What Do “Faggot” and “Dyke” Mean?

OVERVIEW: According to GLSEN’s 2001 National School Climate Survey, 84.3 percent of the 904 LGBT youth surveyed reported hearing homophobic remarks, such as “faggot” or “dyke,” frequently or often. It seems that for quite a long time, “faggot” has been the slur of choice for people wishing to insult or harass gay men, men they perceive to be gay, or men they simply wish to humiliate regardless of their targets’ sexual orientation. Similarly, “dyke” has been used to target lesbian women, women perceived to be lesbian, or, in a common scenario, women refusing, for whatever reason, the sexual advances of men. There are many theories about the origin of these words, and how they came to be used as anti-LGBT slurs. In this lesson, students will engage in individual reflection and group discussion, read historical analyses, and plan awareness-raising actions to deepen their understanding of anti-LGBT bias and its impact on individuals and communities.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To help students to reflect upon and critique their own understanding of the terms “faggot” and “dyke,” and the way such terms are used by people (including themselves) in their school and community
2. To provide students with an historical, social and political context for the terms “faggot” and “dyke”
3. To support students in planning and implementing peer education tactics for reducing anti-LGBT language in school (e.g. poster or flyer campaigns)

AGE LEVEL: Adaptable for Middle and High School
TIME: 2 class periods (60-90 minutes)
MATERIALS: Handouts: The History of “Faggot”; The History of “Dyke”

Part 1 – Individual Reflection: How and Why People Use the Terms “Faggot” and “Dyke” (10-15 minutes)

Instruct students to spend 5-10 minutes writing about their understanding of the terms “faggot” and “dyke,” or other anti-LGBT language they hear in their school and community. They should use the following questions to guide their reflection:

1. What does the term “faggot” mean? What does the term “dyke” mean?
2. Who gets called “faggot” in your school? (Don’t name specific names, just describe what type of people who get called “faggot”.) Under what circumstances might someone get called “faggot?
3. Who gets called “dyke” in your school? (Again, no specific names, just describe what type of people get called “dyke”.) Under what circumstances might someone get called “dyke?”
4. Are the terms “faggot” and “dyke” used only to insult lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, or people perceived to be LGBT, in your school? What other types of people might get called “faggot” or “dyke” and why?
5. Have you ever called anyone in your school “faggot” or “dyke?” What made you choose those words? How did the person/people react to being called those names?
6. Have you ever been called “faggot” or “dyke” by anyone? Did you know why people chose to use those names to describe you? How did it make you feel? How did you respond?

Part 2 – Group Discussion: How and Why People Use the Terms “Faggot” and “Dyke” (15-20 minutes)

Breaking into small groups is optional, if safety and respect can be maintained without teacher facilitation.

Ask for volunteers to read or speak about what they wrote during the individual reflection.

Cautionary Note: No one should be forced to share what they wrote, or put in a position where they’d draw unwanted attention to themselves by refusing to share when asked. There are many reasons why students may be reluctant to discuss their views on this topic, including: students may openly identify as LGBT but feel unsafe in this particular class; students may be closeted or questioning their sexual orientation; students who’ve experienced harassment may find it traumatizing to talk about; straight students who are perceived to be LGBT may not want to associate themselves publicly with LGBT issues; students with LGBT friends or relatives may not want to associate themselves publicly with LGBT issues, for fear of negative repercussions on their loved ones; students who engage in name-calling or have in the past may not want to admit it publicly.

Try to keep the discussion focused on the attitudes, motivations, and behavior of those participating in the harassment, rather than the behavior of those being targeted for harassment. Too often LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT are given the message – implicitly or explicitly, that somehow they’ve invited harassment by acting in a particular way, usually by transgressing rigid gender roles. Be sure to discuss the generalized use of anti-LGBT language, and the implications of that practice. Students often respond to criticism of their use of “faggot” by saying “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just an insult, like ‘jerk’…it doesn’t necessarily mean that you think the person is gay.” It can take a bit of pushing to get them to see the connection between using anti-LGBT slurs as general insults and more overt, specific forms of anti-LGBT bias.

Part 3 - GROUP READING AND RESPONSE: The History of “Faggot” and The History of “Dyke” (20-30 minutes)

Distribute the handouts entitled The History of “Faggot” and The History of “Dyke” to each student and read them aloud as a group. Once the group has finished reading the handouts, discuss them using the following questions as a guide.

1. What was the most surprising thing you learned from the articles?
2. Why do you think it’s important to know the history of words you may hear and/or use?
3. Now that you are aware of the history behind these words, would you continue to use them? Why or why not?
4. Do you think people in general would be less likely to use these words if they knew the history behind them? Why or why not?
5. What are some of the other anti-LGBT insults commonly used by people in our school and community? What do you think they mean, and why do you think people use them? (Be sure to include “That’s so gay” – many students use this expression thinking it’s completely innocuous.)
6. What can you do to educate your peers about the violent history of anti-LGBT language?

Part 4 – Peer Education: Tactics for Reducing the Use of Anti-LGBT Language in Our School (15-25 minutes)

Breaking into small groups is optional, if safety and respect can be maintained without teacher facilitation.

Have the students brainstorm tactics they can use to bring visibility to the issue of anti-LGBT language and reduce its presence in your school. Ask for a volunteer recorder to write down everyone’s ideas on the board or a large sheet of paper.

Examples of tactics could include:

1. Sharing what they’ve learned from the articles and their discussions with other members of the school community, friends and family
2. Submitting an article to the school newspaper
3. Writing letters to school administrators highlighting the problems around anti-LGBT bias and requesting school-wide training to raise awareness and impart strategies for reducing it
4. Creating posters that display statistics on anti-LGBT harassment from GLSEN’s 2001 National School Climate Survey (you can find it on GLSEN’s website at www.glsen.org)
5. Starting a gay-straight alliance (GSA) or similar social justice/anti-bias school group (you can direct interested students to the “Students and GSAs/Student Resources” section of www.glsen.org)
   

Once students have generated a list of 5-10 ideas, have the group come to a consensus about 3 of the tactics. Ask for volunteers to organize the tactics that require group planning and participation. Depending on your school climate, you could require that all students contribute to implementing the peer education tactics, in order to convey that community service is an integral part of education.

The History of “Faggot”

You may know that “faggot” means “a bundle of sticks.” The word “faggot” has been a part of the English language since the 1300s. When and how did it become an anti-gay slur?

During the European Inquisitions, “faggot” referred to the sticks used to set fires for burning heretics, or people who opposed the teachings of the Catholic Church. Heretics were required to gather bundles of sticks (“faggots”) and carry them to the fire that was being built for them.
Heretics who changed their beliefs to avoid being killed were forced to wear a “faggot” design embroidered on their sleeve, to show everyone that they had opposed the Church. Since it was hard to live with such a bad reputation, people began to use the word “faggot” to refer to anything that was considered to be a burden or difficult to bear. Unfortunately, the term quickly became a sexist insult, as people used it to disrespect women in the same way the term “ball and chain” is used today.
The word “faggot” appeared in the United States during the early 20th century. It was used to refer to men who were seen as less masculine than people believed they should be. During the course of the 20th century, the word “faggot” became the slur most commonly used to abuse gay men and men perceived to be gay. In fact, “faggot” has become a general insult that is often used to humiliate any men. Since many people are biased against LGBT people, being called “faggot” is the biggest fear of many heterosexual men, and thus the easiest way to hurt them. Considering the long and violent history of the word, it’s important for people to understand its meaning before they use it carelessly.

The History of “Dyke”

“Dyke” is a very old word. You may have encountered it already in a Science class; it’s a mass of mineral matter that fills a hole in a rock formation. Or, you may have seen it in a Geography lesson; it refers to a variety of ditches, trenches, caves and dams that have been built by many different civilizations. None of these definitions, however, relates to the modern usage of “dyke” as a slur directed at lesbian women or women perceived to be lesbian.

According to the “Electric Pride” website, one theory about the origin of “dyke” as an anti-lesbian slur suggests that “dyke” came from the word “hermaphrodite,” which used to be a very common term describing people born with ambiguous sex characteristics. “Hermaphrodite” comes from the Greek hermaphroditos, and entered the English language in the 14th century. When the word “hermaphrodite” was more commonly used, popular variations such as “morphodite” and “morphodike” sprang up. Some people believe that “dyke” came from “morphodike” and was used to reinforce the stereotype that all lesbians look and act like men.
Another possibility for the origin of the word “dyke” is that it comes from “dike,” a common term from the mid-1800s that meant “to wear fancy clothes.” “To get diked out” was similar to our current expression “To get decked out.” It is unclear exactly when the term “dyke” transformed from simple slang to hostile slur.

Finally, early British history provides a theory about the origin of the word “dyke.” Boudicca (pronounced “bou-dikka”) was a chieftain/queen in the Iceni tribe in Britain during the 1st century C.E. At the death of her husband, according to his will, Boudicca was given control of the tribe. But the Romans, who were occupying Britain, did not recognize the will of Boudicca’s husband, and seized his land and property, flogging Boudicca and raping her two daughters in the process. Boudicca then led a victorious armed revolt against the Romans, but they ultimately countered the attack and slaughtered many Iceni.

No matter which theory is the most accurate, all point to the word “dyke” having its roots in beliefs about how women are supposed to look and act. Women who’ve refused to conform to society’s expectations of them often have been labeled as “dykes," whether or not they’ve identified as lesbians.