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Friday, October 22, 2010 at 02:59PM
Author's Note: This post contains explicit language.
Late last Thursday night, I came home from the movie theaters and found forwarded posts from a few people reporting that Britt Griffith, co-star of the hit SyFy series, “Ghost Hunters” was fired. And why was he fired? Well, one can only surmise that it’s due largely in part to the way he conducted himself on a blog radio interview. During the interview, he refers to those against guns as “pussy faggots.” He later rants during the interview that he is unapologetic and if he’s too hardcore for people, they should just change the channel, etc.
Then came a shit firestorm of controversy. Was Britt Griffith homophobic? Racist (he makes a comment about the Rodney King incident)? I was, of course, notified of Britt’s remarks. I had been traveling at an unrelenting rate, so I had little time to really think about them. However, I felt deeply saddened. I had just come out as bisexual (yes, we do exist), and suddenly the climate of this country was starting to go through a shift. On the news were major reports of gay teens committing suicide due to bullying. These teens were targeted for no other reason than because they were gay or accused of being gay. Suddenly, the media started to pay more attention to gay suicides, only to have TWO MORE happen. Suddenly back reports surfaced of hundreds, no thousands, no tens of thousands, no wait… HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of kids being bullied for being gay.
And what is the number one anti gay slur that was used against them?
Fag.
And here comes Britt Griffith. Perhaps he was drunk on his interview, I really don’t know. Bottom line is during his time he made some poor choice of words. I decided to hold judgment or say anything until I had a chance to listen to the interview itself. Someone sent me a transcript that was online, followed by a link. And so I listened to it. And I was upset.
Deciding I would respond, suddenly news broke that Britt Griffith had been fired from “Ghost Hunters.” I finally posted my thoughts (via twitter):
“Props to SyFy for firing Britt Griffith for his hate speech! There are gay children dying in this country because of hate. (cont'd) Whether or not he realized it, many people look up to him b/c he is a celebrity. Saying 'faggot' is hurtful & demeaning to many.”
Naturally, my comments sparked comments from hundreds of people. Most people were outraged and supportive of my stance. A few were upset about my stance, and thought that I was capitalizing on “someone else’s pain,” or rather, “being just as hateful as Britt’s remarks.” Then there were some who just believed I was overreacting and didn’t have my facts straight, such as Scotty Roberts, editor-in-chief of TAPS PARAMAG. Out of the dozen or so detractors, I decided to debate with Mr. Roberts because he brings up an interesting point. He argues that Britt’s use of the term “fag” was taken out of context. He wasn’t using it to demean gay people, said Roberts. He then proceeded to tell me that I needed to get my facts straight.
Firstly let me say that I respect Mr. Robert’s opinions and I tried to be fair in letting his side be heard via my Twitter. And at the end of the day, I hold no ill will towards Mr. Roberts’s opinions towards the matter or me.
That being said, what facts, Mr. Roberts, did I need to get straight? Perhaps Mr. Roberts assumed that I just heard from someone online that Britt said “pussy faggot” and that’s it. Perhaps he didn’t realize that I listened to the interview. It was a judgment of my character, I suppose, that I would just react without actually looking in to the matter.
Regardless, this brings me to a more troubling issue: people who think Britt didn’t do anything wrong or think that people are overreacting.
Roberts and a few others argued that Britt didn’t use “faggot” as an anti-gay slur.
So how did Britt use it, then?
"You get on the east coast, the west coast and they're all anti-gun pussy faggots."
He used the term “faggot” to demean people who are against gun control. He used “faggot” to insult someone. How many times have guys used “fag” to insult another guy? They might not believe that said person was gay, but they used the term because it is offensive and demeaning. They use it to insult and hurt.
The bottom line is that “faggot” is the n-word for a group of minorities who have been oppressed, beaten, tormented and even murdered for centuries. It’s the ultimate slam against gays. Just look at the signs that some “Christians” use to protest gay rights… “God hates FAGS.”
Whether or not Britt is anti-gay is beside the point, because the bigger issue is that he used a very hateful word to demean someone or a group of people he didn’t like. According to his interview, people who are against guns are “faggots.” He certainly didn’t use the word to compliment anyone.
Despite people’s views on homosexuality, there are a few things that are certain. No one takes pleasure in kids taking their own life (or at least, one would hope). No one wants to be called a fag, whether you’re gay or straight. In high school, being called a fag usually resulted in fights and hurt feelings. Fag is not used positively under any circumstances unless in some areas of the world where it’s used to describe cigarettes. And I highly doubt Britt was calling anti-gun people “pussy cigarettes.”
What I find appalling is how a few people don’t find the ordeal to be a big deal. Has anyone asked what our gay, lesbian and bisexual brothers and sisters feel about this?
How did Britt’s gay fans feel about this when they heard someone they looked up to used a word that has been used against them while they were being slammed up against a locker?
Bottom line is that Britt Griffith is a celebrity, whether he likes it or not. People look up to him. His use of “faggot” may suggest to others that it’s acceptable to use the term to insult people they don’t like.
The problem is that our country is not supportive of gays. At one point in time, the majority of this country was not supportive of African American rights. I’ve had a few people in the paranormal community make anti-gay slurs against me when I came out as bi. A few high profile paranormal personalities who have TV programs have privately made anti-gay, bigoted comments about me at parties and conventions. And it doesn’t stop there. They’ve made anti-gay slurs against other suspected gays in the paranormal community. So how will fans react? For those who are already bigots, they will take this as support that their heroes support their hate.
Someone out there listened to Britt Griffith’s comments and probably thought, “yeah, those damned faggots!!” Do I have proof of that? No. Is it likely that someone out there could take it out of context to believe that Britt shares his or her views as homophobic? Sure. It happens all the time. How many times have people been inspired by hate speech to go out and hurt others? I’m not saying Mr. Griffith went out there to purposely spew hate out against the gay minorities, but it was hate speech nonetheless.
So am I making a big deal about nothing? That depends on whom you ask. Bottom line is that gay people have been tormented and oppressed for too long, and unfortunately it still occurs on a wide scale.
Check the news. Gay teens are dying at the hands of homophobes. Just a few weeks ago, 11 people were arrested for being a part of an ANTI-GAY gang in New York City. They went around beating up gays.
One of my colleagues in the paranormal community told me that he once walked out of a bar in New York City and was beaten to a pulp for being gay.
So who thinks it’s not a big deal? Hate to say it, but judging from my Twitter discussions, 99% of them were straight people.
For Mr. Griffith’s defenders, it seems that there is a disconnect. They are not gay, and so to them fag is just another word. It’s sad, but when someone stands up for equality, they’re judged as overreacting or simply trying to get publicity, as one person accused me of on Twitter last night. That makes about as much sense as accusing a gay teen of choosing to be gay! You’re right, they love getting beat up and called names at school! They’re just jumping for joy at the attention.
Assuming that is, in a way, bigoted. Accusing those who are genuinely hurt by these remarks as being stupid or that we are attention whores is a form of bigotry. It shows a lack of understanding. They don’t understand and/or accept that it could be hurtful and demeaning to a minority, and that it’s only for attention. In short, they’re not putting themselves in the other party’s shoes. They’re only thinking about their perception. And that is bigotry.
Some have commented that I’m using this opportunity to kick a man who is down. Although I certainly respect that opinion (and most opinions, for that matter), nothing can be further from the truth.
I’m happy that SyFy and others involved took a stance. They took a stance to say “this is not acceptable. We don’t condone this. There are consequences.”
I’ve gotten to know a few cast members from the “Ghost Hunters” franchises. Rob Demarest, for one, is a great guy who publicly stood by me when I came out. This isn’t about a show versus a show. I’ve never supported that rhetoric and still don’t.
Now that I’ve addressed that, let’s get back to the point at hand, cause I feel I’ve spent enough time on the detractors who bring up every point but the point that counts.
Is Britt a good guy? I know some people who are friends with him, and they simply feel that he was trying to appear more tough and macho and made a mistake. It certainly does happen. Mistakes do happen, but that doesn’t change that there are consequences.
This is no longer about just Britt Griffith. This is about acceptance and tolerance of the term “fag” in a time when we’re facing an epidemic of gay deaths and gay bashing. If nothing were to happen to Griffith, a whole minority would’ve felt cheated, that it doesn’t matter if someone uses a derogatory word that has been used as the ultimate way to demean them for years. It would’ve suggested that you can call someone a fag and get away with it.
And guess what? Whether you accept it or not, you won’t get away with it. Not anymore. Call someone a fag, and there will be consequences. The people have decided that it’s an offensive word to demean and minority. Use of it has consequences.
Gays and supporters of gays are tired of being victims.
I only met Mr. Griffith once while in Gettysburg and it was for about two minutes but he seemed like a nice guy.
Do I believe Mr. Griffith deserved to be reprimanded for his actions? Yes. Would I expect anyone on my team to be reprimanded for calling someone a fag? Yes.
Do I believe Mr. Griffith should forever be judged for this? No.
I recently heard that Mr. Griffith apologized. But apologies can be deceptive. Are they sorry for their actions or are they sorry they got punished? Do I have an opinion? Yes, I do. I want to believe Mr. Griffith meant it.
A good example involves a personality who also has a show on A&E: Dog the Bounty Hunter. He called his son’s black girlfriend the n-word. It was recorded and played over the news. What followed was the cancellation of his show. Did Dog hate black people? Clearly not. He had African American friends. But he used such a hurtful word that has been used to demean a whole race for over a hundred years.
Dog eventually apologized, worked hard to make sure people knew it and that he did not stand for hate. He made sure all his fans knew that. It took time. It took effort. He could’ve just faded away and counted his millions. But he took it like a man.
About nine months later, Dog’s show came back on the air. It hurt his reputation, and advertisers still are reluctant to advertise on his show, but he’s back and was given a second chance.
So, for Mr. Griffith, I say do not let this define you. Do not also expect to just apologize once and be done with it. You have to work hard to prove to your fans that you really didn’t mean what you said. You started a snowball effect. Many people were hurt by what you said… that is a FACT. You can either go with people who believe we’re just overreacting, or you can acknowledge that it was hurtful to a minority, and work hard to reach out to them.
And if you do, you will gain a new respect. You will gain a new following. And I, for one, will be there on that day to stand beside you and support you. Whether it matters to you or anyone is irrelevant, but as a human being, I will support you getting a second chance in any way, shape or form.
People do make mistakes. But it’s how they handle those mistakes that makes a difference. How you handle your mistakes will be what defines you.
God bless.
RYAN
UPDATE: I was just informed that Britt Griffith e-mailed me through my public e-mail. I am on the road but will be reading it shortly.
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