What does this mean?
is Gay a bad thing?
I hate that saying- I dont get it. Can someone please enlighten me on this?
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Hope this helps…
Interestingly, with the broad acceptance of “gay” being a general insult, it has taken on a third meaning seperate of homophobia. There are many people, particularly teenagers, who have no problem with homosexuality whatsoever, may have gay friends or relatives that they love, or are even homosexuals themselves, who use the word “gay” to mean “bad.” Homosexuals who hear them say this will generally be offended by it, despite the fact that the person saying it didn’t mean it that way at all, which can lead to a great deal of confusion.
This is a fine line which is a matter of great dispute at the moment. I know one person, for example, who is a lesbian, and her younger sisters regularly say “that is so gay” without giving a single thought to the fact that “gay” can mean “homosexual.” At times, she gets offended by this and demands that they stop saying it, claiming that “if gay can be an insult then you are insulting gay people,” but other times she recognizes that it is said without the intent of classifying homosexuality as a bad thing.
The meaning of that phrase differs depending on who is saying it and who hears it. Many people still do consider homosexuality to be a bad thing and say “that is so gay” meaning just that. Others don’t mean that at all, but use the word just because they hear it used so often in that way.
By way of comparison, consider this: in high school I knew two brothers who were jewish, but when frustrated, would regularly exclaim “Jesus Christ!” This exclamation meant nothing about their religious beliefs – they were simply so used to hearing the name used to express those feelings that it came out naturally, without thought to what it actually referred to.
In general, it’s best not to use that phrase if you don’t want to risk offending someone. Many people will not care how you intended it, only about the word itself.
I hope this helps!
Since being gay has a negative connotation it used to describe other things that are “wrong”.