The “F” Word and the Media's Double-Standard for Gay Slurs

Indeed, in the eyes of the Chicago press and the national media that picked up on the story, the far greater crime committed by Guillen was the besmirching of one columnist's reputation as opposed to the insult leveled at the gay community when Guillen explained he used the slur not to mean gay people, but to convey Mariotti was weak and not masculine.

One is reminded of many other incidents of racial slurs by prominent (often sports) figures over the years, including Rush Limbaugh, Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker, pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, oddsmaker Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder, baseball executive Al Campanis, and Howard Cosell, to name a few. All were well covered in the mainstream press as hard news items. Almost all of the perpetrators suffered significant consequences for their insensitivity.

Some even lost their jobs. Even when someone like Rocker offended both racial and gay and lesbian groups, the lionshare of the attention was paid to the racial comments, at least in the mainstream press.

Meanwhile, the Grey's Anatomy “tiff” was reported as a gossip or feature item on the inside pages of newspaper entertainment sections or in entertainment segments of television and radio news. Since The Enquirer broke the story of what actually happened, mainstream news or even features coverage has been almost non-existent. And while there are reports and speculation in the alternative media that possible actions might–-and should--be taken against Washington for his comments, there have been none to date and the producers of Grey's Anatomy and the ABC television network remain decidedly silent on the entire matter.

No apology has been forthcoming from Isaiah Washington [Ed. note: See update below], no outrage expressed by Patrick Dempsey or any other cast member. The actors' handlers continue to characterize the incident as an almost friendly disagreement between co-workers that is definitely no longer an issue and definitely not newsworthy. Many fans of Grey's Anatomy, from the casual to the die-hard, are not even aware of what was actually said. In other words everyone's hoping it will just go away. Now there's a warning sign.

When the nation's most recognizable sensationalist tabloid is taking the lead in reportage of an incident as easily reprehensible as those cited above, something is less than it should be. When mainstream journalism treats these incidents with differing standards, something is very wrong: it is complicit in the discrimination against one group in relation to others.

The gay community has made great strides in educating the straight world about a variety of issues: using sexual orientation instead of sexual preference. The use of the word “gay” versus “homosexual” in news stories. Now it's time for the mainstream media to grasp the fact that the use of the word “faggot” is no less egregious and hateful than the use of any other slur, including racial ones.

Update: Isaiah Washington apologized today in an official statement to People Magazine that read as follows:

"I sincerely regret my actions and the unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set. Both are beneath my own personal standards. … I have nothing but respect for my coworkers … and have apologized personally to everyone involved."