Homophobic hate speech

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Homophobic hate speech is a controversial way of referring to speech which is taken to be offensive to gay men and lesbians and many other unbiased citizens. Some might think of laws against such public speech as protecting homosexuals from abuse and unwarranted hostility, whereas others often think of such laws and regulations against "thoughtcrime", and otherwise restricting/interfering with free speech.

This speech might refer to homosexuality in general, such as queer, fag, fairy, homo, or pouf/poof. In what was seen by some to be an effort to neutralise homophobia, these words began to be adopted and redefined by the homosexual community in the 1980s, especially the word queer. All these words, though widely used by the homosexual community as a positive affirmation of their sexuality, can still be taken as "hate speech" in some contexts. One such context is within phrases or anti-gay slogans used by groups with what is claimed to be a homophobic agenda. Others see this as an attempt to legislate morality at best, and at worst an attempt at destroying the religious right's ability to proclaim its values.

This speech may also refer to specific sexual acts that the speaker associates with homosexuals (e.g., fudgepacker or "butt pirate", "ass bandit", "Cock gobbler", and "pillow biter" which can refer to anal sex).

Occasionally, entire books which are seen to attack homosexuals and or which proclaim anti-homosexual views have been described as hate speech. A recent example was Sexual Revolution in South Africa: The Pink Agenda: The Ruin of the Family (2001) by Christine McCafferty and Peter Hammond, a South African book. In 2002, the sale of this was restricted to individuals aged 18 and over, though many were calling for it to be banned outright, accusing it of inciting hatred. "Homophobic hate speech" is now a criminal offence in many countries, and is extremely controversial in many others due to the aformentioned issues of censorship. In the United States, almost all forms of hate speech are legal under the Constitution, unless used to directly incite a specific act of violence, or a direct threat of violence.

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