Roy Hibbert apologizes for post-game gay slur

[PhoSita]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

[CelticConcourse]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

Let me change the lens for you.

In my opinion, the term "no homo" conveys the same meaning as say, "Not to be socialist."

I think it's perfectly fine for someone to say "Not to be socialist, but I think we should have free health care!" so what makes saying "Not to be homosexual, but I think he was stretching me out!" so wrong?

Saying "Not to be socialist" is just telling the other person not to mistake you for being a socialist. Saying "No homo" is just telling the other person not to mistake you for being a "homo".

No one ever calls someone out for saying "Not to be socialist."

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Rondo2287]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

Is it really saying that being gay is bad or saying that he didn't mean it in a gay way.  Obviously it was stupid and a bad joke, but does clarification like that necessarily imply the other meaning is bad?

[Roy H.]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

[saltlover]

He used it in a joke, which says that "Being gay is something to joke about".

No. I disagree.

If I say the n-word to my girlfriend, or she says it to me, it's a joke. We're caucasian, and yes, the joke is in part funny because we are white. But let's be honest: the funniest part is that racism is such a bloody dumb thing.

We don't hate people because of their origins. That's dumb. We both HATE racism. It's one of the dumbest things in the world. THAT, is why it's funny. Because it's so stupid, so dumb.

And because we privately make fun of racism, when we do run into it, we don't take the people that *are* racist seriously. We see them for the idiots they are.

That's how we use those words, those discriminatory slurs, flinging them around acting like idiots.

I really believe diffusing such words makes the world a better place.

You don't get to reclaim words that are not used offensively towards you.  That's not how re-claiming words works.  If you feel the need to reclaim a word, try "cracker."  Or something else that you once found offensive.  But calling your girlfriend the N-word is just ignorant.

Do you have black friends?  Do you call each other that when they're around?  If you do, do you ask them, in a non-aggressive manner meant to open discussion, how they feel about that?

Also, are you from the US? Just curious, since you used the word "bloody", which isn't a typical American expression.

[saltlover]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Then why is the joke "no homo"?  Why isn't something else that has to due with unintentional sexual innuendo?

It was posted earlier, but I'm posting it again, which is the origins of the "no homo" joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YJnlPP7jm5s

[CelticConcourse]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Then why is the joke "no homo"?  Why isn't something else that has to due with unintentional sexual innuendo?

It was posted earlier, but I'm posting it again, which is the origins of the "no homo" joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YJnlPP7jm5s

I'm posting the origins of the adjective, "nice":

"foolish, stupid, senseless," from Old French nice  "careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish," from Latin nescius "ignorant, unaware," literally "not-knowing," from ne- "not" (see un-) + stem of scire "to know" (see science).

Will that change your viewpoint?

[Kiorrik]

He used it in a joke, which says that "Being gay is something to joke about".

No. I disagree.

If I say the n-word to my girlfriend, or she says it to me, it's a joke. We're caucasian, and yes, the joke is in part funny because we are white. But let's be honest: the funniest part is that racism is such a bloody dumb thing.

We don't hate people because of their origins. That's dumb. We both HATE racism. It's one of the dumbest things in the world. THAT, is why it's funny. Because it's so stupid, so dumb.

And because we privately make fun of racism, when we do run into it, we don't take the people that *are* racist seriously. We see them for the idiots they are.

That's how we use those words, those discriminatory slurs, flinging them around acting like idiots.

I really believe diffusing such words makes the world a better place.

I believe you when you say you're totally well intentioned doing that, but I think that a word like that shouldn't be used by people who are inherently incapable of fully appreciating its full meaning and impact.  In that sense, it doesn't really matter that you don't mean any hate by it.

Probably you're not affecting anybody if it's just you and your girlfriend hanging out with no people of color around to hear.  But you could use that as a justification for telling racist jokes "even though you don't really mean it" -- a number of people I've known have done as much. 

The problem with white people saying the N-word in an effort to "neutralize" it's negative connotations is that being white means you're not really in a position to do that.  The only people who can decide as a group not to feel ostracized / alienated / dehumanized etc when they hear that word is people who identify as black.

Everybody's got a story that can break your heart. I was beat up as a kid because I was a nerdy geek with white hair. Not blonde. White. And by beat up, I mean at least once a week I'd come home with a limp, bruises, cuts and whatnot. Dodgeball, playground rowdiness and outdoor play can cover up anything at that age.

It didn't stop until I started beating the bullies to the punch, making them seem like idiots because when they'd make a joke about my shoes, I'd make a joke about how it fit my ridiculous haircut.

I diffused the words, which worked a lot better than getting beat up because I stood up for myself.

My point: turn those words into a joke, and they lose all their power. They make the person who uses them as a weapon look like a dumb idiot.

[PhoSita]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Do I think that's what he meant literally?  No.

He said something that he suddenly realized had a double entendre.  So his use of "no homo" is similar to "that's what she said" in this context.

However, the implication of "no homo" is basically "I didn't mean that in a gay way," and I take that, generally speaking, to carry a negative connotation with being gay. 

I think it's especially pertinent that the phrase uses the word "homo" which is unequivocably a slur used against gay people.  If there were some other phrase that meant "I don't mean this in a sexual way" that didn't use negatively charged words like that, there'd be no problem (e.g. if Hibbert had said "No pun intended").


"No homo" is not really any better than saying "Oh man, that's gay" even if you're using "gay" as a substitute for "lame."  The sub-text, in any case, is that you view homosexuality as a negative trait.  That kind of coded language needs to be eradicated from common speech.

[PhoSita]

My point: turn those words into a joke, and they lose all their power. They make the person who uses them as a weapon look like a dumb idiot.

I think that you're coming from a good place on this, and in general I think the point your making is great.  But all I'm saying is, while you are in a position to "take away the power" of words that are used as slurs against nerds / geeks etc, you aren't in a position to do that with the N word.  Why?  Because you're not the target. 

Not a great analogy, but in a similar way the popular athlete / jock / frat-boy isn't really in a position to undermine the words that were used against you growing up.

[saltlover]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Then why is the joke "no homo"?  Why isn't something else that has to due with unintentional sexual innuendo?

It was posted earlier, but I'm posting it again, which is the origins of the "no homo" joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YJnlPP7jm5s

I'm posting the origins of the adjective, "nice":

"foolish, stupid, senseless," from Old French nice  "careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish," from Latin nescius "ignorant, unaware," literally "not-knowing," from ne- "not" (see un-) + stem of scire "to know" (see science).

Will that change your viewpoint?

Um, not at all.  No one thinks of the origins of "nice" when they say it, and the Old French and Romans are long dead.  "Homo" as an insult came to be while many people who are alive today started using it as an insult, and it is still used as an insult by many people.  "Nice" is used as an insult by parents who are being condescending to their children "That's nice, honey", but not in a way that is designed to hurt their child's feeling.  "Homo" is used to insult.  It's one thing for someone who's insulted to try to turn it into a joke a an empowering identity, but even that can be touchy.  While younger black people may use the N-word as a sign of fraternity, there are older black Americans who do not think it should be used at all like that, and seeing as how now white people think they can say it too, as evidenced by another poster, I tend to agree with the older generation, who heard that word while being physically tormented or at least societally oppressed.  Similarly, there are people in the gay community who like calling themselves "queer", but other members of the community are still very much offended by that word, as that word carries different memories.  Regardless, you don't get to use a word that's a slur to a community in any context at all related to that community (Hibbert was clearly saying "I'm not gay", so that counts) if you're not part of it, because there is no chance it will be taken the right way.  None.  It will be seen as insulting, and rightfully so.  Hibbert was wrong.  He apologized, which was right.  But what will be most right is if he learns why what he said was hurtful, and not merely a joke he should have kept in the locker room.

[CelticConcourse]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Then why is the joke "no homo"?  Why isn't something else that has to due with unintentional sexual innuendo?

It was posted earlier, but I'm posting it again, which is the origins of the "no homo" joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YJnlPP7jm5s

I'm posting the origins of the adjective, "nice":

"foolish, stupid, senseless," from Old French nice  "careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish," from Latin nescius "ignorant, unaware," literally "not-knowing," from ne- "not" (see un-) + stem of scire "to know" (see science).

Will that change your viewpoint?

Um, not at all.  No one thinks of the origins of "nice" when they say it, and the Old French and Romans are long dead.  "Homo" as an insult came to be while many people who are alive today started using it as an insult, and it is still used as an insult by many people.  "Nice" is used as an insult by parents who are being condescending to their children "That's nice, honey", but not in a way that is designed to hurt their child's feeling.  "Homo" is used to insult.  It's one thing for someone who's insulted to try to turn it into a joke a an empowering identity, but even that can be touchy.  While younger black people may use the N-word as a sign of fraternity, there are older black Americans who do not think it should be used at all like that, and seeing as how now white people think they can say it too, as evidenced by another poster, I tend to agree with the older generation, who heard that word while being physically tormented or at least societally oppressed.  Similarly, there are people in the gay community who like calling themselves "queer", but other members of the community are still very much offended by that word, as that word carries different memories.  Regardless, you don't get to use a word that's a slur to a community in any context at all related to that community (Hibbert was clearly saying "I'm not gay", so that counts) if you're not part of it, because there is no chance it will be taken the right way.  None.  It will be seen as insulting, and rightfully so.  Hibbert was wrong.  He apologized, which was right.  But what will be most right is if he learns why what he said was hurtful, and not merely a joke he should have kept in the locker room.

Hibbert was wrong, and he apologized, but obviously people are still talking about it right now (us). He'll never be able to take his words back, or his apologies back, or his 24/11 back. It's the past. If people see it as insulting, then they will always see it as insulting because Hibbert can't go back and not say it. Just gotta forgive n' forget.

[Kiorrik]

My point: turn those words into a joke, and they lose all their power. They make the person who uses them as a weapon look like a dumb idiot.

I think that you're coming from a good place on this, and in general I think the point your making is great.  But all I'm saying is, while you are in a position to "take away the power" of words that are used as slurs against nerds / geeks etc, you aren't in a position to do that with the N word.  Why?  Because you're not the target. 

Not a great analogy, but in a similar way the popular athlete / jock / frat-boy isn't really in a position to undermine the words that were used against you growing up.

Fair enough, I guess we disagree there

If it's all the same to you, I'm going to continue trying to make racists look like idiots

[PhoSita]

My point: turn those words into a joke, and they lose all their power. They make the person who uses them as a weapon look like a dumb idiot.

I think that you're coming from a good place on this, and in general I think the point your making is great.  But all I'm saying is, while you are in a position to "take away the power" of words that are used as slurs against nerds / geeks etc, you aren't in a position to do that with the N word.  Why?  Because you're not the target. 

Not a great analogy, but in a similar way the popular athlete / jock / frat-boy isn't really in a position to undermine the words that were used against you growing up.

Fair enough, I guess we disagree there

If it's all the same to you, I'm going to continue trying to make racists look like idiots

Yeah, we can agree to disagree here, I think.

The last thing I'll say on it is that I once felt pretty much as you do, but then I met some people whose opinion I respect a lot and who I felt had a more nuanced perspective on it who changed my mind. 

I don't judge you for disagreeing with me, is all I'm trying to say.

[saltlover]

To steal from Myles Brown on twitter:

@mdotbrown

Why are you looking for gay innuendo in everything you say? Strength and security determine manhood. Not sexual orientation. It's lame.


@mdotbrown

"Why do they call it homophobia? I'm not scared of gay people." No, you're just scared of someone thinking you're gay :/

This pretty much covers it.

BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING.

So anytime you use a slang term that suggests you feel that being gay is a bad thing, whether it's an insult or not, you're perpetuating a problematic cultural message, which is that homosexuality is a negative trait.

There are a lot of things you can say that have a negative effect -- especially if you're a high profile person -- even if not a single reasonable person is actually offended by it.

Totally irrelevant to Hibbert's comments. He didn't say anything about gays being "bad".

But he did.  He used the term "no homo" after he said something, which is to say, he made sure to clarify -- though perhaps half-jokingly -- that he wasn't trying to say anything gay.  That's pretty clearly in the category of acting as if being gay would be a bad thing.  Why go out of your way to clarify, unless you're concerned that somebody might call you out for being gay for having said something?

As Mike Brown said quite well, he was afraid of somebody thinking he's gay.

You think that Hibbert's concern was that somebody was going to think he was gay?  The phrase "they stretched me out so much" is going to lead others to think he's a homosexual?

That's just silly.  He was making a joke, after realizing his words could sound like sexual innuendo.  He then made an immature joke about that innuendo.  However, he clearly wasn't trying to cover up the fact that some might now consider him gay.

Then why is the joke "no homo"?  Why isn't something else that has to due with unintentional sexual innuendo?

It was posted earlier, but I'm posting it again, which is the origins of the "no homo" joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YJnlPP7jm5s

I'm posting the origins of the adjective, "nice":

"foolish, stupid, senseless," from Old French nice  "careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish," from Latin nescius "ignorant, unaware," literally "not-knowing," from ne- "not" (see un-) + stem of scire "to know" (see science).

Will that change your viewpoint?

Um, not at all.  No one thinks of the origins of "nice" when they say it, and the Old French and Romans are long dead.  "Homo" as an insult came to be while many people who are alive today started using it as an insult, and it is still used as an insult by many people.  "Nice" is used as an insult by parents who are being condescending to their children "That's nice, honey", but not in a way that is designed to hurt their child's feeling.  "Homo" is used to insult.  It's one thing for someone who's insulted to try to turn it into a joke a an empowering identity, but even that can be touchy.  While younger black people may use the N-word as a sign of fraternity, there are older black Americans who do not think it should be used at all like that, and seeing as how now white people think they can say it too, as evidenced by another poster, I tend to agree with the older generation, who heard that word while being physically tormented or at least societally oppressed.  Similarly, there are people in the gay community who like calling themselves "queer", but other members of the community are still very much offended by that word, as that word carries different memories.  Regardless, you don't get to use a word that's a slur to a community in any context at all related to that community (Hibbert was clearly saying "I'm not gay", so that counts) if you're not part of it, because there is no chance it will be taken the right way.  None.  It will be seen as insulting, and rightfully so.  Hibbert was wrong.  He apologized, which was right.  But what will be most right is if he learns why what he said was hurtful, and not merely a joke he should have kept in the locker room.

Hibbert was wrong, and he apologized, but obviously people are still talking about it right now (us). He'll never be able to take his words back, or his apologies back, or his 24/11 back. It's the past. If people see it as insulting, then they will always see it as insulting because Hibbert can't go back and not say it. Just gotta forgive n' forget.

We can move forward to a place where we don't make those jokes any more, but we don't forget.  Nothing is made better by an apology without an attempt to understand.  I believe Hibbert will try to understand, and I hope at least one person in this thread will try to as well.