Jillian Michaels will define herself, thank you very much!
In a recent Q&A with PrideSource, Jillian dished on her new reality show Just Jillian and on important issues surrounding her lesbian identity. In fact, the trainer got super candid on derogatory terms used to describe the LGBT community.
Video: Jillian’s New Reality Show Is Going To Be So Intense!
Speaking on the hurtful terms “fag” and “dyke”, Michaels explained:
“What’s interesting is, I take a very African-American-using-the-“n-word” approach with those terms. I’ve claimed them all. I use “homo” and joke about it. I use “dyke” and joke about it. My gay male friends and I use “fag” and joke about it. We’ve taken them all back and made them our own.”
Makes sense. It’s good to hear J.M. taking a proactive and positive approach to a negative situation.
Of course, there are people who think “reclaiming” is more hurtful than it is helpful.
Elaborating on her stance, the momma confided:
“What we’ve tried to do is take some of the venom out of the terms by reclaiming them – and I hate to draw this reference – but in the same way the black community has taken back the “n-word.” We don’t allow them to harm us or hurt us and there could be a whole psychology about why we do, but we all do. It’s like, I own these words, they’re my words, and I’ve suffered enough to be able to take them on and wear them with pride, so to speak. None of those words actually have any venom in them for me anymore and I don’t really care who’s swinging them at me – it doesn’t mean anything to me. People can judge it but that’s just something that I’ve done and it is what it is.”
Well said. Hopefully these words will lose their power as time passes and understanding for the LGBT community deepens.
So, what do YOU think of Jillian’s philosophy?
[Image via WENN.]
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