I love loved being called out for I am, a giant, raging, undeniable faggot. As a fag, the greatest compliment someone can bestow upon me is by calling out my faggotry through statements like, “You’re such a fag,” and, “You’re so faggy,” or simply just, “Fag!” Similar to how Joreen Freeman finds empowerment with her identity of being a “bitch,” we fags just cannot get enough of how faggy we are (Freeman, 2000). This may come as a shock to some, and that makes sense considering that the bullies of us fags certainly do not think of fags in the most positive light; fags have a lot of bullies with very loud mouths.
Our bullies think that fags are annoying, they tell stories of fags being wimpy. Our bullies say fags are disgusting and effeminate to a fault. Bullies portray fags as people that are overly flamboyant, floofy, spiteful, immoral, shameful, terroristic, idiotic, deviant, unholy, stupid, sick, weak, sinful, disease-ridden, unlikable, always in the wrong, always out of our place, and most of all: incredibly unworthy. Our bullies try to convince us fags that we need to man up, dress the way we know we are “supposed” to, speak from our chest, get a girlfriend, work through this phase we are going through, rethink “this decision” we have made, and find help- and if we cannot find help, then they suggest that we consider killing ourselves. Our bullies say that fags ruin nations and that if fags do not get out of the way of manly men, all modern societies will cease to function. Oh my, if our bullies only knew who fags really are.
Fags are amazing human beings. Our experiences as fags make us emotionally intelligent and have endless sympathy for others. In reality, fags are in touch with who we are, brave, courageous, strong, unapologetic, loveable, kind, silly, hilarious, great friends, caring partners, astounding parents, supportive family members, and most importantly: worthy of all the happiness we find in our lives, and so much more.
Fags are perfectly imperfect, and we are willing to admit when we are wrong so that we can learn to never make the same mistake again. Fags consider us equal to everyone else, we realize our position in the world- both our marginalizations and our privileges- and fight to uplift individuals in all oppressed communities. Fags have varying abilities and identities, and fags implement ability-conscious and intersectional ideologies in all our activism, politics, and everyday choices, as a fag is never exclusionary (Garland-Thomson, 2002; Crenshaw, 1990). If one day, you hear of someone who calls themselves a fag while they choose to discriminate, they are, in fact, not a fag- they are a bigot.
Fags are everywhere too, in all communities, spaces, and time frames, and pretty much anyone can consider themselves a fag given that they have faced homophobic discrimination. Of course, not all fags like to verbally call themselves fags, instead choosing to use any of the positive synonyms listed above to describe themselves; nor should anyone who feels like a fag feel pressured to identify with this label. You do not actually need to even call yourself a fag to enjoy the perks of being a fag, as it should be obvious that fags are not the only ones who can attain any of the honorable traits listed above. Being a fag is innate in all of us who are this way, and outwardly recognizing ourselves for our faggotry is amazing and all, but calling ourselves fags does have its limits. Calling ourselves fags is one thing, and I love doing it, but being a fag- now that is truly fabulous.