Op-Ed: “Pansy” Re-enters the Lexicon

As seen in the clip from a recent broadcast of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC), Ron MacLean interviews Helen Kennedy of Egale Canada over the use of the word “pansification” - a term used by HNIC commentator Mike Milbury, who coined the term to describe how the NHL would be softened should the league heed calls to ban fighting. I have used the word “pansy” more than few times, but never once as a homophobic slur. A pansy is a flower; flowers look nice but don’t do much else. When someone isn’t giving as much effort as they are capable of, I have been known on occasion to call such a person out as a “pansy.” Of course, some words gain and lose and change meanings over time. For example, “gay” once meant happy and “queer” once meant strange. “Pansy” may have at one time have been a more specifically derogatory term, but I don’t believe it has been for a long time. CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay’s response: “The point is, it was no way intended to be a reflection on or offensive to gay people. I think the colloquial use of the term was something they didn’t associate with gay people. The way the language evolves over time, 20 or 30 years ago it would have been seen, reasonably enough, as a direct slur against gay people.” What Egale Canada has done is re-entered this word into the lexicon of homophobic derogatory terms. For the most part, it had dropped off the radar as a homophobic slur - something we should all have been happy about. Now, it’s back on the radar, and those inclined to use homophobic slurs have another weapon in their arsenal.