I'd just pick you up on two points here:

One, two wrongs don't make a right. Your use of rape as a means of trying to make a point was pretty poor on a lot of levels. I don't think you need to wait for other people to do anything.

But, by the by, I am also curious, given that you are obviously personally attached to this issue in some way: do you think making an example of people (assuming a case where we're dealing with casual homophobias, where offence is caused without that intent) really addresses the problem? I ask mainly as I've been doing some work lately with Show Racism the Red Card, which I always enjoy, and their philosophy is very much based on getting things out in the open and making people think about their attitudes and perceptions, rather than the prevalent "ooh, you can't say that, you must shut up immediately" approach, which just buries the problem without fixing it.

If the disciplinary concludes that a homophobic slur was made, I'm not suggesting they would turn a blind eye and not hand out a punishment. But that on its own isn't going to, in my opinion, do anything more than persuade people you can't say it, eve if you think it, or, more likely, you mustn't get caught saying it.

Jeez. Who cares. Watch the news there's bigger problems out there. Things are said in the heat of the moment. Clearly Zak isn't a homophobe, he has 2 earrings FFS!

I agree with this person.

But I don't think a load of punitive measures are the best way to fix it. They're part of the answer, but IMO a small part.

IMO, one of the main reasons the last legs of the fight against racism are so difficult is that we have spent too long preventing people from talking about their differences and focusing too hard on what they say rather than what they think.

I don't want to see a situation where you just have people thinking "it's naughty to say that, so I'll keep it to myself." Not enough.

very true.
A ban is not necessarily the way forward. Education is. If a comment made without thought is the way to get this discussed then let it happen. An apology and greater understanding within the RL community will do more good.

Give him an 8 match ban and in those 8 weeks he can work at Stonewall.

Win win

You even get him fit for the playoffs

win win win

Well it's not such a big secret that I'm bisexual and spend a lot of time with transpeople, so although I personally wouldn't be bothered if anyone called me a faggot, I do know a lot of people who would be upset. If such insults were thrown in my direction (as has happened on occasion in the past), I have a couple of options open to me: I can ignore the commenter, I can get upset and complain or I can lamp him/her. In the past, options one and three have usually been favoured.

Spending the amount of time that I do in the company of and in contact with transpeople, I'd suggest that the figure of 1.5% non-heterosexual is a vast understatement. I never cease to be amazed at the number of guys who engage in sexual activity with transpeople and yet insist that they are "straight". I think getting an accurate fix on the number of non-heterosexual people is fraught with difficulty, simply because of the reluctance of many people to be honest in their answers for fear of peer pressure or that their partner or spouse may find out.

As to Hardaker: Did his alleged comments upset me? - no, why should they?
Is he a daft lad? - Undoubtedly yes
Should he face suspension? - Couldn't give a toss, it just may send a message but wouldn't make a ha'porth of difference in the great scheme of things.

But the thing with that whole "it'll make him think again next time", it's not like he stood there for several seconds thinking of a slur and ending up deciding on that one. In the heat of the moment and the unique setting of a sporting field then his mouth will have blurted out anything.

If people have an accident at home where they hurt themselves do they turn around to check if children are around or do they just on instinct turn the air blue. Some seem to think Hardaker knew exactly what he was saying and thought (and ignored) the implications of the word, personally I'd be surprised if he even remembered saying it after the match until it was brought up.

Do people think Hardaker doing Stonewall will stop another player possibly using such language? In the heat of the moment when it's kicking off do you think they'll go "oh wait, remember the Hardaker incident, I'll call my opponent a fu**ing wa**er instead just in case the Sky cameras are on me."

This heat of the moment excuse makes me want to bang my head against a brick wall! It's Pathetic!
In the heat of the moment you don't just choose a random word you have never used before do you? You choose a word that's part of your vocabulary- the point is getting people to remove words such as this out of their vocabulary so they don't use it in the heat of the moment.

Who says he said it to anybody? When I play and stop the ball I often shout at myself.

The key to the argument is the use of the term faggot as an insult. Gay abuse is unique in that you could use it in a derogatory way to either a straight person or a gay person. calling someone gay as an insult implies that makes them inferior, which is not the case.

Ok go voice your disgust at the film/tv/music industries who use terms like that as well as the N word for black people. Like someone mentioned earlier, gays use the term 'fag hag', go have a go at them.

Oh the old everyone is doing it excuse.....

The "N word" was once pretty common here and in the States. Less so now.

Dismissing it as being "just something everyone says" is a massive cop out.

Did I say anywhere "that everybody uses it", or that it's ok? No not at all, I just don't live in this fantasy world where people will stop using the word fag just because a RL player might get banned for a few games.

If you're watching a movie and the word fag was used do you stop watching the film? It's promoting and putting that word out there in the public domain. I bet you don't.

we also used to see signs outside B&Bs saying "no dogs, no blacks no irish", we saw political campaigns saying "if you want a for a neighbour, vote Labor" because those words and views were commonplace, it took people to stand up and say "no, this is wrong" to change that.

There is no need for a homophobic slur to be part of the common vernacular, no need of benefit for it being such a part of Hardakers vocabulary. It makes no sense to argue that Hardaker should be using this word to express frustration.

I didn't say he should use it.

It's all about context
If these words are used in anger - don't expect any sympathy
Like the Luis Suarez case - his racist words were used in anger - not acceptable.
Hardakers words were clearly used in anger - not acceptable
End of

Even though I said I didn't give a monkeys I agree with the previous poster.

A guy who was heterosexual and had lost his temper would probably have shouted F'ing Barsteward.

Think he has had problems in the changing room.

Apparently that well-known Gay-basher Jonah Hill wouldn't agree with you!

[iThe “22 Jump Street” actor was trailed by photographers this weekend in Los Angeles as he was strolling with a friend.

Clad in printed shorts, a polo T-shirt and baseball cap, Hill succeeded in ignoring the shutterbugs. However one particularly pesky photographer continued to hound the 30-year-old actor teasing him by say, “I like the shorts though, bro. They are pretty sexy.”

The photographer continued to follow him down a side street before finally giving up and saying, “Have a good day.”

Hill answered back snapping, “Suck my d..k, you f….t”

Hill was a guest on The Howard Stern Show this morning and sounded genuinely contrite and upset over the controversy explaining that the photographer had been following him all day saying "really hurtful things about my family."

He admitted that he snapped. "I played into exactly what he wanted and lost my cool and in that moment I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people."

"I grew up with gay family members," Hill continued. "I'm happy to be the poster boy for thinking about what you say."
[/i


PS I was witness to homophobic chants from Hull FC fans on the West Terrace towards Tom Briscoe so them getting their panties in a bunch is particularly ironic.

Well I think there are a lot of knob jockeys posting on here. Just saying like, and I'm quite chilled about it.

Fit young guy, hot body, tattoos, earrings, trendy haircut, fashionable clothes, takes pride in his appearance and now alleged to have used a homophobic slur?

What's the American for wardrobe?

I have a couple of gay friends, so I asked one of them if he would be really offended if someone called him a faggot - he responded by singing the Gloria Gaynor classic 'I am what I am' (true story).

Has anyone really gone out and asked the gay community if they find the word 'faggot' offensive? Because all the gays I know really couldn't give fekk.

Of course you do.

Guffaw.

I'm not homophobic. I like Elton John and everything.

Manly regards

Vladimir Putin

If this ever goes to court, those videos Zak made with Josh Charnley would be the first item for the defence.

Somewhere there will be an episode of Southpark that deals with this scenario.