Um.. excuse us?
In a bizarre pronouncement by ever-colorful Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera, the veteran commentator has defended Alec Baldwin's recent homophobic outburst toward a paparazzo, claiming "cocksucking faggot" isn't necessarily a gay slur.
"I don't think are insults are equal," Rivera said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show December 19. Rivera was chiming in to a heated discussion between Hannity and panelists Rachel Sklar and about whether or not A&E made a mistake by suspending “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson for recent anti-LGBT and racist statements.
Claiming that Alec Baldwin had been "drummed off MSNBC by fundamentalist gay activists," Rivera tried to argue that the actor had merely been using ingrained neighborhood lingo when he allegedly hurled the "cocksucking faggot" epithet at a photographer on November 14.
While Baldwin was roundly criticized in the media for the remarks, Rivera said that in the areas where he and Baldwin grew up "those comments were commonplace.... you have to give people some slack."
Rivera might be wise to check out Huffington Post Gay Voices editor Noah Michelson's blog on the topic, as it seems he is a little confused.
A self-professed "cocksucking fag" himself, Michelson has a few words of advice for Baldwin, and any other straight men who have ever used similar phrasing in a derogatory context:
If you are a straight person and say "cocksucking fag" in a flash of anger, as Alec Baldwin allegedly did last week, admit it, offer a heartfelt apology and then work on your shit and try not to do it again. I get it: You grew up in a homophobic, sexist society, and learned behavior is hard to unlearn. That is incredibly challenging. But tough luck. And claiming that you said "fathead" and not "fag" or "faggot," as Baldwin did, is not appropriate or convincing, either.
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