The changing definition of ‘homophobia’
In a classic episode of “ Seinfeld ” entitled “ The Outing ,” a student reporter is convinced that Jerry and George Costanza are gay. They strenuously deny being gay, while adding “not that there's anything wrong with that.” The phrase almost immediately became part of the way Americans talk about homosexuality. The “Seinfeld” episode came to mind while reading recently about the brouhaha concerning Roy Hibbert of the NBA ’s Indiana Pacers . During a press conference, Hibbert used profanity and commented about being “stretched out” on the basketball court. And then he used the phrase “no homo.” If you’re unfamiliar with that phrase, you’re not alone. It’s an expression from rap music asserting that “the speaker of such does not have any homosexual intent.” If that sounds like Wikipedia, that’s because it is. I didn’t know what it meant, and I strongly suspect that 99 percent of the people in the room didn’t either. That didn’t stop news of Hibbert’s “gay slur” from...