Isn't it amazing how our peers can make us act a certain way without us even realizing it? Take the other day for example. Note that I am closeted but not in denial. I do not "act straight." I act as "gay" as I can without having to tell people I'm gay.

Anyway, at lunch, I was talking about something that appeared in a school newspaper where everyone used their initials to create a pen name for themselves. The writers of this newspaper were top secret, and one had the same initials as me. Someone who read the paper asked me at lunch, "Hey is this *pointing to article* you?" I replied annoyedly, since I'd been asked tons of times already, "No, it's not! And even if it was me, I wouldn't choose such a gay name." As soon as I said, it I just sat there in shock. Did I just say gay in a negative fashion without even thinking about it? I felt really guilty afterward.

Therefore, we need to stop people from using "gay" as a synonym for "stupid." I even know GLBs who say "gay" in a bad way! I really hate it...

Meh. I'm pretty much indifferent to the whole "gay=negative" shpiel. It's practically a homophone these days. Sure, it's bad for people to associate the word with negativity seeing as how it's still a euphemism for homosexual, but I figure it's just not as bad as what they could be saying.

sure, it's annoying that they use it in a negative way but we can't waste all our energy running around saying "you can't say that!", cos at the end of the day, if they're told they can't do it they'll just want to say it more, then it'll really get out of hand.

Some people don't realize they're doing it or don't realize that it hurts some people, and would stop or try to if they did. If you try to set an example yourself and politely correct others, some people WILL make an effort to stop saying it. The fact that it is so ingrained in our society that some gay people will say it without even realizing what they're saying is kind of sad.

I say it sometimes without realizing it too. Afterwards, I feel pretty bad because I remember times when hearing other people say the word like that really made me upset. I guess you just have to try to erase the word from your vocabulary, unless it's used in the right sense... I'm going to try doing that too lol.

Blitzcraig1 wrote:

QUOTE:
Meh. I'm pretty much indifferent to the whole "gay=negative" shpiel. It's practically a homophone these days. Sure, it's bad for people to associate the word with negativity seeing as how it's still a euphemism for homosexual, but I figure it's just not as bad as what they could be saying.

Agreed.

I agree with the poster. I very rarely use it, but when I do, I feel really bad about it afterwards, and I think we ought to try and cut back on it.

I don't really care. I think that when people say it, they're not thinking about homosexuals as such, but just a phrase to use.

I use it. My favourite word has to be gaybod, because it reminds me of my Junior school time... Everybody used it, even my friend who used to show me his penis in the toilets.

That or tithead...

I'm gay. And I'm out. And I frequently will say "gay" "gaybar" etc. as insults. I don't care when my friends use it... It's next to never used in that fashionto mean ANYTHING about homosexuality. Just
gay = bad

gay = homosexual...


theres lots of words with the same spelling and pronounciation but have multiple meanings. Yeah

I find the use of gay really insulting.Especially when its used to describe something stupid by a homophobic person.