Rent boy is exceptionally homophobic. Here in the States it is used for young men being used for prostitution.
LGBT issues in Football
- Thread starter esmufc07
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Of course it’s homophobic.
Anyone claiming that «rent boy» is not homophobic are clearly not sufficiently clued up on the English language and the cultural context.
And homophobia or misogyny or racism isn’t the same as general abuse or offensive nicknames.
Nah, the origins might be questionable but the term is really about seedily prostituting yourself rather than being gay or straight. Either way, now it's exclusively used to refer to them selling themselves to the highest bidder. Nothing to do with homophobia.
Maybe Chelsea have it right only singing 'Chelsea Chelsea, Chelsea Chelsea' all game long. They're worried about offending people.
The term 'rent boy' has been in use for decades - the Pet Shop Boys wrote a song about it in the 1980s, but had to be ambiguous in the video at that time (suggesting the rich person with the young male lover was a woman, not a man).
It's still an inappropriate term to be used as an insult, in my opinion.
It's still an inappropriate term to be used as an insult, in my opinion.
This chant has been ongoing for years and nobody seemed to care. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Billy Gilmour doesn't care. The only thing that's changed is that you can suddenly get social media likes and followers for pretending to care and feigning outrage these days. It helps people who are otherwise unsuccessful to feel relevant I suppose.
Because a rent boy is a completely different thing to a gigalo. Rent boy indicates a seedy, cheap side to it.
Sounds like a scene from Borat.
Whereas gigalo indicates someone good with handing balls?
This. People should google the concept of intersectionality to realise that minority (or just vulnerable) groups are not in competition but instead facing the same institutional opposition and prejudices. Progress for one is progress for all and they should stand as allies.
The reality is that unless you call out all terms (example being rent boys which seems to be seen as irrelevant) then "worse" terms (presumably in the eye of the beholder but the example being the N word) will continue as there won't be a culture of allyship and standing up for others in place.
This does stretch to other terms which I presume some United fans will be even more reluctant to give up given what they have said about the rent boy chant being ok. For example as someone said many of the liverpool songs which ridicule and stigmatised working class people or those receiving benefits or living in council houses.
Whilst many see this as fun it does impact real life because it plays into the narrative of certain people being scroungers and undeserving instead of looking at issues like poverty wages, harsh benefits sanctions impacting disabled people disproportionately, unemployment and zero hours contracts etc.
One of the great things about this last year has actually been how people like rashford ans the england team have mobilised fans to support social justice whether around BLM, child poverty or LGBTQ+ issues. It would be a shame that the toxic chants reentered the stadium destroying this.
And as to the suggestion further up that female prostitutes have some sort of privilege and power in this world....I don't really know what to say if someone actually believes that.
You do know that he won't just 'decide' to be gay?
I don't even know where to start with this thread but it seems homophobia and misogyny apologists are alive and kicking.
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Whoever came up with rent boys insult knew exactly what they meant. It has been around long before Roman.
Tits, fanny and United offensive? Dear me..
You can try to pretend and bend the truth however you like to make yourself feel that its not homophobic in the same manner racists try to say theyre not racist, but the truth is that its homophobic and thats it. Period. Its a homophobic slur.
Yeah you don't get to decide that I'm afraid. In my opinion you are wrong to go out on a limb and say someone isn't offended by homophobia.
These threads are always practical for additions to the ignore list.
My fecking god what have we become as a society if people are getting their knickers in a twist over chelsea rent boys chant. Grow up and feck off if that offends you
Rent boy and the term faggott are different terms.
LGBT organisations have been explaining why "rent boys" is a homophobic term for years but of course idiot redcafe posters think they know more about what is and isn't homophobic than they do.
Everything you have said is outstandingly wrong.
It is very clearly a homophobic slur. The mental gymnastics you have to apply to try and dismiss it as anything else is astounding.
Let's just conclude that the usage of the term "rent boys" towards Chelsea players started out as a distasteful and objectionable homophobic slur yet over the year morphed in its signification to mean an astute and pointed critique of the club's unhinged and ridiculous loan army practice.
Let's not do that, because it's bollocks.
Me being called a "Chelsea rent boy" by a load of drunken oppo fans has feck all to do with loan players.
Indeed. Is it really that difficult for people to simply stop using the phrase.
Why is it "very clearly a homophobic slur"? I'm not entirely sure why we can't have a decent debate about why it's considered homophobic, instead of people just constantly stating it is and claiming that anyone who doesn't instantly agree is an misogny apologist.
Just as you have high class escorts, you have low class escorts, girls/women/men/boys working on the street etc serving a market that no one really wants to serve etc. I've always thought of the term rent boy as simply the lowest form for male prostitutes, it doesn't even automatically mean that whoever working as it is even homosexual.
Several people have given a good explanation in this very thread.
Because it's very clearly not meant as a compliment, is it
Very few songs aimed at the opposition is meant as a compliment.
Of course it was. Do you not remember the old chant:
Chelsea, Chelsea,
You're all really dreadful
And your academy players are unfulfilled and alienated
Great! Any quotes?
Suggestions that rent boy chants are about Abramovich or female prostitutes are nonsense.
Chelsea have been called the rent boys for decades. The reason is that Chelsea are in the West End of London, and Piccadilly/Soho was renowned as the destination of choice for gay men to find each other, and to find young male sex workers, the rent boys. I can understand younger people or those not from England not knowing that but now you do you will find references everywhere, from the radio comedy Round the Horn of the 60s (Julian and Sandy) to the Pogues song ' The Old Main Drag'. Check out the lyrics on that one.
'Rent boys' is not about Abramovich, there is no straight context, it is about sex workers that cater for gay men and it is most definitely homophobic.
Chelsea have been called the rent boys for decades. The reason is that Chelsea are in the West End of London, and Piccadilly/Soho was renowned as the destination of choice for gay men to find each other, and to find young male sex workers, the rent boys. I can understand younger people or those not from England not knowing that but now you do you will find references everywhere, from the radio comedy Round the Horn of the 60s (Julian and Sandy) to the Pogues song ' The Old Main Drag'. Check out the lyrics on that one.
'Rent boys' is not about Abramovich, there is no straight context, it is about sex workers that cater for gay men and it is most definitely homophobic.
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I dont think I've ever heard "rent boy" to be used to refer to anything other than a gay male prostitute. Looking up the word, the definition given is a young male prostitute who has sex with men for money.
And it's never used as a neutral, descriptive term. It's a derogatory term, akin to calling a woman a "slag" or a "whore". But "rent boy" has both the occupation and the sexuality attached to it. If you're hurling it at someone as an insult, it is implicit that being a "rent boy" is bad, and the sexuality is included in that.
With the definition and context in mind, it is clear that it is a slur with negative implications of homosexuality.
I suppose it’s because rent boy means gay male prostitute, a slur usually directed at gay people.
I don’t think it’t worse than calling women b*tch or w*ore or c*nt or p*ssy but people are more used to these insults so they don’t care while they are more sensitive about a homophobic insult what they don’t hear very often.
And I don’t know where we should draw the line because in this case they clearly don’t mean actual gay prostitutes, it’s just a common insult to throw at Chelsea players or supporters. But at the same time I understand why gay people are offended.
Damn, some of the best Caf posters have used the term "rent boys" for Chelsea and their fans quite a lot. I guess some aren't as PC as they like to portray themselves. 
Is Billy Gilmour gay? Why were chants aimed at him?
Damn, some of the best Caf posters have used the term "rent boys" for Chelsea and their fans quite a lot. I guess some aren't as PC as they like to portray themselves.
Not in recent years.