What Happened? What Happened? He Spoke 'Fifi!'

Matt Welch | October 12, 2004

The Volokh Conspiracy's David Bernstein points out an appalling free speech case in Canada, where the Quebec Human Rights Commission has fined a used car salesman $1,000 Canadian for warning some guy's friend that the guy was a "fifi," which the CBC helpfully points out is "a french word that amounts to 'fag.'" This comes as potentially confusing news to me, since that's my French wife's nickname. She reports that the word means something more like "girlie-girl" back in the homeland, but the Quebecois do have a pretty funny way of talking.