FAG one last time

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 3/8/01 4:11:45 PM, jester at PANIX.COM writes:

<< we have
seen a variety of disparaging terms adopted with pride>>

My quarrel is entirely with this phrase. Gay men do not use FAG "with pride."
Not in my experience. Not in the experience of my friends. Not in any written
citation that I havve ever seen. The citations that Jesse circulated in his
earlier posting are not attempts at appropriating FAG as a legitimate term of
self-reference. They are used exactly the way that black people use NIGGER. I
guess if Jesse wants to read his cites as "proud" I can't convince him
otherwise. But I know no gay men who would ever agree with Jesse's
assessment. This is not to say that the utterers of his cites are not proud
of their queer identity, only that the utters of the cites do not think that
FAG is a word to be "adopted with pride." QUEER yes. FAG no.