What's In a Name?

Jore Partee-Hayes
jparte1@students.towson.edu


In my perfect world, I felt as though I had no need to defend my sexuality. My close friends accepted who I was and I even had some family that supported me. It was not until my girlfriend's father referred to me as a “dyke” that I came to truly realize the hurtful affect of calling someone out of their name because of their sexuality. After being called a dyke, my perfect world came tumbling down.

Calling someone outside of their name has always done nothing but leave the victim feeling incompetent, belittled, and less than human. Name calling has derived from children in schoolyards, such as the well-known case of the bully who decided he would make others miserable by physically and verbally abusing them.

Today, name calling has been taken from grade school playgrounds and has played increasingly perverted roles in the adult world. A major example of this is witnessed daily by those who choose alternative lifestyles. For instance, one can read the newspaper or listen to the news and hear of the violent bashings that occur against homosexuals. Many fail to realize that the physical abuse is merely the aftermath of verbal hate crimes which have become the precursor to many crimes today.


There are many names that have been used to categorize LGBT people—all of which are hurtful. Examples of these names are “fag”, “bull-dagger” (mainly used by older generations) and “dyke”. Sadly, these words have been adapted into mainstream society and are a perversion of their original meanings. The word “fag” or “faggot” means a bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together. Though slightly different in spelling, the definition of “dyke” or “dike” is the bank of earth thrown up in digging a ditch. “Bull-dagger” is a derogatory term meaning an aggressively masculine lesbian, more often one who is muscular or burly.

All of these terms have been used by everyone, from the child on the playground to the manager at a workplace to the media. Because of this, it is believed that it is acceptable to use such terms as this.  However, people neglect to admit that such hateful words are just as derogatory and hateful as the use of the word “nigger”, “cracker”, and any other racial slur. As a society, it is imperative that we change our thought process and increase the respect that we have for one another. Respect for one's race, sexuality, and views will help to create a less violent world.

"It has been said that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names" (Chinese proverb)

It would be wise for us as a whole to eliminate the use of these terms in our everyday lives, and learn to live without verbally abusing one another.