Dust off your crystals and put on your best flowy dress! Work that glottal fry and use words and phrases that have absolutely no meaning but sound spiritual! It’s time for the G*psy Soul Fair, happening this weekend in Oklahoma City!
Not to burst Shanna’s crystal ball here, but just because you wear boho tiered skirts and turquoise jewelry, that doesn’t make you part of an ethnic group, or give you permission to appropriate and profit from a derogatory name.
I know it’s not uncommon to see folks who make those sorts of sartorial choices call themselves the G-word, but Roma people and Travellers are actual ethnic and cultural groups that have faced centuries of discrimination. The G-word has long been used as a slur against them.
And yes, some members of these groups have embraced the term in recent years. But that doesn’t mean you get to embrace it when you aren’t part of the group. It’s kind of like how you don’t say the N-word when you rap along with Kendrick Lamar if you know you don’t belong to a group that can reclaim that word.
Also, please note that I’m not conflating the struggles these groups have faced historically. I’m simply trying to create a helpful reminder for folks who want to do the right thing.