'There's less and less contact between straight men, because they might be perceived as gay. 'It's gone from a handshake to a high five to a fist bump,' he said. Huezo told Mic he believes straight men use the word out of a fear of intimacy.
Out of a car window came the shouts of the 'faggot' and 'nigger.' The first time Huezo remembers having the word used against him happened when he was 18, walking down a main road in Ithaca, New York, at 2 a.m., with a group of fellow people of color. 'I do have to kind of censor myself, because out of habit, I'd just be like, 'Hey, fag,'' he said. He believes it's a matter of respect, he said. For Huezo, part of his cavalier use of the word includes a recognition of the negative hold it has over others.
When his best friend and cousins asked him not use the word around them, he agreed.
