By Kevin “Special K” England
“Damn! There sure are a lot of fags here today,” he announced to his gym buddies.
I was 3 feet away from his face, conveniently with a large piece of steel equipment attached to a cable, perfect for choking. He glanced over at me with a blank look. Perhaps he was unaware that one of these “fags” was right in front of him?
You always wonder what to do or say, if anything, when you hear discriminatory slurs like this. I imagine if he dropped a ‘N’ bomb, it wouldn’t have gone over so well for him. What should I have told him? Maybe I should have stood up and said, “Oh yeah? Well there are a lot of ignorant teenagers with early man tits too, but I ain’t complaining!” Or how about this one, “Help! He stole my purse!”
I kid.
But really, I think I felt out-numbered, even with the alleged multitude of gays present in the gym that he indicated. So I decided to keep my dental integrity, and say nothing. I felt angry. I felt like asking if this type of hate was common among his friends as well. I honestly thought the youth of this nation were much more tolerant than when I went to high school in the twenty-some years ago. Is it their parents? F–k it. I’m just gonna punch him.
However, that probably wasn’t the first or last time I’ll hear that scathing word in my gym. Maybe I should invest in some headphones so I don’t have to hear that filth! Oh wait, I may have some at work, the place where people can text in comments like this little nugget from last week:
Now that is just pure hate hunty, and it’s what really gives me thick skin! But y’all, I just try to remember that we are all in this together. No matter the degree of ignorance and hate we deal with on the daily, it will remain a true test of our patience and reserve. Don’t get hurt and don’t get fired, but remain true to yourself. Like a newly crowned Drag Racer’s mantra, “water off a duck’s back”. Thank you Jinx Monsoon for your positive energy. We loved this season. HUNTY!
Special K is a radio personality on 104.1 KRBE’s Roula & Ryan Show and guest writer to OutSmart Magazine.
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