By JAMILA RIZVI
‘That’s so gay.’
It’s the catch cry of teenage boys across the English speaking world. When one of them fumbles the footy at training – they’re ‘gay’. When a mate comes to school with a less-than-cool new haircut – it’s ‘gay’. When the teacher assigns extra trigonometry homework – that’s ‘gay’.
Catching the bus to work each morning, I’m surrounded by them. Boys-about-to-become-men but still in uniforms and pulled up socks, mucking around with each other, teasing and wrestling as only teenage boys do – and calling each other ‘gay’.
Again and again. It’s the ultimate insult.
And even though these boys aren’t really thinking about the fact that they’re using homosexuality as a derogatory label – that is exactly what they’re doing. And ‘gay’ shouldn’t be allowed to casually become an entrenched part of our young people’s negative vernacular. Words matter.
Comedian Ash Beckham agrees. Ash is a lesbian and her take down of the word ‘gay’ being used out of context will have you bounding up onto your desk and fist pumping along as she speaks.
Take a look – and bring your most vocal and appreciative whoop or whistle with you:
Top Comments
Gee, who would have thought a word like "gay" could be appropriated and assigned a different meaning to its original.
My son was telling me that the catch cry "That's so gay" was replaced by another kid with " That's so Jay"(his name). All my sons friends went silent & glared at this kid. I think it's horrid that being Gay is seen as so negative & we have discussed this adnauseum at home, even replacing the meaning of Gay in its derogatory form with the word "fash". My son has several gay & lesbian role models in his life & I'm hopeful that if one of his mates winds up being gay then he will be supportive as well as defend him for the right to love who he wants.