Topic: Language

Which 2012 “Word Of The Year” Candidate Do You Hate The Most?

Which 2012 "Word Of The Year" Candidate Do You Hate The Most?

The good people at the American Dialect Society have narrowed down the most execrable portmanteaus we have managed to invent this year into a barely tolerable list. Whether it’s an example of just how lazy memes can get or a reminder of some of the most brutal, least compassionate aspects of our society, every one of these phrases is more hateable than the last. Which one do you think we should feel the most ashamed for creating? More »

Let’s Stop Insulting People By Comparing Them To Sex Workers (And Sluts!)

Let's Stop Insulting People By Comparing Them To Sex Workers (And Sluts!)

As you almost definitely know by now, Rush Limbaugh made waves last week with his ridiculously absurd characterization of women who want their insurance to cover their birth control as sluts and prostitutes who should be obligated to film pornos for him. This prompted a lot of people to demonstrate the incorrectness of this statement; the #iamnotaslut tweets, for example. This is all well and good, but third wave feminist that I am, I wondered: what about the people who are whores or sluts? Where does that leave them? More »

Facebook, Hate Speech, and a Road to Queer Activism

Facebook, Hate Speech, and a Road to Queer Activism

You might call me the accidental pussy faggot. An independent performance curator and producer based in Brooklyn, I have presented hundreds of events over the past 7 years, most with a queer sensibility. However, I never imagined that a performance-driven party called PUSSY FAGGOT! would end up being one of my signature projects. I didn’t realize the term would resonate so strongly with so many people, but I suppose I could have guessed it would put me at odds with Facebook. More »