[Gay State Conservative]

Yes,fag in Britain means cigarette.I used it in its American meaning.And yes,"ginger" does mean redhead/pale skin color,etc.But it also means "queer" and comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang--> "ginger beer:queer"

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/153800.html

[Albion Wilde]

it also means "queer" and comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang--> "ginger beer:queer"

I believe you are overinterpreting. That usage is equivalent to an American college student saying, "Ew, that's so gay" about Miller Lite Beer. The beer or its ingredients aren't gay; it's the drinking of it that is seen as uncool, and to insult it, Brits imply that drinking it is unmanly. Ginger beer is an actual drink made with ginger root, an alcoholic version of ginger ale. Also not gay.