SALON

Tuesday, Sep 18, 2012 3:29 PM UTC

Did an MLB player paint a homophobic slur on his face?

It depends on whom you ask

By

Topics: Baseball, Homophobia, Sports, toronto blue jays, yunel escobar,

Did an MLB player paint a homophobic slur on his face? (Credit: TONY GUTIERREZ/AP)

Toronto Bluejays shortstop Yunel Escobar occasionally paints Spanish words on his face for game day. But he may have taken the ritual too far this Saturday, when he painted “Tu ere maricon” under his eyes for Saturday’s game against the Red Sox. The message is a slur that could be interpreted as homophobic — the most offensive being, “You are a faggot.” Twitter rage exploded over Escobar’s “black eye”over the weekend, and the player may face disciplinary action from Major League Baseball.

But some argue that the slur isn’t a slur at all. Maria Cristina Cuervo, a Spanish professor at the University of Toronto, told the Star that the phrase amounts to trash-talking:

Yes, it can mean ‘You are a faggot’. But according to Cuervo, context is everything. The word is a derivation of the proper name Maria del Carmen. The diminutive form of that name has morphed into an effeminizing epithet that has a clear gender component, but not necessarily a sexual one.

“I would take it as, ‘You are like a girl. You’re weak’,” Cuervo said. “I don’t curse much, so I don’t know the appropriate level in English. It has to be something like ‘wuss’.”

In Spanish-speaking families, according to Cuervo, parents might refer to a 7-year-old boy who’s crying as a maricon, as in ‘Don’t be such a baby’. You might say the same thing in the same situation to a female child.

So what, exactly, does the statement mean when the context is a man’s face?  It’s unclear, but the choice of words demonstrates poor (or questionable) judgment, which is enough to get a professional athlete in trouble. The heat against Escobar comes after an increased awareness of gay rights in sports, and more and more athletes are getting punished for making homophobic gestures or statements on the field.

H/T NYMag

Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com. More Prachi Gupta.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 24 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations