The effect of 'gay' slurs. Only a joke?

This is fascinating. I was whizzing through my Google Reader and I came across this interesting article, a preview of a book, an autobiography by a famous footballer.

The guy is straight. Yet the effect of the taunting about his sexuality was terrible. Fascinating reading. Read the article.

How gay slurs almost wrecked my career

Exclusive extracts from his autobiography reveals that taunts over his sexuality, which began as a dressing-room joke, nearly drove him out of the game

Graeme Le Saux

Read it, from beginning to end. And think of what is happening when Ssempa taunts us on radio that we are sick, and move around in diapers nappies. When anyone who talks in favor of us is castigated. When Nsaba Buturo says we need help, and rubbishes a doctor who insists that that is not true. When the churches preach against us, and the govt lets us die of HIV, and the papers sell our details for a pittance.

It is not a joke. It hurts, a lot. Do not do it, beware when you are doing it.

Oh yes, we are pretty thick skinned as gay people, we have to be, but that comes at a price which is too big.

Kuchus all, we are also human. We also feel it. We are human beings who are gay.

GayUganda