Colombian Government account launches homophobic tweet towards Luigi and apologizes

Earlier this week, the Colombian Ministry of the Interior tweeted: “I hope Luigi is gay” in response to a tweet that appeared to claim that Mario was straight.

The tweet was deleted, but screenshots resurfaced some time later, with many criticizing the use of a gay slur. Whoever is in charge of the government department’s social media account issued something of an apology on Twitter.

“We know they weren’t the right words, but we are aware that homophobia kills,” the account tweeted. “That is why we are in favor of all initiatives that make the LGBTIQ+ population visible and we work to guarantee their rights.”

The tweet ended with the hashtag “save a community manager,” in case anyone was confused as to who was responsible for such a mistake.

We know it wasn’t the words, but we are aware that homophobia kills. That is why we are in favor of all initiatives that make the LGBTIQ+ population visible and we work so that their rights are guaranteed. #SaveUnCM

– Ministry of Interior Colombia (@MinInterior) April 19, 2023

What probably happened here is that the ministry account manager forgot to switch to his personal account when he tweeted about the Super Mario Bros. movie, at least that’s what I suspect. It’s a rookie mistake, I know. But what upset a lot of people was the way the account called Luigi gay.

“Sissy” it is commonly seen as a derogatory term against feminine men, although there are also casual filler uses such as “dude” or “brother”. And anyone familiar with queer language knows that the community will often reclaim words that are used as slurs.

I don’t know if this is the case for fagot, but the social media manager must be having a horrible day in any case. I don’t know what’s worse: being outed as a homophobe, or possibly accidentally coming out at work before you’re ready.