The Lastg Impact Of 'That's So Gay'
Contents:
- WHEN WORDS CAN KILL: 'THAT'S SO GAY'
- 'THAT'S SO GAY' PHRASE HAS LASTG IMPACT FOR LGBT YOUTH, STUDY FDS
- THAT'S SO GAY!
WHEN WORDS CAN KILL: 'THAT'S SO GAY'
April 14, 2009 — -- Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was 11-- hardly old enough to know his sexualy and yet distrght enough to hang himself last week after school bulli repeatedly lled him "gay. "Walker said her son's 11-year-old tormentors were worse than the breast ncer she had survived four years an ironic twist, the boy would have turned 12 on April 17 -- the same day stunts thoands of schools across the untry will participate the annual Day of Silence to brg attentn to anti-gay harassment schools. "There was no reason for the mother to believe he was gay, " said Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network spokman Daryl Prgrav.
"It jt happens he was someone his peers targeted, llg him, 'girlie, ' 'gay' and 'fag. "Middle School SuicisCarl's suici about a year after California eighth-grar Lawrence Kg was shot and killed by a fellow stunt his classroom for supposedly beg rponse, GLSEN has lnched a multipronged tn mpaign to fight the e of anti-gay language and annual Day of Silence, started at the Universy of Virgia 1996 wh 150 stunts, has now grown to more than 7, 500 middle and high schools natnwi. Participants draw attentn to LGBT issu by not speakg for a October, GLSEN has aired thoands of public service msag, "Thk Before You Speak, " to rce the e of the slur, "That's so gay.
'THAT'S SO GAY' PHRASE HAS LASTG IMPACT FOR LGBT YOUTH, STUDY FDS
""When you are elementary school, one of the first thgs you learn is the feelg of hurt when you are lled 'gay' or 'fag, '" said Prgrav.
"It don't matter if you are gay or straight. The term 'gay' has bee synonymo wh "unol. ""The exprsn 'That's so gay' is one of the most heard school, and stunts regnize as rogatory, " he last week Bill and Janis Mohat filed su agast Oh's Mentor High School, allegg their son, who, like Carl, did not intify himself as gay, shot himself after beg tortured wh homophobic a 2005 survey -- "From Teasg to Torment: School Climate Ameri" -- stunts said their peers were most often bullied bee of their appearance, but the next top reason was bee of actual or perceived sexual orientatn and genr that report, by the GLSEN and Harris Interactive, stunts said teachers rarely terfered s of gay-related bullyg, eher bee they are embarrassed or don't know what to do.
THAT'S SO GAY!
"The tly unfortunate thg is bee of the societal atmosphere surroundg gay and lbian life the U. "The key is absolute, direct, even-hand, no-nonsense approach to all aspects of bullyg, " she told "At this cultural moment, homophobic language is the ultimate weapon. "The really disturbg thg is the gree to which 'gay, ' 'lbian' and all pejorative terms are a ver for the bullyg self.