Lez Keep It Real

It never really bothered me much when other kids said, “that’s so gay.” It never bothered me because I said it as well. It still doesn’t bother me when I hear it said today.

Maybe because when I was growing up there wasn’t such a stigma to the word “gay.” It was a fun word, light and airy, back then. Now, it’s derogatory and ranks rights up there with the likes of “bitch.”

How did this happen? Well, there’s the evolution of language of course. And BBC News has a few other theories of their own:

Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground put-downs that can leave a pupil’s reputation in tatters among their peers. For the current generation “gay”, “bitch” and “slag” are the most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ALT).

They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards. But the worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the teaching union.

The most popular by far is “gay”. Of the teachers interviewed, 83% said they heard it being used regularly and much more than its nearest rivals, bitch (59%) and slag (45%). So how did it achieve this dubious honor?

The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual, says Clive Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds University.

“In the early 19th Century is was used to refer to women who lived off immoral earnings,” he says.

Around the 1970s it was claimed by the homosexual community as a descriptive term for their sexual orientation, now its most popular meaning.

But while the word may not be new, language experts say “gay” has only become a documented trend in young people’s slang in the last few years. Previously it might have been an occasional insult.

“Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual insults, in my day it was ‘poofter’ or ‘bender’,” says slang lexicographer Tony Thorne. “They were used much more because they were considered more offensive than ‘gay’, which is more neutral. READ MORE

Where does the word “gay” rank among others?
Gay (83%)
Bitch (59%)
Slag (45%)
Poof (29%)
Batty boy (29%)
Slut (26%)
Queer (26%)
Lezzie (24.8%)
Homo (22%)
Faggot (11%)
Sissy (5%)

This list is according to what teachers report they hear on a regular basis. I’m not sure what a slag or a poof is, but I’m sure neither is as innocent as I may think.

That’s the thing. The word “gay” was an innocent play word with my friends and I. That’s why, to this day, it doesn’t rub me the wrong way. My best friend still says it on occasion and I’ll find myself laughing along. Part of the reason is because I never take myself too seriously. I never take anything too seriously for that matter.

But I’m beginning to think that this is something I should be a bit more serious about.

I don’t want my kid coming home and using the “gay” word as if it’s just another swear word. I don’t want him or her to cast his eyes up and me and wonder if such a horrible word applies to me or our family. It comes down to this. “Gay” shouldn’t mean “bad” or “evil” or “weak” or anything remotely negative. I say we take it back and turn it into something positive. With the constant evolution of language, it could happen. Maybe 30 years down the road, “gay” will have a positive connotation like “cool” or “awesome.”

And when kids say “that’s so gay,” we’ll simply smile and agree.

that’s so gay, gay connotation, gay language, bbc news