Hi guys. I know we had talked about this a while ago in another thread, but I was just over at another board where a bunch of webmasters were talking about the use of the word gay to mean something derogatory but other than homosexual, as in "that's so gay". The main idea of the thread was that most people who use the word do not intend it to be derogatory towards gay people, it's just become a word that means something different now, so it's use is pretty much okay.

This was my response. What do you think about what I said? Was I too hard on them?

Well guys, I'm not thin skinned and I don't take offense easily, but I am gay, a homo, a fag and all those other words that people use, and I hate it when you all use these terms negatively. Next time you use the word "gay" to mean something that is "silly, pointless, finnicky" or any other derogatory meaning, try replacing your own name with the word "gay" and use it in the same way. "Dude, you crashed your van while drinking, you are such a Tenletters!". "Aw man, you totally made an ass out of yourself at that webmaster party, that's so Radial." How does that make you feel?

I know you may not mean for it to sound derogatory, but it is. Plain and simple, you can sugarcoat it any way you want, but that's how it is.

There's a scene in the movie "Girls Will Be Girls" where one character holds up a candy dish to another character who is a bit chunky, and says "Take these for the ride, you huge cow!". When everyone looks at her she says "What? I'm kidding". Of course the scene is done for laughs but it's obvious the person was trying to hurt the other one's feelings, but not take the blame for it. Like it or not, this is the same exact thing.

So don't say that gay people are being overly sensitve to this issue, and don't say you are only kidding, take a moment and think about why you use the words gay, fag, and homo in the ways that you do. Wether you do gay sites or not, gay people are part of your industry. We provide content to you, run your servers, post on your message boards, share meals and cocktails with you at shows, and work along side you. Just remember that.

Thanks.