ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on “fag” and “faggot” as insults used against those who are perceived as effeminate men who do not meet the standards of hetero-masculinity. Most specifically, the “faggot = loser” projectile is examined as it relates to a set of processes that allow its users to affirm/defend hetero-cis-normativity by disparaging non-normative expressions of gender. First, a description of the “fag/faggot” slur and its history are provided. Then, current research about the use of the “fag/faggot” slur is discussed. Next, descriptive statistics are given. Following this, Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST) is used to investigate the sociological patterns of “fag/faggot” slur usage with survey data collected from adults ages 18–64 that was stratified by U.S. census categories of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and census region (N = 3,104; n = 1500 cisgender men and women; n = 1,604 LGBTQ people). To conclude, a summary of key findings that integrates the previous literature while also highlighting the unique contributions of the text is offered.
