Ever sce middle school, people have asked Thomas Lloyd the same qutn repeatedly. "If I had a dime for every time I was asked, 'Why am I so gay?' I uld probably pay for one cred at Geetown." In this humoro talk, Lloyd explor the trici of social "verg" as a gay man, fdg muny and the importance of inty ownership.
Contents:
- WHY AM I "SO GAY?"
- "THAT'S SO GAY" IS JT SO WRONG
- AM I GAY?
- WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO GAY”?
- HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
- WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
WHY AM I "SO GAY?"
* so gay *
"If I had a dime for every time I was asked, 'Why am I so gay?
" In this humoro talk, Lloyd explor the trici of social "verg" as a gay man, fdg muny and the importance of inty talk was prented to a lol dience at TEDxGeetown, an pennt event. The phrase “that’s so gay” has tradnally been unrstood as homophobic.
"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… * so gay *
Stonewall argu that the phrase has a harmful effect on young lbian, gay and bisexual people’s tn and well-beg.
AM I 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. * so gay *
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.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT “THAT’S SO GAY”?
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. * 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. The young men had openly gay iends, supported gay rights and nmned homophobia.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE GAY
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.
WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
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.