The Word 'Gay'

[lupestripe]

When did the word 'gay' start to be used to describe something bad or to be ridiculed? And isn't the repeated use of the word in this way a tacit acceptation of discrimination? The fact that the word was used repeatedly during my secondary schools days in such a negative way caused untold problems when it eventually came to accepting my sexuality. I rarely agree with Peter Tatchell but I think the overuse of the word in the playground and online to describe bad things sometimes does have negative connotations. Or am I just suffering from a humour by-pass?

Comments

ThinkB4YouSpeak

[radmoose.livejournal.com]

http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/

Have way too much to say about this.. as it kinda hits close to home.

While the "Day of Silence" has it's purpose, being silent the rest of the year isn't acceptable.

My 11 year old daughter and 13 year old daughter do speak out at school to people who use "gay" to describe bad things. My 9 year old son, well, he just started using it as his friends do. He doesn't understand that I am gay, so it is a bit much to deal with.

Until people see that others do not appreciate or agree with the use of the word 'gay' in that manner, it will continue.

This Friday is the 2nd anniversary of Lawrence King's death. (He was the brother of my brother's girlfriend's son's girlfriend at the time.)

http://blog.glsen.org/2010/02/vigils-taking-place-friday-on-2-year.html

My 13 year old daughter last year led a discussion group at her school after some students were joking about this situation. She got almost all of the large group to understand that is wasn't something to joke about and that someone's life was cut short... way too short. She didn't mention that I was gay, nor did she know how closely we knew Lawrence. She did it because she saw others doing something wrong.