I’m not one to be offended by profanity. My friends and I probably drop the f-bomb as often as we say “hello” or “what’s happening.”But there is one word that is commonly used in a derogatory way by educated and non-educated people alike that causes me to cringe every time I hear it — gay.The word has infiltrated the common vernacular and is used as an insult or to describe something that is stupid or a waste of time — a far cry from its original meaning of “cheerful and light-hearted.”Despite this, I am a huge fan of Eminem a.k.a. Marshall Mathers a.k.a. Slim Shady a.k.a. GLAAD’s (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination) favorite rapper. You may be wondering how I can justify this seeming hypocrisy.I justify this in the same way that I justify my appreciation of Dr. Dre, even though he and every other rapper except Will Smith routinely use the term “nigga.”Dre is black, so he has that right. And similarly, it is quite possible that Em — a big fan of the other F-word — is gay.It seems almost too obvious — why has no one in the United States realized this before? Eminem’s performance Wednesday of “Stan” with Elton John at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards was only the latest in a string of highly-publicized moves by Slim Shady to subliminally inform the world of his blatant homosexuality.”If I didn’t make a statement with Elton John tonight, I don’t know what else to do,” Eminem told MTV’s Kurt Loder after the performance. “I came to make an impact, I came to make a statement, and I guess to piss some people off.”And Em made his statement, stopping just short of locking lips with John. With his baby-blue visor and pants, Eminem mixed pastels with John’s pink and yellow polka dot suit, holding his hand high in the air after the performance. Em even went so far as to tightly embrace the openly gay pop star — something Eminem claimed he didn’t know about his duet partner until after the singer verbally supported him.”I didn’t know he was gay, I didn’t know anything about his personal life, I didn’t really care,” Em told Loder. “But you know, being that he was gay and he had my back, I think that it made a statement in itself, [his] saying that he understood where I was coming from.”Understood where Slim Shady was coming from? Hmmm …The rapper’s latest multi-platinum album is also filled with lyrics that point to homosexual tendencies.”You faggots keep eggin’ me on ’til I have you at knifepoint, then you beg me to stop?,” Em sings during “Kill You.” “Shut up! Give me your hands and feet …”It seems that Em may be into S&M as well.On the massively successful “The Real Slim Shady,” he advocates gay marriage, rapping, “But if we can hump dead animals and antelopes/then there’s no reason that a man and another man can’t elope.”The album’s title song also has numerous homosexual references. “‘Slim Anus?’ You damn right, slim anus, I don’t get fucked in mine…” Eminem raps in response to the Slim Shady-bashing song written by the Insane Clown Posse.So, Em likes to be the pitcher as opposed to the catcher.As the track continues, he rejects groupies, telling them to “go fuck Puffy,” and slams his lawsuit-happy mother’s attorney, saying “he’s just aggravated I won’t ejaculate in his ass.”Em’s recurring character of Ken Kaniff is openly gay, perhaps the rapper’s outlet for his repressed homosexuality. In a skit featuring ICP fellating the character, the face-painted rappers accidentally say Em’s name instead of Ken’s. Later, in “Criminal,” after rapping, “Hate fags? The answer’s yes,” in response to charges of homophobia, Em reveals his true, rainbow colors by contradicting his statement and rapping “C’mon, relax guy/I like gay men/Right, Ken? Give me an amen.”Though he shows a lot of hatred for women in his music and has a volatile relationship, which is on-again off-again wife Kim, Em is merely trying to put on a hyper-masculine front to hide his gay interior.Just look at his name — Eminem. Why else would he choose the candy that “melts in your mouth, not in your hand?” The hard candy shell (his outward hyper-masculinity) hides the soft milk chocolate (his gay feelings).Furthermore, the candies are multi-colored. The only way Em could have made his homosexuality more obvious is if he had called himself “Skittles.” (“Taste the Rainbow?”)There is a lot more evidence that supports my hypothesis, but I think I’ve made my point. For now, music fans everywhere should support Em and forget about the controversy.Who knows? Maybe one day Marshall Mathers will be comfortable with his sexual orientation, come out and join Elton John for a second time for another remake of “Candle in the Wind.” If not, the duo could get together again in 2004 for a 10th anniversary version of “Circle of Life,” from Disney’s “The Lion King.”