The phrase “that’s so gay” has tradnally been unrstood as homophobic. Stonewall’s School Report argued this posn, and will be discsed their upg Edutn Conference. Stonewall argu…
Contents:
- WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ‘THAT’S SO GAY’ & OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ+ COMMENTS?
- "THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
- HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
- THAT'S GAY
- THE 10 GAYEST STAT IN AMERI FOR 2020
- THAT'S SO GAY
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ‘THAT’S SO GAY’ & OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ+ COMMENTS?
The phrase “that’s so gay” has tradnally been unrstood as homophobic. Stonewall argu that the phrase has a harmful effect on young lbian, gay and bisexual people’s tn and well-beg.
"THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
Yet the ial fdgs om my terviews wh 40 gay youth om four universi suggts a more plex picture, wh no clear agreement on what the phrase means or s effects. He said: “I thk breaks down barriers between the straight and gay muny… I e a lot. ” Siarly, Neil, gay and aged 18, said: “I don’t fd rogatory any way, probably bee I say as well.
How are we to unrstand a phrase that olr people fd homophobic, but many younger people do not fd offensive and even e themselv? My tert the phrase “that’s so gay” veloped when I rearched straight male stunts at sixth form lleg. The young men had openly gay iends, supported gay rights and nmned homophobia.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
Given that labellg the stunts homophobic would be ridiculo, was val to nsir how they were g this language and the reasons why. All of the men my rearch sisted that they did not tend to be homophobic when they ed the phrase. For them, gay had two distct meangs which they were able to distguish between – when refers to sexual inty and when refers, separately, to somethg beg “bbish”.
THAT'S GAY
Language has evolved and “gay” means somethg different to younger generatns particular ntexts.
I argued that straight men’s e of phras like “that’s so gay” uld only be unrstood by three key factors: first, the tent wh which was said; send, the social ntext (homophobic or otherwise); and third, the effect had.
“That’s so gay” n be homophobic if is said wh negative tent or wh a homophobic environment. But when is said settgs where sexual mori are out, proud and socially clud, and heterosexual men are iends wh their openly gay peers, tak on different meangs.
THE 10 GAYEST STAT IN AMERI FOR 2020
This argument was supported by the narrativ of many of the 40 young gay people a study I am unrtakg wh lleagu at Durham Universy. In the bat about “that’s so gay”, is important to regnise that gay youths also e the phrase.
THAT'S SO GAY
Only a mory of participants – ls than a third – thought that the phrase was homophobic, and even fewer said that they never ed .