As we all know, the pejorative use of the word “gay” or “queer” and homophobic language is rife in social interaction among children and teenagers.
In my experience, whether it be in the middle-class Catholic school which I attended or rural less-affluent comprehensive where my brother teaches, the use of homophobic language is seen as part of everyday life and typical banter in the playground.
Whereas every instance of racist language is documented and punished, the equivalent anti-gay behaviour receives no attention whatsoever.
In a speech to a Stonewall conference, Kevin Brennan, the new Children’s Minister in Britain, said that schools have a “clear and urgent obligation” to end the widespread use of homophobic language. As he went on to say, it is in school that young people learn to challenge prejudice, confront injustice and stand up for what is right. The values, attitudes and beliefs that they acquire at school are those they will take into adulthood.
What was particularly interesting was that he said it was not only the responsibility of parents and schools to address this issue but that everyone has a role to play including the media. In his speech he made a less than unsubtle reference to the use of the term “gay” by BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles when describing a mobile phone ringtone.
“Just one example is the casual use of homophobic language by mainstream radio DJs. This is too often seen as harmless banter instead of the offensive insult that it really represents.”
At the time of the Moyles incident, the BBC Governors made an extraordinary ruling in response to complaints from listeners claiming that the use of the word gay to mean "lame" or "rubbish" was widespread among young people, and that it was "to be expected" that the Radio 1 DJ would use similar expressions.
This latest speech from a Government Minister means that broadcasters will clearly have to adopt a very different attitude. Both in Britain and in the United States – as the Isaiah Washington episode demonstrated – the use of overtly homophobic language on TV or radio has become unacceptable. We are now moving towards a situation where low-level homophobic banter and the pejorative use of words like “gay”, “queer” and “poof” in whatever context is gradually becoming more of a taboo.
It is clearly time for broadcasters and programme-makers to step up their game, and eliminate not just homophobic abuse but also the low-level homophobia that permeates down to the rest of society, and most damagingly in our schools.
Advertisers and sponsors can also be guilty of stereotypes and homophobic references, whether overt or covert. The Snickers Superbowl commercial, the Virgin Mobile ad featuring Wyclef Jean, or the Yahoo advert where a naked man, who is tied to a tree in a park, is given a leering once-over by an older man in a purple hat and scarf, all show how they can still get it wrong.
It is not only smart business-sense to get this right. Firms have a responsibility to make sure they are not contributing to homophobia particularly among young people who are influenced not just by role models, but by brands themselves.
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Gay and So Gay
I was reading a couple of articles on the Out Front Blog, one covering the difference in acceptability between the words gay and homosexual, the other protesting the use of the word gay to mean lame or rubbish.
This set off …