if someone calls you a homo is it offensive? because if you are a HOMOsexual than whoever calls you that is just shortening it..noone has ever called me a homo before but i was just wondering if it was supposed to be offensive.
2006-11-19 01:14:08 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Yes homo is used offensively. Along with f*g, queer, and others. But i like to use it as a term of endearment with my closest friends.
I am very careful not to let my kids use it and understand the ignorance on which it is based when others use it offensively. Mostly cause I want their sexuality to open freely and not be brow beat by the culture that one is bad and the other acceptable.
2006-11-19 01:54:43 · answer #1 · answered by johnatplayct 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Yes, if it's meant offensively. It's like any other word - its meaning varies depending on context, and sometimes the tone of voice or body-language that goes with it. You can usually tell if someone means it as an insult. For instance, the regular 'bashers' who come on here (Pink-whatever, and KKK) use it extremely offensively.
If it's used casually but without intention to hurt, it just to me signals a lack of respect - I'm a gay person, or a gay man, not 'a gay' or 'a homo' or anything like that. 'A homosexual' is just about acceptable, but shortening it makes it sound more like a thing than a person.
It's like calling a woman a 'bird' (in England), or maybe a 'chick' - it's not necessarily offensive in itself, but it's not something that indicates any great degree of friendliness or respect, and it can mean ignorant bigotry on the part of the person using it.
2006-11-19 02:30:07 · answer #2 · answered by JBoy Wonder 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it would also depend on who was calling you a homo... If it were a friend fooling around I would not consider it offensive. But if a person whom you are not friends with called you a homo I would then consider it offensive
2006-11-19 07:01:36 · answer #3 · answered by raccoon 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't find it offensive per se - but it's really the context it's used in. Any number of words are unacceptable when they're being used in a derogatory way, but OK when used between members of the group they're used to describe.
It was the height of shame to be called gay in my high school, but that's more because of the connotation it carried of being weak and degenerate rather than anything else. In that context, "homo" had the same effect.
2006-11-19 01:23:53 · answer #4 · answered by evilspikeagon 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I sometimes joke with my friends about going homo alone, but I have a goofy sense of humor, I am not using homo hatefully, some people use it as a hate word. I have never been called a homo, though, people usually respect me like I respect them.
2006-11-19 04:06:41 · answer #5 · answered by spiritcavegrl 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hostile people try to hurt you by calling you a homo, so clearly it considered offensive.
2006-11-19 01:18:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is only offensive if the person your calling homo is not really a homo......
2006-11-19 01:17:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nine times out of ten it is used in a pejorative manner so YES it's offensive.
2006-11-19 01:18:08 · answer #8 · answered by IndyT- For Da Ben Dan 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It really depends your degree of tolerance to the words `homo'.
2006-11-19 01:15:52 · answer #9 · answered by Bright 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it is probably meant to be a put down on the person. Very sad and mean.
2006-11-19 01:37:57 · answer #10 · answered by Ms. G. 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋