Social life at an average high school is centered on adolescent male homophobia. Constant social control is implemented when teenage boys are trained to constantly make jokes about “fags,” talk and imitate a fag as they think one would act, “To call someone gay or fag is like the lowest thing you can call someone. Because that’s like saying that you’re nothing” (Pascoe Dud, You’re A Fag 55). These teens use the word fag as an ultimate insult that could be used for anything. When called a fag, it is because there is a lack of masculinity. As if, this person is weak or feminine.

In most cases, this homophobia is also gendered homophobia. Lesbians are looked at as “good.” Guys considered lesbians “cool,” mainly because they role they play in heterosexual male fantasies. When two women kiss, it is more accepted in social life rather than if two men were to kiss. This is because the sexual act of two women kissing are most of the time connected with the desire to attract males through there hetero fantasies. As long, as a heterosexual purpose is attached with the homosexual act it is acceptable.

Boys are constantly trying to force others into the “fag position,” as if it were a game. No one actually thinks that these people are really homosexual, but yet no boy wanted to be left with that epithet. The best way to get rid of it was to turn another boy into a fag. Although, when a boy wanted to be humorous they would pretend to be feminine to imitate a “fag” and then quickly express his masculinity again. This would show his “audience” that he actually very masculine and would never do what a fag would do.

Fag extends far past a sexual identity attached to a gay boy, but is used to assert one’s own masculinity by either throwing someone else into the fag identity or simply crafting a situation where you could imitate a fag to express your strength. This creates an epithet that is no longer means to be homosexual, but plainly not manly. Whether it is true or not, it has been used as a tool of social control to fear the fags and pressure these young boys that being a fag or feminine is synonymous to being wrong or a bad thing. Although, the word fag is being thrown around for a variety of different meanings, it is rarely used directly to an actual homosexual. This depicts a hint of success of the gay rights movement and if we continue to open our minds and the minds of future generation, then maybe one day the word fag will not even be used as an insult toward the heterosexual male adolescent community.