Anti-gay slogan

Anti-gay slogans are catchphrases which oppose homosexuality. They have had an active history in the past two decades. These range from opposition on religious or moral grounds (see religion and homosexuality) to disrespectful, denigrating, and pejorative incarnations. The latter commonly use the pejorative term "fag" or "faggot".

In the political use, anti-gay slogans are commonly used to state the varied cases against homosexuality, and these reflect the spectrum of discourse among those who oppose homosexuality and gay rights. Many of these slogans are considered homophobic hate speech by those who accept the concept of hate speech.

Table of contents 1 Themes 1.1 AIDS as a gay disease 1.2 Homosexuality as a sin 1.3 "Recruitment" 1.4 Homosexuality as a perversion 2 External links

Themes The basic themes of anti-gay slogans are based on various claims:

• AIDS is a gay disease
• homosexuality is a sin
• Homosexuals "recruit" children
• Homosexuality as perversion

AIDS as a gay disease

A common theme of anti-gay slogans is that AIDS is a gay disease which is somehow deserved.

The slogan AIDS Kills Fags Dead has been used in the United States to express both opposition to homosexuality and hatred towards homosexual persons. It is generally cited as a prime example of homophobic hate speech.

The slogan, a parody of the advertising tagline "Raid: Kills Bugs Dead", for the SC Johnson[?] insecticide Raid, appeared during the early years of AIDS in the United States, when it was mainly diagnosed among male homosexuals and was almost invariably fatal.

The slogan apparently appeared for the first time in public in the early 1990s, when Sebastian Bach[?], lead singer of the heavy metal band Skid Row, wore it on a t-shirt. Some sources say this happened during a concert; others claim it was in a magazine photo shoot. At first, Mr. Bach joked about it on MTV, but he later apologized, claiming that he had many gay friends. For years afterward he wore an "AIDS Kills Everyone" t-shirt, after being confronted by his friend, the designer Michael Schmidt[?]. Bach's website does not mention the episode.

It was also seen in 1998 at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a victim of anti-gay violence, when a group led by the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church[?] staged a protest.

Homosexuality as a sin

Many slogans, including the above, have been used by religious opponents of homosexuality.

Fred Phelps is the leader and head minister of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. He is also owner of the web sites "godhatesfags.com" and "godhatesamerica.com" and a perpetrator of anti-homosexual propaganda. His group carries out daily picketing in Topeka, and travels nationally to picket the funerals of homosexual victims of murder, gay-bashing or death related to AIDS/HIV, as well as other events related or supposedly related to gay people.

Phelps and his supporters and members of his church (1) attend said gatherings, as well as other gay-related events, with signs bearing anti-homosexual slogans which some consider to be hate speech. These have also included "God Hates Fags," and "Matthew Shepard Rots In Hell".

• "Fear God Not Fags": see http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/16/shepard.funeral.03/

"Recruitment"

Another common theme is that homosexuals are somehow predatory on children, or are "recruiting" in secret. A common slogan is "Homosexuals cannot reproduce — so they must recruit" and its variants.

Homosexuality as a perversion

A final theme is that homosexuals perform terrifying and unnatural sex acts, the nature of which is so horrible that they must be referred to only in code, for example in the slogan "Save the Gerbils".

External links

• Sebastian Bach's official website (http://www.sebastianbach.com/)
• "La Dolce Musto (http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0022/musto.php)" Michael Musto column discussing Sebastian Bach, dated May 31 - June 6, 2000