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Hilary Duff fights 'that's so gay'
Filed under: Tweens, Teens, Life & Style, In The News, Media, Day Care & Education
Look up the word "gay" in the dictionary and you will find eight entries. Most of those entries refer to good moods, bright colors, social pleasures and wanton behavior. But entry number seven is the one that defines the word as it is most commonly used these days: a homosexual person, especially a male.
But there is another use of the word that the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) would like to discourage: the all-purpose put-down so popular with teens. If a young person looks at something and says "that's so gay", that doesn't mean they think it is happy, colorful or anything else positive. The phrase is a catchall that has come to mean ugly, bad or otherwise undesirable. And this, of course, is offensive.
In an effort to reduce and prevent this sort of of homophobic language among teens, the GLSEN has launched the Think B4 You Speak campaign. Hilary Duff has joined the effort by filming a television ad in which she calls out two teen girls who use the phrase "that's so gay" to describe a shirt they don't like. I hope the ad not only makes people think twice about the words they use, but maybe some will follow Duff's example and stand up to those who just don't get it.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2008 @ 5:02PM
pbhj said...Hmm fascinating - by which I don't mean that Duff is an evil witch attempting to cast a spell on us - someone taking out an advert to subvert a change in word use that has already happened. "that's gay" was a phrase used antagonistically at least 16 years ago.
"And this, of course, is offensive."
Is it really?
Presume she'll be calling people up for lame, spaz, etc. too?
Reply
10-24-2008 @ 7:00PM
me said...thats so gay! meaning: thats stupid!!!! get over it
Reply
10-28-2008 @ 6:42PM
Andrew said...It's actually worse for gay kids if we spread the idea that they're so weak they can't even take having the word 'gay' used to mean anything but homo or happy.
We should be telling kids to buck up and just shrug it off so it can't be used against them even if someone tried.
It doesn't even mean homo at all half the time already, and I believe that gay kids are strong enough to face that.
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11-24-2008 @ 12:28PM
caitlin said..."It's actually worse for gay kids if we spread the idea that they're so weak they can't even take having the word 'gay' used to mean anything but homo or happy."
How is that worse? I would argue that it is worse for a person who is gay, whether they are open or not hear someone say "That's gay' whether they are referencing what someone did the night before, or a ugly shirt someone is wearing. The person saying 'that's gay' is connecting the word gay with something that is unacceptable in the speaker's eyes. How can that simply be shrugged off? Comments like these can hurt people's feelings and I think the responsible thing to do is step into the shoes of another person who may be offended and see how it might feel.
I think that if someone is offended by the phrase 'that's gay' shouldn't just stand by and listen, they should 'buck up' and say something. This response back might actually spark a discussion about the issue and hey...maybe both parites can learn something in that situation.
Sure, some people arn't offended by this phrase (myself included), but some people are and I know I am trying not to say it at all. I am in college and in one of my classes "that's gay" or "your so gay" is a phrase I hear at least 3 times every class..no lie. Usually it doesnt bother me but after a whole semester of people not being able to come up with something different to say instead of 'thats gay' really bothered me. My father is gay and happily married and I know that they would probably be offended if they know how often this phrase came up.
People arn't going to stop saying 'thats gay' so maybe we can just fine tune it and say "thats so two males having a relationship"...maybe then it will click and people will say wow that makes no sense at all.
Reply
12-19-2008 @ 3:24PM
Xav said...Those who oppose this ad have no reasoning other than their own ignorance. Basically, you're saying, "Awwww, but we like saying 'gay' as an insult!"
Kinda like ignorant rappers who insist they mean nothing by saying 'ho' or swiping credit cards through models' buttcracks.
Reply
1-09-2009 @ 5:51PM
No said...Cracks me up. It's ok for some in the gay community to call each other f** and other nasty names as jokes and call thing "gay" but it's not ok for others to do it.
This is as ridiculous as when minorities call each other the N word and then get mad at others for doing it.
These ads should also be addressing people within these groups that feel it's an inside thing to use these words/terms as well. If you don't want someone using various negative terms or words then stop spreading them yourself for fun.
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