Would you get upset?
 

Ok I have a "gay" friend, and he hates it when I say "Wow that's gay" or something like that. But the thing is "Gay" meant something else long before it meant homosexual. So now he goes around saying "Wow that's so straight" but I don't get affended like he does. It doesn't make any sense.

-Do you agree with me dose it/would it affended you?

Sounds over sensitive to me. But then again it's hard to offend me.

Its true that gay did mean something else before it meant homosexual. But if you think about it in the text that most people use 'gay' as, it wouldn't make sense with its original meaning. Gay used to mean happy. It doesn't make sense when you complain about your math teacher's homework load and you go "That's so happy!" However, gay in the sense of being homosexual is usually looked down on people. And its obvious which of the two meanings that you're using when you're using gay in context such as complaining.

There are some people that are offended by that and some that aren't. Personally, I believe that all things bad may be gay, but not all things gay are bad. I don't blame him for being offended, and I think its brilliant how he says 'That's so straight!' You aren't offended by that because heterosexuality is promoted and accepted as moral. Do you see the difference?

well, i don't see why people get offended.
the definition o gay is happy.
gay is also SLANG for homosexual
and SLANG for stupid, unpleasant, etc.
Just because the word has more than one meaning because of american slang, doesn't mean people should get offended.
people just don't understand when you say"man, homework's gay!" you arent saying that homosexuality is stupid, you are saying that homework is stupid.
learn some fucking grammar you oversensitive assholes!
no offence, i'm just sick of it.

It bothers me when people get hypersensitive about someone saying X thing is gay because it's stupid.
Gay did not originate as a term for a homosexual. It meant happy. Therefore, somewhere along the way it morphed and picked up a slang term. All that's happening here is the exact same thing. I never hear someone saying that something is gay in a demeaning way to gay people. Ever. I hear them use it like you'd use stupid.

From my experience, people like that are just the ones who take offense to everything. The ones who make everything into a personal attack even when it clearly isn't. :\

That's so straight doesn't even make sense. xD

I never use that word in any other sense than "homosexual". I just don't like the use of it for anything else, like I don't like the use of the word "sex" in the sense of "great".

If other people really feel the need to to say "homework is gay", I just let them. It's slang, not an official word.

gay used to mean happy. the word now means stupid or something negative. i can see why your friend would be offended. if you're a true friend, you will try not to use the word so negatively around him.

@angelnaomi- well, I can see how calling her a fag would be offensive because that actually does mean gay (in a negative context) but if your just kidding around, they should be able to laugh about it.

Me and my boyfriend call eachother names and insult eachother jokingly.
I mean, loosen up and enjoy laughing at yourself every once in awhile.

As for the "homework is gay" thing, ya, people should just say "homework is stupid" but they don't. even though that's what they mean.

I can understand why someone of a homosexual orientation would get upset about that. It's using another term for their preferences in a negative way (and a way that is technically not accepted by any dictionary standards). They could also consider it as a subconscious dislike for gays. And like Slickie said, why can't you just use "stupid?"

After looking at a few places, I noticed that many people noted that using "gay" in a derogatory fashion seems to really only be an U.S. teen thing.

Gay has nothing to do with meaning "retarded" or "stupid" and I find it very stupid that homosexuals are often insulted by the uses of both "gay" and "straight". Gay originally meant Happy, and Straight meant straight forward. Fag means a bundle of sticks or a cigarette, and the triangle is just a mutherluvin shape

I personally think that if you're going to be offended by the use of any word, you better darn well have MADE IT UP YOURSELF instead of having friggin hijacked it and twisted the meaning.

GRRR! I'll say "keep going straight" AS MUCH AS I DARN WELL PLEASE and if you correct me for using a word properly I'll sock you in the mouth!

So no, I wouldn't be offended if you said something was gay and used to proper meaning of it.

I didn't read the thread, only the first post. Sorry if I repeat someone else.

I have a Gay friend. He's like my brother (Sister?) Anyways, he calls himself a fag, he says things are 'gay', and he has no problem when others do it. He says it's like black people getting upset when other people call them "niggers" yet, they do it to themselves. Anyways, he (my gay friend) thinks that people need to lighten up and not take things so personally, just because you're calling something "gay" doesn't make his own sexual orientation degraded. That would be like you going "HOLY COW!" and someone going "That's degrading to the cattle!!!"

Maybe he is being overly sensitive but it's really not the best habit to go around using language that offends people, oversensitive or not. He's not exactly handling it the best way either by trying to hurt you back, but it doesn't matter if he's being mature, it's you that you should worry about behaving properly.

"Gay" in reference to homosexuality is offensive in itself due to its roots. The word came to be used in reference to licentious behaviours due to "carefree" definition. Today, however, homosexuality isn't typically viewed as licentious and the term "gay" in reference to it isn't typically viewed as offensive. Point: language evolves. The word now obviously has multiple uses, and just as "licentious" and "homosexual" were later added, now "lame" or "stupid" have been added as well and just as with the reference to sexuality, how that definition came to be is now void. Your friend, therefore, should either not be offended or not refer to himself as "gay" if he does choose to be offended.

Yeah it sounds to me that they need to chill out! Youre obviously not saying it to offend him, or be disrespectful to all who are gay.

I know a few gay people, male and female, and not one of them finds it offensive wen i say thats so gay or whatever. They know its just another way of saying that sucks!!

Honestly, it really depends on the context in which is used. I've no particular urge to be offended when I hear the term, "gay," used, unless I know that the person using it specifically intends to offend.


I pretty much never like hearing the word, "dyke," though. My only exception is the Red Hot Chilli Peppers song, "By the Way," because I'm not frankly sure that they even intend their lyrics to have a coherent meaning.

And it's catchy.

Yeah, so I guess I'm pretty laissez faire about this type of issue. I only take offense to actual hate speech and subjugation. Anything less than that, I won't waste my efforts rallying against.

Well, it wouldn't offend me.

If I was a gay person, more than likely I'd use it. I see it as a different meaning, as being happy or stupid, but I'm not directing it to the gay term of homosexuality. I don't understand why majority of the gay/lesbian community get offended by this, because you aren't refering to the gay person theirselves, you are refering it to a different object, such as a conflict.

It's not like you are trying to offend the person, plus it also becomes a habit. Lots of people say it around here, so sometimes it slips out of my mouth without realizing it. But I'm not saying it to offend the gays, I'm saying it because I'm meaning it differently. When I go "Wow that's gay", I don't mean "Wow that's just like a gay person". See what I'm getting across?

There's nothing wrong with gays, but they need to know that people use words differently and it's a part of evolution. Probably in the next century from now, homosexuality won't be known as gays anymore, they will probably choose another word that they feel would best suit them. Then again, this will start up due to evolution, and so on and so forth.

Remember our literacy in the past? LONG LONG AGO? They never used the term gay, and they always spoke with " 'ought " and " Thou ". We don't speak like that anymore, now do we?

It's all part of evolution, and I don't think they realize it, but for now I think people should respect gays by all means, but gays should accept the fact we aren't refering to them once we say the phrase "That's so gay."

Okay, the reason your friend is going around saying "That's so straight" is obviously to respond at your saying, "That's so gay." The only problem, is that it doesn't make sense because straight doesn't really have any ulterior meaning to it. I think he is sensitive to the word, but that only means that as his friend, you should respect his wishes and stop using the phrase if you know it offends him. It may not make sense to you, but why should that matter? Aren't your friend's feelings more important?

Moreover, he has a right to be upset, because while the word "gay" does mean happy, it doesn't in your context. Therefore, not only is it derogatory, it's stereotyping. Saying, "That's so gay" may insinuate "That's so stupid" which then equates gay to stupid, or some other thing like that. It's the same as saying, "That's so ghetto," or "That's so asian." It just doesn't have a nice tone to it. So, if you purposely use the phrase even when you know that your friend take offense to it, then you're not being a very good friend.

Yah, i kind of agree with the post above.
Even though it you may think he shouldn't be offended, the fact is, it's how he feels.