Almost every teacher has heard stunts e the exprsn, “that’s so gay” as a way of puttg down or sultg someone (or to scribe somethg). The lsons will help stunts exame how appropriate language n hurt, and will help them thk of ways to end this kd of name-llg.
Contents:
- "THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
- HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
- HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GUY FRIEND IS GAY
- WHAT DO YOU SAY TO “THAT’S SO GAY” AND OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ COMMENTS?
- AM I GAY?
- WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
- THAT'S SO GAY
- WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO GAY”?
"THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
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… * is so gay *
Spend any time around teens, and you’re likely to hear the mon exprsn, “That’s so gay" — even among gay kids.
If you ask them about , as some rearchers have, they often will sist that is not tend as homophobic language, jt a harmls phrase to exprs tratn or somethg siar. When most people hear the term LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual), for stance, they equate to havg adult sex. Another client’s mother once ught him lookg at gay porn, and said, horrified, “You’re not gay, are you?
” Later when the parents learned their children were gay, they apologized to them for sayg the thgs, but the damage was already done. Hearg kids sayg, “that’s so gay” every day mak the people and everythg else around them qutnable: Are thgs safe or dangero? What, then, n be done about makg kids (and the rt of ) more aware of the harm g such phras as “That’s so gay?
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
There are lots of reasons why you might want to know if your iend is gay. There are some important thgs that you have to unrstand about this suatn before gog forward, however. Someone's sexualy is highly plex and highly... * is so gay *
But parents who are enough aware of language’s substrata n help by helpg their kids’ schools unrstand the value of practicg the same kd of zero tolerance for homophobic language that they do for racist or anti-Semic or bullyg language. The bt thg I have seen is the mpaign “ThkB4YouSpeak” by GLSEN (Gay, Lbian School Edutor Network).
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GUY FRIEND IS GAY
Are you qutng your sexualy? Fd out if you’re gay, straight, bisexual, or asexual. Learn what the terms mean and if they apply to you. * is so gay *
Anti-LGBT remarks such as “that’s so gay” are often untentnal and a mon part of teens’ vernacular.
Stonewall argu that the phrase has a harmful effect on young lbian, gay and bisexual people’s tn and well-beg. 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. ” Siarly, Neil, gay and aged 18, said: “I don’t fd rogatory any way, probably bee I say as well.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO “THAT’S SO GAY” AND OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ COMMENTS?
Why are people gay? Are they gay by choice or is beg gay geic? Are they born gay? Learn about the and reasons for beg gay. * is so gay *
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. 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”.
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.
AM I GAY?
“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. 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.
Only a mory of participants – ls than a third – thought that the phrase was homophobic, and even fewer said that they never ed .
WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
Most of the young gay people my study felt “that’s so gay” would only be homophobic if was directed at a gay person, and wh negative tent. If young gay people are sayg that they do not experience the phrase “that’s so gay” as homophobic – and if they are even g the phrase themselv – then perhaps we should accept their arguments and ncentrate on other battl. Keep md that experienc of sexual aroal are extremely nuanced, and aren’t ncrete proof that you’re gay.
THAT'S SO GAY
If you tend to velop csh on people who are the same genr as you, uld be a sign that you’re gay. You may be gay, but you uld also be pansexual or bisexual if you sometim thk about the other genr. Keep md that even if you have a sexual experience wh someone of the same genr or another genr, that don’t necsarily mean that you’re gay.
Thgs would be so simple if you uld jt label yourself as gay and be done wh , but may not be that easy. That means, for example, that you n be transgenr but also straight (for stance, you might intify as a woman and feel attracted to men) or gay (e.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO GAY”?
Article SummaryXIf you’re not sure how to know if you are gay, thk about any past romantic experienc you have had.
If you have had romantic experienc or fantasi volvg people who are the same genr as you, then there is a good chance you are gay or bisexual, but 's okay if you're a ltle nfed.