Recently, the owner of gayagenda.com heard Bubba the Love Sponge on the radio in Southern Florida, and had to call in. It seems that Bubba was using the word “fag” on the radio, and James thought he would set him straight…not in a mean way, but in an informative way, letting him know how that type of language is often used to justify violence, etc…
Bubba gives his resume of good deeds for the GLBT community, and he has a few for sure. But the most interesting thing to me, is that when James asked him whether or not he uses the “N-Word” on his show…they said it “isn’t the same thing.”
What do you think?
Props to James Hipps who, regardless of taking some verbal abuse and name-calling, still held respectfully and politely to his cause. You rock.
If you’re interested in hearing the interaction, here’s the link:
http://www.gayagenda.com/2009/01/bubba-the-love-sponge-takes-on-the-gay-agenda/
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is an email I just sent to the love sponge:
Hey I just listened to a clip from your show where James from gayagenda.com called in to say he didn’t appreciate you using the word fag on air and you ended up insulting him and referring to him with feminine pronouns. I hope you don’t regularly respond to opinions that differ from your own with anger and insults, I think ignoring beliefs that challenge our own breeds ignorance and prevents personal growth. I completely agree with James, the F word is just as bad as the N word. To me they do not seem different at all. They are both hateful words which refer negatively to a group of people and are used as insults. The only difference seems to be that it is more socially acceptable to be homophobic than it is to be racist. This tolerance for homophobia is what has allowed the rights of gay people in your country to be up for vote, while the rights of a racial minority would never be up for discussion. I hope that one day soon it is understood that it is just as insane to withhold the rights of a group of people based on their sexual orientation as it is to withhold their rights based on the colour of their skin, and that it will be just as unacceptable to insult someone based on their sexual orientation as it is to insult some one based on the colour of their skin. I would appreciate it if you, being a public figure, would do your part in making this a reality by refraining from using the word fag on air.
Thank you,
Jen, BC, Canada.
wow Jen, way to take action! Cheers to you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful letter..