Bring It On has addressed the use of a gay slur in the classic teen cheerleading film.In an interview with Insider marking the movie's 20th anniversary, Peyton Reed said the uttering of "fag" was "intentional in terms of dealing with the sexuality and the gender politics in the movie."The slur is used twice in the film.
In one scene, football players direct it at male cheerleaders played by Nathan West and Huntley Ritter. "It's definitely hate speech — it's intended to be hate speech" in that instance, Reed asserted.In another scene, Eliza Dushu's character Missy, a new cheerleader on the team, says the word in a car ride to a football game. "Are you trying to tell me you speak fag?" she asked.