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

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

Late 90s methinks.

[balto-mike.livejournal.com]

Its amusing to think a word originally used to describe a 'happy' feeling has turned into one that describes bad things. I think that you are right that when the word is being used to associate with something bad, the idea of being 'gay' seems to have a bad connatation all of a sudden.

Hasn't affected me too much but then words do consistantly change with time, maybe a new one will replace 'lame' things eventually.

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.

[rustyfox.livejournal.com]

Humour by-pass.

In the playground it might have been a little bit nastier, but for me that was over 20 years ago, and kids are hardly known for their compassion. I've since only ever read / heard 'gay' as any derogatory term being used in mild jest - equally as often by us filthy gays as much as anyone else.

What's life if you can't laugh at yourself?

[benji.livejournal.com]

My computer is gay when it won't do what I want

My car is a nigger when it won't speed up enough

My front door is a bint when the lock is stiff

My stereo is fuckingwellfrench when the source selector dial is being finicky

My wife is a dyke when she's telling me that she's having problems with tuning the tv in.

However I'm not xenophobic, not racist, not sexist and I'm certainly not homophobic. I dunno I think it's just something I do. It's all about context. I don't actually mean something is gay as in "oh this situation is bad, just like those homosexuals"... it's just words I use.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

No, you're not. Children are children and try to (and need to) break rules to see what they can get away with and all that, of course, but using the word "gay" in this sense seems all too accepted by society as a whole, even by people who'd probably crack down immediately on other slurs, such as racist or anti-semitic ones.

I sometimes wonder if this is because homophobia is simply more accepted (not to mention more entrenched) in society and still not seen by all (or nearly all) as a bad thing.

[mylo-the-gsd.livejournal.com]

I never really thought about it when this all started. At the same time, it doesnt bother me at all that its used for a bad word. I use it very often too.

[kiwihunter8.livejournal.com]

I've seen it spelled "ghey" to differentiate, by homosexual-friendly folks.

Also, remember there was that trend of homosexual folks calling themselves or others "fag" or "dyke", in order to take back a negative word; just as black people call each other "nigger" in order to diffuse the word.

So perhaps the Gheying of "gay" as an insult can turn things around eventually?

[alexf0x.livejournal.com]

I've used it as a means of pointing out stuff that is oozing over the top with homosexuality, like any gay UK soap character, that's some over the top "GAY" for you right there.

[ambeebear.livejournal.com]

When I was young the kids said "Jewish" to something that was bad, so I guess it goes all ways.