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” AND OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ COMMENTS?
- "THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
- AM I GAY?
- THE TE MEANG BEHD “THAT’S SO GAY”
- THAT'S GAY
- THAT'S SO GAY
- IS IT OK TO SAY "THAT'S SO GAY"?
- WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO GAY”?
- WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ‘THAT’S SO GAY’ & OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ+ COMMENTS?
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO “THAT’S SO GAY” AND OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ COMMENTS?
* that's so gay im in *
“That’s so gay! This year for Bullyg Preventn Month, download our most sought-after handout, “What Do You Say to ‘That’s So Gay’”?, which teach tors both how and why is important to rpond to anti-LGBTQ ments. “It’s not OK at this school to e ‘gay’ disrpectfully to mean somethg is bad.
“You may not have meant to be hurtful, but when you e the word ‘gay’ to mean somethg is bad or stupid, is hurtful.
Knowg what to say when someone “gay” as a putdown is an sential skill -- not jt for tors, but for everyone as they cultivate rpectful spac hom, workplac and muni across the untry. Spend any time around teens, and you’re likely to hear the mon exprsn, “That’s so gay" — even among gay kids.
"THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
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. * that's so gay im in *
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. Studi reveal that 30 percent of gay adolcents stggle wh suicidal thoughts. “That’s so gay” is always pejorative, always harmful, and always homophobic.
AM I GAY?
Like other words meant to hurt someone, 's bt not to e the word gay a mean way. * that's so gay im in *
Thk about this: For thoands of years, religns have lled homosexualy an abomatn. People still get murred if someone thks they are gay, and not jt other untri.
Gay Equals Sex. 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?
THE TE MEANG BEHD “THAT’S SO GAY”
” Later when the parents learned their children were gay, they apologized to them for sayg the thgs, but the damage was already done.
I heard you say whout knowg I was gay.
Hearg kids sayg, “that’s so gay” every day mak the people and everythg else around them qutnable: Are thgs safe or dangero?
THAT'S GAY
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?
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).
Anti-LGBT remarks such as “that’s so gay” are often untentnal and a mon part of teens’ vernacular. The phrase “that’s so gay” has tradnally been unrstood as homophobic.
THAT'S SO GAY
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. Consir Joe, a 19-year-old gay stunt at an ele universy. 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.
IS IT OK TO SAY "THAT'S SO GAY"?
The young men had openly gay iends, supported gay rights and nmned homophobia. Yet several of them would also say “that’s so gay” when trated. 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”.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO 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. In such a ntext is not homophobic. 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.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ‘THAT’S SO GAY’ & OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ+ COMMENTS?
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 .