Some people are tripping over themselves to explain away Conor McGregor’s use of a gay slur over the weekend. A big reason for this is trying to understand how someone could campaign for marriage equality in Ireland while at the same time using a disgusting, inexcusable gay slur to demean people.
It reflects what I’ve said for years. The use of gay slurs does not necessarily indicate a rejection of gay people. Instead, it reflects years of exposure to a culture that looks at gay mean as weaker and less-than.
No doubt, somewhere in the back of his mind is the idea that gay men are weaker and less-than. That isn’t an idea he came up with, it has been planted there and reinforced for years.
No doubt his use of the word is his own responsibility, and he needs to take responsibility for the meaning of the word when he uses it.
