The Solutn to "Gay" Insults: Freedom of Speech | Psychology Today

Contents:

• AM I GAY?
• WHAT WORDS CAN I SAY TO DECLARE THAT I’M GAY?
• THE SOLUTN TO "GAY" INSULTS: FREEDOM OF SPEECH
• THREAD: MY HEADS TELLG ME I AM GAY, YET MENTALLY I AM NOT

AM I GAY?

So here's the thg about g the word "gay" sultgly.

WHAT WORDS CAN I SAY TO DECLARE THAT I’M GAY?

I know that "words change meang over time" and "everyone says so 's jt part of the vobulary now" and " meant somethg else before meant homosexual" and "herp rp ee speech rp. " I unrstand that when you ll somethg "gay, " you're not nnectg to actually experiencg a same-sex attractn.

I also unrstand that you believe that gleang a "homosexual nnotatn" om your pejorative e of the word is jt "oversensive" and "vigilante thought policg, " which you fd obnox. Here's why you shouldn't e gay as an sult: mak you sound like a douchebag.

Wh that md, please make the mute chang to your vobulary necsary to avoid offendg the gay people you support and/or "tolerate" and/or "don't mean to offend. " And jt bee 's not offensive to your "gay bff" don't mean:. your gay iend isn't actually offend by your e of the term, and he's only keepg his mouth shut so that he don't make you feel awkward (spe the fact that you may be makg him feel awkward).

THE SOLUTN TO "GAY" INSULTS: FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Your support for the muny other ways "allows" you to pejoratively throw the term "gay" allowed. I don't re that you don't mean to say that somethg's homosexual when you sultgly refer to as "gay. I intify as a gay person.

So when you ll somethg "gay, " you are referrg to our LGBT inty, whether you mean to or not. And if you philosophilly disagree wh my takg offense to the term, is beg offensive on prciple worth alienatg iends of yours who might be gay? Do you really thk 's fair that your sistence upon g a word a certa way should tmp other people's wish that you stop g that word that way bee mak them feel like sh and they al wh that om heteronormative society enough so they really don't need their so-lled "iends" to spew latently homophobic nonsense at them as well?

In your se, Sir/Madam Heterosexual, you have straight privilege, which means that you don't have to swim agast the current of homophobic bullsh that greets jt about every LGBT person every day. So I gus what I'm askg you to do is take the 3 sends to acknowledge that your pejorative e of the word "gay" offends members of the LGBT muny. Gay - While this adjective has historilly scribed men who are attracted to other men, the term now is ed to refer to anyone who experienc romantic, emotnal, or physil attractn to people of the same genr.

THREAD: MY HEADS TELLG ME I AM GAY, YET MENTALLY I AM NOT

Sce genr inty and sexual orientatn are separate, transgenr people n intify as straight, gay, lbian, bisexual, etc. Gay. Florida’s furiatg “Don’t Say Gay” law has given new power to an old word.

Jt look at the T-shirts and prott signs: “#SayGay” is the new “We’re here. As gay dads at a time when gay fai were still relatively rare, my hband and I felt the prsure to be mol parents. “But I’m gay!

My social media feeds are anythg to go by, most gay men live packs. —I’ve never had as many gay guy iends as the algorhms on my phone seem to expect.