to trademark a "community".
Dan @ May 8th 2007 9:15PM
lol, I don't get the idea that just because there's a website for gay gamers, somehow that will help the problem that 99% of straight people are homophobes.
Heck, this isn't a gaming issue, its a social one.
People make out like there are so many homophobics playing online games, but thats really just a representation of the fact that most people who do anything are homophobic.
Try telling your parents you are gay for a joke, and you'll see I'm right.
Dave Silva @ May 8th 2007 9:17PM
Didn't Donald Trump try something similar to this?
He attempted to trademark his "You're fired!" catchphrase. His request was denied because it's a very common phrase. I can see this happening with the word "gaymer" as well.
GIoStickNinja @ May 8th 2007 9:28PM
Firstly, just because a site is free, it doesn't mean nobody is making money off of it. Do you think Google.com is a charity?
And seconedly, this site in itself is discriminitory. How about a site for only straight gamers, or only white gamers? Setting yourself apart because you're different is the same as others setting you apart because you're diffent.
Rubang B @ May 8th 2007 9:32PM
And Damon Wayons tried to trademark the word "nigga." I'm not kidding.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/02/24/093256.php
tavin425 @ May 8th 2007 9:39PM
@21:
First off, google is a for-profit corporation. And they are doing pretty well at the for-profit part. ;-) So that's a rather poor example imho. But I agree with your point in theory. It just has no basis here as gaymer.org is a community forum for posting. The owner derives no income from ad-based marketing, subscription fees, etc. and has sunk thousands of dollars into this project of his.I don't think it's wrong for him to protect his investment.
As for the second part of your post, that would be most other sites out there. Again, we wouldn't need to "set ourselves apart" were more people accepting and open-minded about who we are. But just read the posts above this one, and tell me that is the case...
Brendon @ May 8th 2007 9:43PM
Ah, to live your entire life unchallenged by anything. So glad I'm not straight.
JustinS @ May 8th 2007 11:14PM
You shouldnt be able to trademark a term you didnt originate. And it should be hard to trademark as Im sure the cider company will have a problem with this.
"Ah, to live your entire life unchallenged by anything. So glad I'm not straight."
??? Unchallenged by anything??? I dont know what that is supposed to mean, but perhaps you have a skewed view of the benefits of being straight. Im sure that is in some way a jab at straight people. Saying we are inferior to homosexuals.
I thought that people werent supposed to make intolerant comments or make assumptions of "what it is like" to have a different sexual orientation. Oh wait you are in a minority group, its ok for you not for us...got it.
Aberu @ May 8th 2007 11:39PM
This isn't about protecting his investment people. That's what copyrighting does. Trademarking is a whole other beast and you seem to forget that. Any time someone uses the term Gaymer in association with a for-profit news organization, put on a shirt at cafepress, etc... they are legally liable to pay money to him for using it, or set up some contract otherwise. If he just wanted to protect his intellectual property, a simple copyright would suffice. Trademarking is like patenting technology. It is there specifically to make profit or have control over how the technology/term is used.
Aberu @ May 8th 2007 11:42PM
@24
I know one thing I get challenged with every day. Being able to express myself freely. Some gay male at work can call me a breeder all he wants, but if I say something like "I think having gay organizations further reinforces segregation of two cultures" then I get called a homophobe. Is that not your definition of facing a challenge in life? As a white adult male I face challenges getting into colleges versus an equally tested black male. I can't express any of my true feelings on controversial issues without getting mowed down for being some sort of backwards thinking redneck. I can't even say I voted for Bush without people cutting off all contact, and women not giving me a chance on a date. Don't tell me life isn't challenging just because I'm straight, that is a load of bull.
Anonymous @ May 8th 2007 11:55PM
I'm sick of hearing about gay gamers and female gamers. When 90% of their audience is straight men, why would any developer care about any of you? I know that trying to segregate yourselves is a lame attempt at getting a bit of love from devs, but it's not going to happen. Oh sure, some indie game company is going to come along and throw a gay romance and whatever it is that women like in there games, into one of their games, and their sales will see a spike from what they'd have been without, but will you ever see Mario having homosexual relations with another man (like Toad)? No. And if you ever did, I'd be willing to give up gaming right then and there. So here is a bit of a reality check from me to you; You are not special, you aren't entitled to anything, and you really need to just STFU and GTFO.
Dave Silva @ May 9th 2007 12:28AM
@28: Mario and Toad?
It's been done. Go see VGCats.
ranphi @ May 9th 2007 12:40AM
See, it's posts like #28 that are just really, really sad. It's people who think/feel like that that make the world a very tough place to live sometimes and do nothing to promote better tolerance and understanding amongst *all* types of people.
Most of the comments on here have actually been pretty tame, IMHO, and have raised some interesting points of view or thoughts on the matter.
Others, like #28, haven't been so constructive. :-p
Hopefully, one day, people like #28 will have an experience or realization in their life that will open their eyes and/or minds a bit and make them understand that such inconsideration and insensitivity doesn't do anyone any good.
zwarrior @ May 9th 2007 1:09AM
30, you're overreacting and I bet you couldn't wait for a comment that bashes gays just so you can play the victim, like so many minorities like to do all the time. But 28 is not bashing gays, he's saying to those who are complaining, their argument holds no water and its true, you're complaining about those who use the word gay in a degoratory way yet want to coin that same word under gaymer or gaygamer somehow expecting it to be used positivly. Isn't that the same hypocritical thing going on with the word nigga?
Brinstar @ May 9th 2007 1:29AM
#28: 90% of gamers are not male (http://www.theesa.com/facts/gamer_data.php), and I'm honestly not sure where you are getting your data that 90% of gamers are straight as well.
Gay people and women don't want special treatment. The idea that some people have to speak out or even fight in order to be treated with respect is completely foreign to you, thus you regard it as people seeking special treatment.
Brendon @ May 9th 2007 2:06AM
Aberu, thanks for taking the bait.
While voting for Bush may qualify you for several titles, "victim" isn't one of them. I'm also sorry to hear that Harvard turned you down despite your high SAT scores. Come, join us in our fight for human rights! You are truly oppressed!
ranphi @ May 9th 2007 2:08AM
@31, no, I honestly wasn't waiting for a "gay bashing comment". I actually figured there would be a lot more than there currently are, hence the comment I made in my previous post that I found most of the posted comments, so far, tame and interesting. There have been some interesting points of view made on both sides of the fence for this matter, IMO.
And I'm not "playing the victim" either. I'm just speaking my mind on a post I found to be quite inconsiderate and insensitive. That post just came off as very angry and hateful and I don't see any justification for that.
As for "gaymer" being non-derogatory and "gay" being derogatory; I don't know. I guess, personally, I would say it's about context. The word "gay", by itself, doesn't carry any negative value to it. It just usually means happy or homosexual, given how you use it.
Unfortunately, a lot of people use the word "gay" today in a negative context, usually to insult somebody. In that scenario, then I would say, yes, I find it inappropriate or at least insensitive. Hence, it's not the word itself that bothers me, it's how it's used.
Anonymous @ May 9th 2007 3:00AM
Ranphi, basically you are one of the overly sensitive people that make being a straight white guy pretty difficult when it comes to speaking our minds. Nowhere in post 28 did I bash gays for being gay, or women for being women for that matter. I'm bashing gays and women in the same way that I equally bash blacks for forming groups like the NAACP which intentionally segregate themselves (It was horrible when they were forcibly segregated, but when they do it? Just fine). It's the same argument that I'm sure you've heard before; That if we were to make a NAAWP (National Association for the Advancement of White People) we'd be racist KKK rednecks from Kentucky. Grow up
Rubang B @ May 9th 2007 5:45AM
Damn it's so hard being a straight white male, boohoo you dumb bitch.
Hugh Mann @ May 9th 2007 6:58AM
I think No.8 hit the nail on the head:
".....there are still folks out their that would make it" (using the terms fag etc)"an issue and some of my fellow gaymers would rather not deal with it."
i think that until gay gamers DO start to deal with it there wil always be a problem. And by dealing with it I DO NOT mean accept it as something you should have do deal with, instaed we should all start standing up to people, just like I see people on this site do every day. When someone makes a racist sexist or homophobic comment, everyone else, gay straight or whatever need to let the person who made the comment know that it is unacceptable behaviour that will not win them any respect.
Having evrybody who is gay/woman/black/whatever just go to a different site just means that nasty comments on sites like joystiq will simply go unchallenged, making the problem worse in the long run.
Anonymous @ May 9th 2007 7:23AM
Demanding Tolerance is in itself Intolerant.
And I love it when someone (namely Rubang, whom gays up every story he comments on) insults anonymous. Anonymous is legion. Anonymous does not forgive. And Anonymous doesn't...see a place to put Anonymous's name so that Anonymous isn't Anonymous. Maybe Firefox NoScript is actively blocking Anonymous from seeing the place where he (or she) would place his or her name. Oh well, point remains, you are insulting what amounts to little more than a phantom.
Aberu @ May 9th 2007 10:36AM
@33
What bait. You sit there and say that because I am straight, and everyone else that is straight, lives life completely unchallenged and couldn't possibly understand facing challenges in life. That kind of idea is hypocritical. You sit there and say that I don't know? Well you don't know buddy. I do have to hold back my speech everywhere I go.
Read Tammy Bruce's "The New Thought Police" if you don't believe the social ramifications people on the Left have inflicted upon me by supposedly "fighting" for your rights. You have a right to work anywhere you want, you have a right to be a crossdresser and work as the opposite sex. You do not have a right to tell me what I can and can't say, and you don't have a right to tell me my way of thinking is wrong and can give me sensitivity training.
And of course you again make me feel unwelcome by suggesting I should have titles applied for voting for Bush. Well mister I can take that, and deal with it, it's your opinion and it's a challenge I face to deal with it, and I pick up my balls and act like a man and face it. I don't create a website that is for gamers that voted for Bush, and then ban anyone in the forums who disagrees with voting for Bush.
BTW if you think I'm some bigheaded gay-hating loser think again. My brother USED to be my sister, my former girlfriend has all gay friends and we would go and hang out at clubs. I have had 2 close friends from Elementary school that have discovered they were gay, and one is still in the closet because he plays in a rock band and feels they would kick him out. And so what if they would, you find another band, he's the most talented member of the band. So don't go around thinking I'm some backwater redneck that hasn't seen anything gays have to go through. But I hope you can find some sort of relief that you aren't the only one going through challenges and hardships for who you are. My father used to beat me, and I was a very introverted child, and got beat and picked on throughout my whole life in Elementary school. I went to therapy for about 6 years in a row, and had a couple breakdowns in school. My life was hard, but you don't see me fucking making my own weak websites for people like me to conglomerate in. I have more self-esteem than that, and I know everyone else has gone through SOMETHING extremely challenging their life by the time they are an adult. My identity is that of Kevin "Aberusugi" Coleman okay. Not a bush-voter, libertarian, or anime-watcher.
leximancer @ May 9th 2007 11:18AM
Aberu, it's not necessarily about self-segregation. I myself am a member of a "gaymer" site, though not of gaymer.org. Most of my friends are white, straight, and nerdy -- shining examples of mainstream gamer culture. I have no trouble fitting in with them. But sometimes it's nice to associate with others who understand the unique experiences associated with identifying with both the gay community (which often sees gaming as socially inferior) and the gamer community (whose vocal minority of homophobes can be annoying and off-putting at times). A gaymer-specific community is not a place to sequester oneself, but a place where one can talk with like-minded folk, just as a chemistry students' message board or a libertarian party message board is. Just like other message boards, it's a place where discussion can be held by all sorts of people who are tied together by a common thread. The way I see it, "we are gay gamers" is just as valid a thread as "we dislike gun control" or "we like posting photos of our cats".
billychaos @ May 9th 2007 11:19AM
I dont agree with the trademark crap. But, I think this forum alone proves the need for a gay gamer site. Anytime there is a posting about glbt and games, it looks like to me the most postings go up in a very small amount of time. I find it amusing how there are so many straight people that say "why do you need a gay site, it shouldnt matter what you are". I couldnt agree more, unfortunatly reality slams that idea.
I have heard so much gay slander online and some directed at me. Being straight, you have no idea what the effects are when you are called these things online and you are gay. Being straight these words bounce off of you...being gay it gets taken to heart and causes a extreme emotional uprise (wether it's anger or guilt).
Also being called the "Ni..." word has little or no effect on someone who is not black. If your black, taht raises such high levels of emotional defense (wether it's anger or guilt). So that's why people like me join gay sites and gay guilds, It's in defense so you dont have to deal with that. When I first started playing games as a noob it was such a shock to me, I quit playing certain games.
Brendon @ May 9th 2007 11:49AM
Aberu, don't get so defensive; methinks though dost protest too much. I'm only using some humor to make a point, although your wordy "I'm not allowed to express myself" reactions are doing a much better job of it than I am.
In with anger, out with love!
A.J. @ May 9th 2007 1:07PM
@Anonymous
I don't think you understand the purpose of organizations like the NAACP. You do realize that it was only fifty some odd years ago blacks were treated like they were less than human don't you? You do realize there are black people are still denied employment at certain jobs simply because of their skincolor right? And you do realize that there are people in this country TODAY, thousands, hundreds of thousand possibly, that HATE them for no good reason?
I'm not black but even i'm not stupid enough to think there arent alot of fucking morons out there that would rather kill a black person than sit down and get to know them.
The government is not a proponent of any minority. If equality is desired it must be demanded. If organizations like the NAACP, NFWU, GLAAD, etc didn't exist the government(especially with George Bush in the White House) would not be held accountable.
As far as the topic at hand, from what I've read he didn't invent the term Gaymer so he's a douche for trying to copyright it.
awerich @ May 9th 2007 3:41PM
Regarding "fwacce"'s comment (this is in no way a flamed comment): as a gaymer, I agree but there are still folks out their that would make it an issue and some of my fellow gaymers would rather not deal with it. Things are getting better for us but sometimes this process is slow. Someday, some other guy and I will play some Awesome game online knowing full well what "team" we each play for (same or different) but the fact we both kick butt destroying some hideous alien hordes is what brought us to play to begin with. I think this day is coming and we may, not even notice when it does.
Rubang B @ May 9th 2007 3:47PM
I'm not gay but whenever this argument comes up at Joystiq I wish I was reading news at a gay gamer site so I didn't have to read all the hateful comments. It makes me sick. I have to be a "faggotlover" because I support equality for all Queers, right? Yeah, and I would've been a "niggerlover" for supporting abolition.
You can't tell me that there isn't a ridiculous amount of hate towards gays all over this country. I've been punched in the face by a complete stranger for "dressing gay." So I take this kind of crap personally. Some times GameFAQs is even a breath of fresh air because they won't tolerate words like gay or fag, even in jest.
tavin425 @ May 10th 2007 1:14PM
Aberu, you said, and I quote: "You have a right to work anywhere you want, you have a right to be a crossdresser and work as the opposite sex." You ARE joking, right? Please tell me that was a joke.
I just got fired from my job because they found out I was gay. There are no workplace protections for GLBT workers in dozens of states. There are even LESS protections in place for transgendered people.
So let me ask you a question: Is it okay to fire a perfectly competent and qualified employee because of their sexual orientation?
I know this is off-topic now but I am curious as to how you think and how you arrive at the conclusions you do...
Tavin.
JasonT @ May 11th 2007 2:04PM
leximancer (#39) has a really good point. How many people here have shopped at ThinkGeek or Penny Arcade to get stuff that identifies them as gamers and geeks? It's not that that's your ONLY identity, but it's a nice way to connect with people who have something in common with you.
And to everyone who says that gay people have a responsibility to show up in forums like this so that they can defend themselves or whatever: people don't usually come to gaming forums or to play games because they want to have debates about terminology. They come because they want to have fun. Wagging your finger at people for using offensive terms is potentially important, but it is definitely not fun. How long would you stick around a web site or online game where more than half the people speaking up were flinging hateful speech and/or calling you an idiot for also visiting other sites in your spare time? (Note that the presence of multiple gaymers here suggests that gay-oriented gaming sites are not the ONLY ones they visit.)
And finally, while I agree that American culture at large still has a long way to go before it feels entirely comfortable to be gay/trans/whatever, let's not pretend that gaming culture isn't particularly homophobic. (See research by Christensen on talk during online games, which suggests that "the reproduction of masculinity online as aggressive, violent, misogynist and homophobic may be more stereotypical and rigid than in 'real life.'" ... http://reconstruction.eserver.org/061/christensen.shtml.) Speaking as a straight male, I'm pretty damn sick of having to sit through all the "fag," "queer," and "pussy" comments slung around during a game of Gears of War. I wish that placing in "ranked matches" worked more by what kind of people you want to play with (i.e., not bigots and immature meanies) than what level of skill you're supposed to have.
V @ May 14th 2007 2:27AM
I agree with 41. As for the need for gay or female gamer site or forum? This topic was about words copyright and look where it have gone, gay or not we could have commented on the question. The topic was not even directly about gay and gaming, the orignal poster even asked about what we though of copyright issues with the rest of the gaming lingo.
The Keem @ May 20th 2007 8:53AM
Why is this even a problem? we've developed from someone silly trying to trademark a word to a flame war?
Why is anything said that isn't coated in rainbows considered homophobic? You wanna prove that you're worthy of the respect you demand, then grow up. If it bothers you so, do what black people do and re-appropriate 'hurtful' words like fag and gay to make them socially acceptable.
So true what was said about minorities being able to get away with anything, but dare I ever express a neutral opinion i'm suddenly a homophobe!
When people use these words anyway, it's not as if they have some inert loathing for gay people that they're out to break their spirits, it's just that the questioning of a straight man's sexuality is offensive in most cases, and i'm oh-so-sorry if i ever called a "gaymer" gay while i was playing UT before, be sure to point out your sexuality in a very loud and obnoxious manner as you often do, and i'll be sure to use "straight" to insult you next time, capiche?
13alder @ Aug 5th 2007 10:42PM
@tavin425
honestly it depends on your job and im not going to pretend that in any job its fair to be fired for it but if you were in something like PR or selling something then theres a reason for you to be fired, a bad one, but a reason. As unfair as this sounds think about it like this, someone that is mentally retarded shouldn't be able to do whatever they want, and someone who's selling something who gets horribly scared or has their voice box removed is it fair? i think yes because they will do a worse job selling than someone who is "normal" imho atleast. The same thing goes for why you were fired, most likely, that your boss felt that someone who was strait could be better doing your job then you can. this is why there are alot of female secretaries, because not only do people semi expect to hear a female's voice when they get a secretary but for most people they are better eye candy then guys so they do their job better by not doing anything better at all then being eye candy or having a higher pitched voice. Also before you call me a homophobe, i have many friends who are openly gay and two of them were out of the closet when i became their friends.