Tag: homophobic

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‘Diesel Hate Couture’ Fashion Line Using Word ‘Faggot’ Gets Mixed Reactions

(screen capture)

Fashion brand Diesel is facing some backlash over a new limited edition clothing line that includes a pricey silk jacket with a homophobic slur printed all over it.

The jacket, which is part of the company’s ‘Diesel Hate Couture’ line, features the word ‘faggot’ printed multiple times in a random pattern.

The line includes several types of items like t-shirts, hoodies, bomber jackets, hats and more.

“The truth is this: the more you expose the hate you get, treating it with irony and irreverence, the less power it has to cause harm,” Diesel told Hypebeast last month. “This is why we are launching HAɄTE COUTURE. A unique collection designed to do just that: disempower hate.”

The concept behind the provocative clothing is to reclaim online hate using the slogan, ‘The more hate you wear, the less you care.’

Other terms used in the line include ‘slut,’ ‘fat,’ ‘weirdo,’ ‘not cool’ and ‘f*ck you imposter.’

While outrageous, none seem quite as inflammatory or hateful as the f-word.

“Online hate is inevitable, but caring about it is optional,” writes Diesel on the YouTube page for the ad spot below.

The video begins by explaining all of the terms used were picked by the cast members from actual hate comments they’ve received via social media.

You can see openly gay actor Tommy Dorfman (Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why) wearing the controversial jacket, which sells for a whopping £350. The jacket appears to be available only on the brand’s UK website.

Also taking part in the video are Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, Miles Heizer, Barbie Ferreira, Bella Thorne, Yoo Ah-In, Bria Vinaite, Yovanna Ventura and Jonathan Bellini.

“Our aim has always been to disempower those that create the hate and manifest negativity,” said Diesel in a statement to Mic last month. “Every individual cast within the campaign relates personally to the issue itself.”

“To bring awareness to the wider issue, each chose a phrase that they wanted to wear proudly with the goal of empowering others to take a stance,” the statement continued. “Together, Diesel and Tommy Dorfman use this as a platform to disempower the haters and show the more hate you wear, the less you care.”

Dorfman also tweeted: “All proceeds from this jacket are benefitting the Ali Forney Center in NY which provides shelter, food and programs to homeless LGBTQ+ youth.”

The items came online last month, but responses on social media has been coming in waves.

Some folks like the idea, but others call the idea “offensive” and “disgusting.”

What do you think, readers? Is this like the LGBTQ community reclaiming the word ‘queer?’ Or is this just a bad idea?

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News Round-Up: October 30, 2018

This guy definitely gets my Halloween treats 😉

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Thiago Oliveira offers a sneak peek at his Halloween costume. I think it’s a dragon, but who really cares – I’d give him all my Halloween candy if he showed up at my door looking like that.

• A new survey by Bespoke shows millennials are coming out an average of 4-5 years earlier than Gen Xers or Baby Boomers.

• Speaking of Halloween, this dad was surprised people had a negative reaction to his and his son’s Halloween costumes. Imagine that. Hmmm…

• The lower House of Czech Republic’s Parliament is considering legislation that would make the country the first former Eastern Bloc nation to embrace marriage equality. A recent poll shows 67% support for same-sex marriage in the Czech Republic.

• The daughter of a Missouri Republican running for Congress is begging voters to reject her own racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic father.

• Thanks to Larry at TheOUTfront for pointing up “Enough” – a new music video featuring Australian pop star Sia’s song “I’m Still Here” along with 130 students of the National Dance Institute.

From the video description: It’s unacceptable that firearms are the second leading cause of death for American children and teens.

If you’re a student, get involved in the movement to end gun violence by texting STUDENTS to 644-33. Watch “Enough” below.

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Founder of White Nationalist Group Proud Boys Defends Using “Faggot”

Gavin McInnes (screen capture)

A group of Proud Boys, a homophobic, white nationalist group, took to the streets of Manhattan last Friday after attending a speech by the group’s founder, Gavin McInnes at the Metropolitan Republican Club.

Several members of the racist group (the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the Proud Boys as a hate group) were captured on video after the event beating and kicking three individuals.

During the attack, one of the assailants can be heard yelling, “You’re not so brave now, faggot.” Another member of the group calls one of the victims “a f**king foreigner.”

In the aftermath, the New York Police Department, which had already arrested three of the protesters, has said it believes it can bring charges against nine Proud Boys who took part in the attack.

McInnes, though, took to his podcast on Sunday to defend the use of the word “faggot” by his followers.

As reported by Media Matters, McInnes says the incident began when a protester attempted to steal one of the Proud Boys’ MAGA hats.

“You know, someone jumps you, steals your hat and then gets beaten so bad that the kid, the antifa kid they beat up was in tears. He was crying. Now, while this person is crying, I’m sorry, but faggot is a handy term. It’s very rarely used against gays. In fact, Louis C.K. has this whole bit about how I would never call a gay a faggot because you don’t call homosexuals faggots, you call faggots faggots. It means someone — it means a man who is crying, basically. In fact, most gays I know are a lot tougher and more alpha than most straights.”

In an appearance on the conservative media outlet Newsmax, McInnes tried to say the word “faggot” is just a term used when hyped up in fist fight.

“When someone’s adrenaline is pumping, he’s going to say, ‘Are you brave now, f-word?’” McInnes said. “He didn’t mean it like it was some sort of homosexual attack.”

He also put the blame on the protesters, known as Antifa, for getting the Proud Boys so wound up that they had to use the word “faggot.”

Here’s more background on Gavin McInnes and his Proud Boys:

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CNN Reporter Apologizes For Gay Slur Used In 2011 Tweet

Kaitlan Collins (image via Twitter)

Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s White House correspondent, has come under fire after homophobic tweets from her college days have come to light.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBTQ political group, found two tweets by Collins from 2011 when she attended the University of Alabama. In the tweets she uses the word “fag” as a putdown and in another expresses discomfort about rooming with a lesbian.

Within an hour of the Log Cabin tweet, Collins apologized via Twitter, saying she used “ignorant language” that was “immature.” She added that the tweets don’t “represent the way I feel at all.”

She closed with an unqualified, “I regret it and I apologize.”

The apology tweet received over 7,000 ‘likes’ but even more comments. Most of the replies were from far-right leaning Twitter users who used the occasion to bash Collins in an attempt to equate her two tweets in college with allegations of sexual misconduct raised against newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Log Cabin Republicans made a point of tagging CNN Vice President of Communications and Digital Partnerships Matt Dornic in their tweet.

Dornic, who is openly gay, responded with support for his colleague saying while he’s “disappointed she ever used the word,” he accepts her apology and says “with certainty” those tweets don’t reflect her feelings about the LGBTQ community.

Collins has worked at CNN since 2017. Prior to that she was a contributor for the conservative political website, The Daily Caller, founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Earlier this year Donald Trump banned Collins from a press event after she asked repeated questions regarding his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen has since pleaded guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud.

What do you think, readers? Is there a double-standard in play here?

Or, is there a difference between a college student using a slur in a tweet versus allegations of sexual misconduct?

Also, Collins immediately apologized without any qualifiers, i.e. “if anyone was offended…” Does that make a difference?

Do we accept apologies anymore?

And, with social media posts becoming the new ‘skeletons’ in our closets, do you think there’s anything in your Twitter/Facebook past that could come back to haunt you?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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UPDATE: Suspect Arrested In Connection With Alleged Brooklyn Hate Crime

Alleged suspect in Brooklyn hate crime

UPDATE: A 25-year-old man, Brandon McNamara, has been arrested in connection with the gay bashing.

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Two men were viciously attacked early Sunday morning as they left a gay bar in Brooklyn, New York.

According to ABC7, the two men – one 29-years-old, the other 34-years-old – had just left the Metropolitan Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, when a man approaching them called out with a homophobic slur.

The incident quickly escalated with the attacker punching the 34-year-old in the face, and throwing the 29-year-old against a tree. Both were knocked unconscious.

The good news is a bystander managed to snap a fairly clear photo of the attacker as he ran away.

One of the victims suffered a broken finger, while the other had to be treated for a broken shoulder.

Speaking to ABC7, Aidan Pongrice, a neighbor in the area, urged people to take action.

“Not just to find and arrest this one person, we need people to take action to go out and vote and make sure that we don’t have people and leaders in this country that actively dog whistle against my very existence,” said Pongrice.

The New York Police Department are now asking anyone with any information about the incident or identifying the attacker in question to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-8477.

Watch the report below from ABC7.

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Florida Church Fights Homophobic Vandalism With LGBT Messages Of Inclusion

(image via Facebook)

A church in Florida responded to homophobic vandalism with its own message of love.

Over the weekend, the Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, found the words “gay pastor” spray-painted across the church’s sign.

But, instead of immediately removing the graffiti, Rev. Andy Oliver decided to leave the spray paint surrounded by a rainbow of hearts (in a nod to the LGBTQ community) and the phrase, “LOVE ALWAYS WINS!”

“This is just one example of the type of hate crime and hate message the LGBT community goes through regularly,” Oliver told The Tampa Bay Times. “It certainly isn’t great our sign got vandalized, but we want to surround that message of hate with a message of love, and that’s what we’ve received since.”

Additionally, Oliver posted on the opposite side of the church sign the statement, “Vandalism is a felony that shouldn’t take away your vote for life! Vote yes on Amendment 4.”

Folks in the Sunshine state will soon vote on Amendment 4 which would restore voting rights to most felons after serving their time in prison.

The church has a history of using its sign to share progressive messages.

In July, a brick was thrown through the sign after a quote by civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis had been posted. That damage was significant enough that funds had to be raised to purchase a new sign set to be installed next month.

According to a St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson, the authorities are investigating the vandalism.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman chimed in via his Facebook account writing, “Amen, Allendale UMC – St. Petersburg. And this shows that we still have work to do, and why we fight every single day to create a climate of inclusion.”

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News Round-Up: Weekend Edition

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks Rick and the Griffopotamus did some weekend role-playing as ‘mountain men’ in a cabin in North Carolina. #NotYourDaddysDeliverance

• Tony Award winner Billy Porter, Emmy/Golden Globe-winner Mary-Louise Parker, and Emmy-winner Michael Emerson will head up a benefit reading of The Laramie Project on Monday, September 24, in NYC in honor of the 20th anniversary of the play that explored the murder of Matthew Shepard.

• Earlier this week, I reported that DC comics had launched a more “mature” version of Batman which included ‘full-frontal’ bat-nudity. Well, DC has now reversed course on that decision saying there will be no more private bat-junk on display in future issues.

• A lesbian couple was verbally attacked while staying the Clifton Mount Hotel by other guests. Their complaints to management resulted in the homophobic owner telling them, “Your not fit enough to stay in a hotel people like you should be put in a cage with the rest of the wild animals.” #HomophobiaLives

• A California stripper is facing serious jail time after stabbing his 50-year-old roommate. Geoffrey Tracy claims he was “creeped out” by the roommate “making moves on him.” Mind you, the muscle-bound Tracy was in NYC to dance at a strip club, so…

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Eminem Expresses Regret For Using “Faggot” On New Album

After getting slammed for using homophobic language (again) on his latest album, rapper Eminem has now addressed the debacle expressing regret over his choice of words.
Eminem

 After getting slammed for using homophobic language (again) on his latest album, rapper Eminem has now addressed the debacle expressing regret over his choice of words.

First, let’s recap – on the track “Fall” from the new release Kamikaze, Eminem took a verse to swipe at rapper/producer Tyler the Creator.

It seems the 15-time Grammy Award-winner was angry over criticism leveled his way by Tyler who had publicly criticized his Beyoncé collaboration, “Walk on Water,” from Eminem’s 2017 release, Revival.

With that in mind, Eminem dropped this in “Fall:”

Tyler create nothing, I see why you called yourself a faggot, bitch

It’s not just ’cause you lack attention

It’s ’cause you worship D12’s balls, you’re sacrilegious
If you’re gonna critique me, you better at least be as good or better

Immediately, the music industry and the LGBTQ community clapped back at the 45-year-old rapper.

“It’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate,” said Imagine Dragons frontman (and LGBTQ ally) Dan Reynolds.

Even Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, who appears on the track, took pains to distance himself tweeting, “Was not in the studio for the Eminem track… came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it. Thanks for listening to BRM.”

“This is not the time to criticize youth, it’s the time to listen, to act” added Vernon. “It is certainly not the time for slurs. Wish they would have listened when we asked them to change it.”

Which brings us to yesterday as Eminem sat down for a lengthy video interview with rapper/reporter Sway about the new project.

During the chat (which has already garnered over 2.2 million views in a day), Sway asked about using the word “faggot” on the track.

“With the Tyler the Creator thing, man, I realize now, I realize I wasn’t, in the mind frame of – I realize I was angry when I said the sh*t about Tyler,” says the Slim Shady rapper.

“The word that I called him on the album, on that song, was one of the things where I felt like, this might be too far. Because in my quest to hurt him, I realized that I was hurting a lot of other people by saying it.”

This isn’t the Oscar winner’s first trip to the homophobic rodeo, though.

His sophomore album, Marshall Mathers LP, received similar criticism for his repeated use of the word ‘fag’.

And the issue reared its head again when he used the term on the track “Rap God” in 2013.

At the time, he said he didn’t think of it as a slur, just a word he’d grown up using as a put-down in rap battles.

However – at the age of 45-years-old, in the year 2018, is it too much to ask that he leave the homophobic language behind?

You can watch Eminem explain below.

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Idaho Man Arrested On Hate Crime Charges After Screaming Racist/Homophobic Slurs At Church Kids

Richard Sovenski has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after accosting a church youth group in Idaho
Richard Sovenski of Idaho

File this under ‘Today in Trump Nation.’

A group of church kids from Spokane, Washington, on a field trip to Idaho were accosted by a man identified as Richard Sovenski at a McDonalds restaurant as they stopped for ice cream.

From The Inlander:

A group of high schoolers from a Spokane youth group traveled to Coeur d’Alene last Thursday to hear a guest preacher. Afterward, the group’s leader, Jose Ceniceros, took them out for ice cream at McDonald’s.

As the group was getting ready to leave Sovenski started hurling racial slurs and profanity at them, Ceniceros says. A woman, who was standing with Sovenski, later told police that the kids were “being rude, dancing and running around causing a disturbance.”

Ceniceros disputes this, and says as they approached the door to leave Sovenski sucker punched Ceniceros and threw him to the ground. Ceniceros began recording Sovenski with his cell phone once they were outside and has shared the video with the Inlander.

“Fuck you, you fucking half-breeds! Get the fuck out of Idaho!” Sovenski is shown saying on video.

“You got a fucking problem, I’m your fucking guy!” he adds. “I will fuck you up in a fucking heartbeat, you little faggot!”

At one point, one of the youth group can be heard saying, “That’s why I don’t come to Idaho,” to which Sovenski screams back, “Yeah! That’s why you don’t come to Idaho! We’re real fucking men here, you bitch!”

Here’s the video – warning: VERY strong language.

The man accompanying Sovenski, who grabs his genitals at the end of the video, is apparently Sovenski’s son.

The local NBC affiliate reports that in interviews with investigators, Sovenski’s wife says she was worried the children might have bumped into her as she’d recently undergone shoulder surgery.

For Sovenski’s part, he told investigators that he didn’t so much ‘punch’ Ceniceros as ‘pushed’ him and that the church youth leader must have “tripped over his own feet.”

Sovenski said he used the strong language to “get the upper hand” in the argument, and believing the comments would “get under their skin.”

And it’s now garnered a hate crime charge with video evidence.

Richard Sovenski (R) charged with hate crime in Idaho

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California: Homophobic Attack At Siena Restaurant In Newport Beach

The man above is wanted by police for possible battery charges

Another homophobic attack, this time in Newport Beach, California, where three men say they were assaulted and ejected from an Italian restaurant while being called gay slurs.

From The Orange County Register:

In their lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court this week, Angel Bonilla, Colton Moyer and Clement Serafin say they were visiting Balboa Island on April 13 when they decided to stop by Siena Restaurant inside the Balboa Inn for dinner.

The trio was immediately met with hostility from a woman working behind the bar, who “demanded that (the men) show their respective identification cards because she wanted to create a ruse for refusing to serve them when her real motive was to not serve gay men,” according to the suit.

The men said they were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

After viewing Serafin’s identification card, the bartender proclaimed that it was fake and then handed it to a person sitting at the bar, apparently a patron, who examined it and “commented loudly that it was ‘definitely a fake,’” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Serafin’s identification card is not fake and that he is in his mid-30s.

“This was done with the specific intent to cause humiliation and mental suffering … because they are gay and because Bonilla is Hispanic,” the suit says.

Some of the incident was caught on cellphone video below.