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Home » Blogs » Michael Jensen's blog » Ashton Kutcher tweets about use of "gay" and "fag" not being cool

Ashton Kutcher tweets about use of "gay" and "fag" not being cool

by
Michael Jensen

I was just spending some time poking around Twitter when I came across the above tweet from Ashton Kutcher. We already knew he was cool for lots of reasons — including his same-sex snog with Seann William Scott in Dude, Where's My Car. But given the fact that Ashton has nearly 300,000 folks following his Twitter account, I heart him even more for sending out the above tweet. Having a straight guy that millions of straight guys look up to so emphatically state our case rocks.

And I'm not the only one who hearts Ashton. Check out some of these tweets in response to his.

Why not tweet him back at @aplusk and say thanks for the support?

 

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    • Submitted by
    Michael Jensen
    on Wed, 2009-03-11 16:03.
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    Dean's picture

    It just goes to show you that

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Wed, 2009-03-11 16:40.
    It just goes to show you that there are individuals in this world, that despite the stereotypes they play, that do believe that equality, above all else, and political correctness is something we all need to strive for and live every day. This also made me aware that even at home, where this phrase of "that's so gay" gets used by the younger members of my family needs to be stopped and the above pointed out to them.  I didn't realize it until just now reading the above tweet.  Ashton truly is a man of class, regardless of the parts in the movies or series he plays as an absolute goof who would make you think he was absolutely against and the complete opposite of what he said above.  All the more reason to support him in what he does.  Good for him AND us!
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    duckiestoy's picture

    Lip service...

    Submitted by
    duckiestoy (1340 points) (296 posts)
    on Wed, 2009-03-11 18:43.

    When they stop raking in money off homophobic comedic portrayals and so forth then I'd think about whether they "believe in equality" rather than just pay lip service.  Those portrayals in popular culture are far more influential in giving tacit approval than some tweet or Oscar speech will in curbing such talk.

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    Dean's picture

    Lip service....

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 10:29.
    Point taken and agreed, however as these blogs are read everyday more and more by the general public than the daily news paper, and watched by far more than the average boobtube news, after all, all of us sitting here at work wasting our employers time have to be reading something interesting, the message will begin to ring clear if more and more of these individuals come forward with messages like this.  Just because a past performance depicted what you stated is a "homophobic comedic portrayal" doesn't mean that the actor themselves feels the part.  They're making a living just as we all do and sometimes we have to do things that we don't always agree with. If you don't think that the "tweet or Oscar speech will curb such talk" then again you need to see just how far this "tweet" has gone.  It's a beginning of the movement just like the beginning of the not using the "N" word was. Agreed this is well into our movement but it's the beginning of the awareness of the comments and actions that are wrong. This tweet has now gone as far to make in impression "across the pond".  See this http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11572.html More and more I believe this will come to be and until the public come to acknowledge our movement with equality, the "homophobic comedic portrayals" will continue.  Sit back and laugh at it, make it our joke, laugh with em, not at em. Like your shirt says in your picture, some people are gay, get over it.  They will if we do.
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    nordic balance's picture

    I completely agree about Ashton K's Tweet

    Submitted by
    nordic balance (not verified)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 15:35.

    And when folks like Lucy Lawless, Ashton Kutcher and Kanye West go out of their way to publically make the point about the importance and power of language and encourage young folks to be critical thinkers, it goes a lot longer way than just parents and teachers saying even the exact same thing.

    Making schools and other spheres of young folks feel safer for gay/bi teens can't only be achieved by the efforts of gays and lesbians and as a parent I'm sure he's aware of this fact

    Whether we like it or not, celebrities will always have a significant influence over the "youth" in media obsessed Western cultures (and others I'd imagine).

    I've never been one to think that the roles taken on by actors reflect their personal beliefs or personalities so whether or not an actor has portrayed a murderer or rapist or homophobe doesn't really seem significant when considering what kind of human being they are and what kind of contribution they have to offer the world outside of acting.

    Good on Ashton K for being the latest in a growing line of  folks to use his celebrity (once again) in service to something positive for LGBT folks

    "Heterosexuality is not normal, just common." (Dorothy Parker)

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    db's picture

    Huh? What's with you duckiestoy?

    Submitted by
    db (3185 points) (662 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 16:15.
    duckiestoy--what money has Ashton Kutcher "raked in" off homophobic comedic portrayals.  And since he's never given an Oscar speech I assume you're talking about different actors.  Rather than condemning the people who are doing good work because there are others in Hollywood that still truck in these offensive portrayals I think it's fine to praise those who do speak out against homophobia whether in Oscar speeches or tweets.
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    Dean's picture

    I think duckiestoy is thinking of....

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 17:07.

    "Dude, Where's My Car" where he actually shared in a boy boy kiss....... or his recent shows where his actions where more slapstick than anything else.... and I never really watched that show so I don't know if there were any homophobic comedic portrayals but I found the movie I mentioned funny but ok that's just me!  I really can't think of anything else.  I will state that I found it odd that he made this kind of comment, AK that is.  I would think he would be completely the opposite but then because of all the media hype in the past I thought the same thing about this years Oscar winner for best actor too.  It just goes to show you that can't judge a book by its cover!

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    db's picture

    don't know what duckiestoy is thinking

    Submitted by
    db (3185 points) (662 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 18:51.

    I didn't see "Dude" but most of the comments I've read (on this site and others) say they didn't find the moment homophobic.  Why would you think this comment is odd by AK?  He's often said very positive things about gays and that he grew up around a lot of gay people.

    I think duckiestoy will just use any occasion--no matter how ill-informed to go on an "anti-Hollywood liberal" rant.

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    Dean's picture

    ill informed.....

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-03-13 10:56.
    just from an ill informed point of view one would guess.  Becuase of the parts he played in the past, him being the steriotyplical man's man kind of thing I thought... I was really not aware of his positive support of this community or his comments in the past.  It's really nice to know though... and thank YOU for the information.
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    Liz T's picture

    hmm....

    Submitted by
    Liz T (8900 points) (1851 posts)
    on Wed, 2009-03-11 19:12.

    my brother says "thats gay" a lot and i was seriously trying to figure out when that phrase started, how it started and who/what started it. anyone know?

     

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    Dean's picture

    My neices...

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 10:27.
    My nieces say it a lot too, and I have no idea when this phrase came to be.  Turned around as it were, but still derogatory.  My niece even last night mentioned that something was just "gay" and then turned to me and said that "that wasn't meant in a bad way."????????????????  Is the word loosing all meaning??????????
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    HenryZ's picture

    I don't know how it got

    Submitted by
    HenryZ (1034 points) (209 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 13:14.
    I don't know how it got started but it's been going on a pretty long time.  My sister, who is almost ten years older than me, says she remembers it being used when she was in jr. high.
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    Lyle Masaki's picture

    Not really answering your question...

    Submitted by
    Lyle Masaki (3516 points) (4439 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 14:18.
    but you made me remember when I first became away of that way of using "gay". I was spending time at a video game forum and started a thread about "The Gayest Video Game" ever about the new Dance Dance Revolution (which featured music by Kyle Minogue and Captain Jack). The moderator changed the title to "The Stupidest Game Ever". That thread became really, really confusing because half of us was talking about games with a gay sensibility or homoerotic elements while others were discussing games they didn't like.
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    Dean's picture

    Just off the subject, you know I read what you stated here and

    Submitted by
    Dean (428 points) (95 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-03-12 16:20.
    I clicked out of the screen and then I thought about it.... and I came right back!  This whole thing about the mediator changing the title becuase it had the word gay in it is JUST wrong!  Recently one of the "other" news sites from the UK did a series of articles about just this same kind of thing that was going on on the XBOX media group, and homophpbia being rampant on that site.  They reported that this same kind of thing was going on as well as various forms of abuse form other users.  Here's the link to the article on Pink News  http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11378.html..... I don't know if you've read it or were aware of it, but you may want to interject your own opinion and findings into that topic..... it's also another site with good reading like this one. :^)
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