OutIL Fwd: Request from an Illinois TV station

[David F. Greenberg]

The origins of the word "faggot" have been much discussed because of an
erroneous folk etymology in which male homosexuals in the Middle Ages were
used as faggots, or kindling wood, in the burning of witches. As applied
to male homosexuals, the term is first attested in the United States in
the early part of the twentieth century. It stems from a term of insult
applied to fat women. - David Greenberg, Sociology Department, New York
University.

 On Tue, 22 Jun 1999 RonButters at aol.com
wrote:

> Can anybody help with this?
>