Colombian Government Sort-Of Apologizes For Hoping Luigi Is Gay

thegamer.com:

The official Twitter accounts of government entities commenting on whether or not fictional characters are gay isn't commonplace. That's why the Colombian government tweeting it hopes Luigi is gay came as quite a surprise. The tweet was deleted pretty quickly for a number of reasons, but screenshots circulating online have forced the organization's hand as it has since apologized.

The tweet was in response to another commenting on Mario being heterosexual, seemingly using the plumber's endless attempts to rescue Peach from castles as evidence of that. MinInterior Colombia replied with a tweet stating it hopes Luigi is gay. While that alone is a strange enough tweet from a government account, the reply was problematic for another reason.

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Someone with the keys to the MinInterior Colombia Twitter account hoping Luigi is gay isn't what lit a fire under most people. That alone, again while odd due to the source, is an innocent enough hope to hold. It's the wording of the tweet where the problem really arises. As explained by Kotaku, the word marica, which is the one the deleted tweet used, is considered a slur by many Spanish-speaking people.

That's where the wording of MinInterior Colombia's apology comes in. It's more an apology for the use of the slur rather than its hope that Luigi is gay. “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,” the apology reads.

While marica can apparently be used as an alternative to dude or bro, it is more commonly used as slang to make fun of feminine men. As for