Gay hairdressers can legally be called “faggots” in France

By Catherine Hardy

An employment tribunal in Paris has decided calling a male hairdresser a “faggot” is not homophobic.

The tribunal says this is “because hair salons regularly employ gay people”.

The case concerns a stylist who was sacked after not turning up for work due to sickness.

He launched a claim for unfair dismissal after the boss of the salon mistakenly sent him a text in which the word was used to refer to him.

The tribunal agreed the term used was insulting.

However, it decided it could not be considered discriminatory.

The employee, who wants to remain anonymous, was awarded 5,000 euros.

He plans to appeal the decision.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-09

I thought 'faggots' were meatballs in gravy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_(food)

same thing

Do some homework.

Apparently TV menbers "interested" in ladyboys

No thai word for faggot of course. Not a usual word in French either/

Of course a real faggot from Yorkshire is not a meatball but a delicious compilation of all those things you would otherwise not eat. Liver, lungs. intestines, heart, gizzards etc. Funny that. You would have thought Thais would rather like them??

Well done France, stuff all the PC nonsense

I just had a non-native English speaking friend on Facebook comment on a video with something like, "what does selling insurance have to do with faggots?". That shocked myself and some others because he's a nice guy. not the type I would expect that type of slur from. Turns out he didn't know it was unacceptable and deleted it.Now, I have an old French friend who says all kinds of shocking things and knows exactly what he is saying.

And the problem is........... ?

Funny stuff. The English definition for faggot is a piece of firewood.

No idea how the word became used for referring to gay men.....

And why not? Pooves are far too sensitive......You want to hear my old Dad go on if you want 'offensive'.....

Funny stuff. The English definition for faggot is a piece of firewood.

No idea how the word became used for referring to gay men.....

Origin information:

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=faggot

I'm to going to assume that faggots not being a French word is possibly less inflammatory than it is in some English speaking nations.

Definite offensive slur where I come from in the U.S. and not cool at all.

Funny enough in traveling to England as a teenager, a girl in a pub took a liking to me and said "fancy a fag" and I was flabbergasted, here she was asking if I wanted a cigarette and I thought she was asking ME if I was gay........wow girl I think that's the strangest pickup line I have ever heard !!!!!

I'm going with JingThing, would need a French speaker to say when spoken in French if this is an insult (or not). Le Faggot (Fagg-O ? ) who knows........

Well, the article suggests that it IS an anti-gay slur in France, but I'm suggesting that possibly it's less a severe one there. Yes, in the U.S. it's very severe.

There are LEVELS of slurs and it's natural that the levels would sometimes be different in different countries for the same word, especially foreign words.

For example, in the U.S. saying "f you" isn't usually that big a deal but say it to a Thai and you're often risking your life.

Just recently I learned the ORIGIN of the British slur p--f. I had considered it rather whimsical (it's not common in the U.S.) but knowing the origin, not so much.

As far as French law, I don't think this ruling suggests that it is officially recommended to use the slur faggots, but rather that it is not CRIMINALIZING it. That sounds entirely reasonable.

Have a gay day.

Well, the article suggests that it IS an anti-gay slur in France, but I'm suggesting that possibly it's less a severe one there. Yes, in the U.S. it's very severe.

There are LEVELS of slurs and it's natural that the levels would sometimes be different in different countries for the same word, especially foreign words.

For example, in the U.S. saying "f you" isn't usually that big a deal but say it to a Thai and you're often risking your life.

Just recently I learned the ORIGIN of the British slur p--f. I had considered it rather whimsical (it's not common in the U.S.) but knowing the origin, not so much.

As far as French law, I don't think this ruling suggests that it is officially recommended to use the slur faggots, but rather that it is not CRIMINALIZING it. That sounds entirely reasonable.

meanwhile, people with real problems........

Gay was a useful English word until the faggots misused it

Many British people still 'smoke fags'

Well, the article suggests that it IS an anti-gay slur in France, but I'm suggesting that possibly it's less a severe one there. Yes, in the U.S. it's very severe.

There are LEVELS of slurs and it's natural that the levels would sometimes be different in different countries for the same word, especially foreign words.

For example, in the U.S. saying "f you" isn't usually that big a deal but say it to a Thai and you're often risking your life.

Just recently I learned the ORIGIN of the British slur p--f. I had considered it rather whimsical (it's not common in the U.S.) but knowing the origin, not so much.

As far as French law, I don't think this ruling suggests that it is officially recommended to use the slur faggots, but rather that it is not CRIMINALIZING it. That sounds entirely reasonable.

meanwhile, people with real problems........

Gay was a useful English word until the faggots misused it

Would you say that to my face?

I love how people think it's OK to use anti-gay slurs on this forum that they would never use against racial or ethnic groups, like the N word.

Yes I used the term here in the CONTEXT of the topic. You used it to FLAME. Everyone can see that.

It's ok as long as you say it the french way with a silent 't'. As in fag.go.

Definite offensive slur where I come from in the U.S. and not cool at all.

Funny enough in traveling to England as a teenager, a girl in a pub took a liking to me and said "fancy a fag" and I was flabbergasted, here she was asking if I wanted a cigarette and I thought she was asking ME if I was gay........wow girl I think that's the strangest pickup line I have ever heard !!!!!

Yep, "bumming a fag" means two completely different things to Americans and British.

It's ok as long as you say it the french way with a silent 't'. As in fag.go.

Or Italian beans.

pasta fagioli

Definite offensive slur where I come from in the U.S. and not cool at all.

Funny enough in traveling to England as a teenager, a girl in a pub took a liking to me and said "fancy a fag" and I was flabbergasted, here she was asking if I wanted a cigarette and I thought she was asking ME if I was gay........wow girl I think that's the strangest pickup line I have ever heard !!!!!

Yep, "bumming a fag" means two completely different things to Americans and British.

Doesn't mean ANYTHING in American English.

Funny stuff. The English definition for faggot is a piece of firewood.

No idea how the word became used for referring to gay men.....

there are also music instruments (flutes) called faggot.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=faggot+flute&hl=en&biw=789&bih=486&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd-NT5o4HMAhWGGI4KHbt3BdUQ_AUIBigB

Now that we've done the comprehensive guide to other meanings of the word ...

we're talking here of course about the slur word for gay men.

Context tells you.

And why not? Pooves are far too sensitive......You want to hear my old Dad go on if you want 'offensive'.....

Who gives a toss what your old dad has to say about anything? Or you, come to that!

Now that we've done the comprehensive guide to other meanings of the word ...

we're talking here of course about the slur word for gay men.

Context tells you.

Any word these days can be a 'slur'.......I am an old honky.......do l care....Bwaaaaaaaaaaaah......Only those with a problem care...

Perhaps.

Have you had people scream HONKY out at you in a passing car or been called that word while being beat up by a gang?

Do you think HONKY is as severe a slur as faggots?

I don't.

Also I'm assuming you come from a majority WHITE nation.

So the context is people from a minority using a mild slur word against people from the majority. Not very threatening.

Gay people are a minority group, yes, even in San Francisco, and there are plenty of violent homophobic attacks even there.

But I'll give you a special pass ... assuming you might still be sore about the POTY contest.

LOSER!

There's always next year ...

Have you had people scream HONKY out at you in a passing car or been called that word while being beat up by a gang?

Do you think HONKY is as severe a slur as faggots?

I don't.

Also I'm assuming you come from a majority WHITE nation.

So the context is people from a minority using a mild slur word against people from the majority. Not very threatening.

Gay people are a minority group, yes, even in San Francisco, and there are plenty of violent homophobic attacks even there.

Yeah, but we're in Thailand, and nobody calls us 'honky' or 'faggot' here.

Now 'farang', I can imagine being set on by a gang of Thai youths and being called 'farang'.

We're in Thailand, nobody much cares about anyone's sexuality. Apart from a few 'farang' dinosaurs.

You have it all wrong. Faggot is the English translation of the French word 'PEDE'. I read the newspaper report and the word was PD, which comes out as pede. Sorry I can't find the accents on my keyboard, but the two 'e's' should have circumflexes. Until 'gay' became the fashionable word, the previous word was quite commonly used and still is (sotto voce) of course.

You have it all wrong. Faggot is the English translation of the French word 'PEDE'. I read the newspaper report and the word was PD, which comes out as pede. Sorry I can't find the accents on my keyboard, but the two 'e's' should have circumflexes. Until 'gay' became the fashionable word, the previous word was quite commonly used and still is (sotto voce) of course.

Yep I know this word pede. I had a Frenchman once, he told me.

You have it all wrong. Faggot is the English translation of the French word 'PEDE'. I read the newspaper report and the word was PD, which comes out as pede. Sorry I can't find the accents on my keyboard, but the two 'e's' should have circumflexes. Until 'gay' became the fashionable word, the previous word was quite commonly used and still is (sotto voce) of course.

I don't think that is correct about the origin of faggot as a gay slur word.

Can you provide a source for that assertion? I doubt you can.

But, yes, pedo or a local variation is used as an anti-gay slur in some nations.

Notably RUSSIA.

Where being gay is falsely conflated with being a criminal pedophile.

Of course not the same thing but that's what slurs are about.

The origin is somewhat understandable considering the history in ancient Greece where married men of status penetrating adolescent boys was celebrated.

I am talking about the technical entomological word origin.

I posted a link about that before which looked credible.

We all know the word is an anti-gay slur.

Definite offensive slur where I come from in the U.S. and not cool at all.

Funny enough in traveling to England as a teenager, a girl in a pub took a liking to me and said "fancy a fag" and I was flabbergasted, here she was asking if I wanted a cigarette and I thought she was asking ME if I was gay........wow girl I think that's the strangest pickup line I have ever heard !!!!!

Yep, "bumming a fag" means two completely different things to Americans and British.

Doesn't mean ANYTHING in American English.

That could be said of a lot of American-English.