What's with the big fuss over the "gay" phrase?

Question

I recently read an article where someone that said "That's so gay" was given a lawsuit because of it. It was addressed as "hate speech". But as it turns out, the "offender" was the victim of people who were teasing her about her Mormon upbringing. What's with the big fuss over "gay"?

Answer 1

If anyone was using "hate speech" it was the boys harassing the Mormon girl fro her choice of religion.

Hate speech is verbally attacking another person because of prejudice against a group of people. While some may argue that "that's so gay" was such elocution, the girl was not in any way intending to do satirize them or do anything of the sort, whether they were in actuality homosexuals or not. These boys, on the other hand, were. And were they warned or punished? She was the victim.

While I am not agreeing with the way that the term "gay" in today's society is used, we have to deal with the fact that it is. People, teenagers especially, use it in a casual approach and think nothing of it. The girl was not trying to hurt anybody or condemn anyone that is gay. So why is she the one that is being punished? I think that her family has the right to do something about, and I congratulate them for it.

Answer 2

Let's PLAY with our language a bit ... I am a heterosexual, but since I love a man shouldn't I say that I am a homosexual? A homosexual is a 'lover of men' and not only men who love other men. I've never met a 'hetero' so how could I be a 'hetero'sexual.

Gay got it's start for meaning 'light-hearted, frivolous, happy.' Somewhere, someone started using the term 'gay' to describe homosexual men ... with his 'emphasis' being on the 'frivolous' and forgetting about the 'light-hearted' and 'happy.' The term for a female 'homosexual' is 'lesbian' even though Lesbian means a woman who loves other women.

The 'girl' who made this 'speech offence' used the term 'That's so gay' to mean what it means in MORMON terms ... it's FRIVOLOUS. She was taken to court because someone thought she was being 'offensive' toward gay men, when she may not have been 'aware' that 'gay' to most of us means a homosexual male.

Now when someone uses 'offensive language' about any 'minority' they are said to be using 'hate speech' and they are 'taken to task for it' ... but that 'political correctness' isn't as 'necessary' if a minority makes a 'racial slur' aimed at a white person. Evidently they need more 'time' to 'get over the differences' in a way I just don't understand.

So ... I'm going to tell you the 'truth' about myself. I am a homosexual because I love my husband, a male. I am a female, by the way. And who am I 'offending' with this 'language' which is at least 'grammatically correct' even if it's not 'common speech' that determines it's 'correctness.'

And THAT my dear, is why there is such a 'fuss' over 'gay' in this case.

Answer 3

How would you like it if a word that described you (and the group with whom you identify) was also used to indicate stupidity or worthlessness?

And when you consider all the flak gay and lesbian students catch elsewhere from other sources, and you realize how it all adds up, can you see how this could be damaging?

FYI, the girl wasn't "given a lawsuit." Rather, she was warned by the school and a notation was made in her file. Her Mormon parents are the ones who are suing the school and making a big fuss.

(Read more closely next time.)

Answer 4

People Jus Take It In The Wrong Manner I Dont Think Its Right Saying That Though

Answer 5

what's the big fuss?
it's juvenile
it's insulting
it's ignorant
it's bigoted
I'm only guessing here, but, since you're asking what the "big fuss" is, you must not like or think too much of gays? otherwise, you'd understand how wrong it is to say such things. do you use the "n" word when referring to people of color? it's just as insulting and hateful as that....and any other juvenile term used to refer to other racial, sexual, religious and cultural minorities.

Answer 6

It's like saying, "that's so n___" and then trying to tell people that it's really not a slam against people who are black (insert any other identifiable group).

It's prejudice. It's saying what you are is inherently wrong and diviant.

Would you like it if saying "that's so hetero" or "that's so breeder" etc etc became a pejorative? I hope that it doesn't and I don't advocate that anything hateful like that should but you get the idea.

Good for them for standing up to these big issues,

Answer 7

thats's so gay! If I sued every time I heard the n word used I'd be in court all the time and would have no time to sell my diamonds. People have to let stuff wash over and off them, clinging to it like a teddy bear is just going to get you dissed.

Answer 8

the phrase that's so gay is used when some one don't like some thing for ex one time while i was still in high school we was giving work to do and a guy thought it was stupid so he said this is so gay , i know that's not the phrase u was talking about but it means the same as thats so gay. some one might say it to a girl if she has a purse that the person thinks is ulgy.

I hope this helped

Answer 9

Gay doesn't really mean homosexual anymore, kinda like, queer used to mean happy, and so did gay... well now gay is generally used as stupid, or a waste of time while it also means homosexual. It's just in the context used for the word.

Answer 10

Well I have a teenager and they ALL say it ... It's nothing hateful... Most don't even realize what they're saying... They don't even mean it literally.... even if they did... what's wrong with being "gay?"