yeah, pretty limp-wristed response, I must agree.
I live in the ciy and hear the word all the time used by schoolkids. It is not a throw-down word which causes spontaneous violence. Used by both girls and boys, it is a simple chide when a deviation from the orthodox attitude of the groupthink. Utter an appreciation for your history teacher and it solicits a nearly automatic response, "You are such a faggot." Parents won't let you go to the mall on Saturday? "What a fag, you gotta be there!"
Nine out of ten such usages, probably, are not a genuine comment on one's sexuality. It is simply part of the modern day lexicon of tweens and older.
"pretty limp-wristed response,"
No pun intended.