QUOTE(Tarc @ Mon 7th December 2009, 9:24am)
I hate to interrupt the pack mentality here, but aren't we at the point...40 years after Stonewall and well into the 21st century...where being called "gay" is no longer considered defamatory?
The idea is injury to reputation. It is certainly possible that false statements about a person's race, politics or sexual orientation could harm a persons reputation among a group that can effect them negatively among negatively in a financial or social sense. Your point that perhaps that specific allegation regarding these areas should be considered defamation
per se is well taken, although not everywhere or with everyone. BTW when did "communists" get off the shit lists? That still leaves "having a social disease" as a universal bad.