Comments on: How offensive is "poofter" – football comment opens debate

By: gary burns

gary burns — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:03:00 +0000

As a gay rights campaigner I find those who use the word 'Poofter' in a derogatory way impinges on respect for homosexual males.If we allow this we might as well allow tho same bigots to call women 'Cunts' because the have a virgina.As a gay man why label me anything ?Gary Burns, Sydney Australia.

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By: Liam

Liam — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:38:00 +0000

I noticed that my comment "Katherine Knowles is a bimbo" has been removed.This simply confirms my belief that the "How offensive is poofter" article is unworthy of inclusion on Pinknews and should also be removed.

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By: peterrivendell

peterrivendell — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:57:00 +0000

UK Gay News are reporting that he shouted 'f*cking poof', which is more offensive but also suggests that it's not really clear what was said.

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By: peterrivendell

peterrivendell — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:49:00 +0000

I`m not sure that we don't need to get a grip and focus on things that are genuinely homophobic and offensive. I agree that we still need to complete that cultural shift that will make homophobic terms as socially unacceptable as racist ones but Paul Scholes getting booked and calling someone a 'poofter' just makes him sound like an 11 year old boy rather than a vicious homophobe.

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By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:17:00 +0000

It's just swearin what's the big deal people nevr shout about women bein cooled bitchAn how com Liam thinx its ok to call someone a bimbo?

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By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:12:00 +0000

What I want to know is would anyone have really noticed unless Tatchell had brought it up.Obviously homophobic abuse is wrong, but how many people really watch ITV?

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By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 09:27:00 +0000

No matter the context in which it is used, "poofter" is nothing more than derogatory and anti-gay. Are there words that gay people use to single out heterosexuals they don't like, words that could be termed derogatory and a slur against their heterosexuality? I don't think so.Robert,transplanted Brit, living in the USA

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By: Michael Regan

Michael Regan — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:04:00 +0000

The short of it, someone using a word like 'Poofter' but who isn't gay is as offensive as a white man calling someone a 'Nigger' or a 'Pakey' or 'Spastic'. If your going to write off using a word thats commonly used by homophobes to attack gay people with, then you might as well write of all over racist and derogatory words too!Its known that the football association has used homophobic comments and remarks in the past, so its good that its beginning to come into the 21st century and making it illegal to do so, but fundementally, the intent of using negative meaning to call someone gay, poof, bender, bum bandit, faggot… all these are simple to understand, because anyone using them see's a gay man as being weak and fuelling the stereotype!

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By: TROI

TROI — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:06:00 +0000

Of course the use of "Poofter" against someone who has done you wrong is a slur to the gay community. Any time a word is used with negative connotations it impacts badly.I work with a couple of young people, one of which once said how "Gay" something was that he didn't like, he then turned to me to appologise and never used it again around me. His instant and forthright appology shows that HE knew it was wrong and may have caused offence.Consider the case of race, if you were to call someone a "Jew" or that other word that was popular for African Americans back in the day (which is so offensive I dare not use it now). If you were to use these racial slurs you'd be grilled, even IF it was used as a throw-away word, cast out without thinking.Besides which, I believe that anyone who has these words in their vocabulary, ready to pull in times of stress, must be at least a little homophobic, else the word would not carry such ill meaning for them that they would feel it could be used in an attempt to garner a reaction or cause offense.

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