This term gets used incredibly widely in Colombia. Lots of straight people with otherwise great politics use it as a teasing term of affection, but one that still carries a punch. I have heard it argued that it is used so widely that it should be rendered in English with a term that is less denigratory than faggot, but I really don't think marica has been reclaimed as a positive term. In the 80s in my Seattle high school it also used to be quite common to hear straight people use the term fag widely in similar ways, but thankfully I don't hear it used that way now on my uni campus in Toronto.
Given that we are in a miraculous month where first the Supreme Court of Mexico made gay marriage legal, and the US followed, perhaps culture will catch up to the law and use of this term will become less common.
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Indeed, I have a friend whose name is Marika, and she tells me there is nothing good about having this name when you learn Spanish...!
Thanks for this, Sarah. This is one super hard for my Colombian husband (and LGBTQ-ally) to eliminate from his vocabulary. Also "maricada..."
Now that we have kids, it's even more important that he(we) eliminate it. *sigh*
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