Strolling down the sidewalk on my way to class with Einstein’s in tow, I hear an exchange between two guys. One wears a pastel Ralph Lauren polo, the other a striped cotton tank.
“Ha, nice pink shirt dude, that’s so gay,” the guy with the striped shirt says mockingly. “Not as gay as your haircut,” the other one playfully fires back.
I wish I could say that this conversation was a rare occurrence, but sadly, I hear these connotations almost daily. Many people argue that legalizing gay marriage in several states means homophobia is a thing of the past. Yet, every time someone chooses to say “gay” as replacement for a negative word they are spreading the idea that being homosexual is associated with adversity, whether consciously or not.
The point of this article isn’t to criticize or shame anyone, but to spread awareness of an issue that majority of the time individuals don’t realize they are contributing to. I’m not going to incarcerate someone for using those terms; I once naively used them so regularly that “that’s so gay” became one of my catch phrases. I’ve always been an advocate of gay rights and not just as an ally, but actively volunteering in my home community with the AIDS foundation and speaking up against homophobia. However, every time I said the word gay in passing, I went against everything I stood for.
When I call people’s attention to this by saying, “don’t use the word gay for something you’re describing as stupid or wrong,” the response I usually hear is, “it’s just a word” or, “I’m not homophobic, I have a gay [insert family member, friend, neighbor].” This isn’t a valid excuse because there simply is no excuse. The word “gay” shouldn’t be thrown around lightly. It doesn’t only impact the LGBTQ community but those we surround ourselves with.
Here’s a perfect example:
The same goes for the word retarded, it creates a “normal” versus “other” categorization, but who decides what constitutes as normal? Instead of recognizing our diversity by accepting another’s differences or trying to understand them, we’ve become accustomed to lumping anything we see as abnormal as discomforting. There are two types of bad people in this world; one who commits bad deeds, and the other who watches and does nothing. Both are the same. So the next time you hear someone mistakenly use these words out of context or you catch yourself doing it, make it a point to correct yourself or others.