Why did people use gay as an insult
by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer
Do you know what the word gay really means?
The word gay dates support to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” sense “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Antique High German “gahi,” definition impulsive.
For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to represent happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the 1600s.
At that time the essence of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might contain been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”
“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.
In the 1890s, the designation “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.
This latter use suggests that the younger guy was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the first times that gay was used implying a queer relationship.
In 1951, gay appeared in the
Boys more affected by gay insults
Hilde Slåtten recently submitted her PhD thesis, presenting the use of queer insults in the Norwegian lower secondary school and its damaging effects. Slåtten is a analyze fellow at the Department of Psychosocial Science at the University of Bergen.
“You’ve written a dissertation about how frequent Norwegian youth utilize gay nicknames as insults, to whom these words are directed, and to what extent the use of such words may generate depressive symptoms on the affected part. Why did you decide to examine this?”
“I think the topic is significant, and the whole thing started with my master’s thesis. Being a woman loving woman myself, I wanted to identify schools creating a pleasant climate for gays and lesbians. We hear that the word ‘gay’ is used as an insult among new people. It’s crucial to work against this, as it creates an awareness of homosexuality as something negative.”
“Are gay-related insults common?”
“In my study, 54 per cent of the boys had called a friend male lover during the past week. The identical applied to 30 per cent of the girls. 40 per cent of the boys had direc
Gay pupils insulted by homophobic phrases used at school
Gay, lesbian and bisexual philanthropy Stonewall is launching a poster campaign this week, fronted by Will Adolescent, to tackle the issue.
Copies of the fresh posters and guidance are being sent to around half of all secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales.
Wayne Dhesi, from Stonewall, says school children need to be taught that misusing the synonyms gay is wrong.
"People catch phrases such as, 'That's so gay' and 'You're so gay' being used to describe something that's negative or defective," he said.
"It perpetuates the stereotype that being gay, sapphic or bisexual is somehow wrong.
"Stonewall knows that it's a huge task to get that figure down but we would prefer to think that the campaign that we're putting into action today is a start."
More than half, 55%, of lesbian, gay and multi-attracted pupils told Stonewall that they had experienced straightforward bullying.
LGBTQIA+ Slurs and Slang
bog queen
Synonyms: Bathsheba (composition between bathroom and Sheba to build a name reminiscent of the Queen of Sheba), Ghost (50s, ghost, because they wander the corridors of the bathroom).
COMMENTARY: Why “That’s So Gay” Is Okay…Or Not
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Language is powerful. There are a lot of factors as to what gives it power (love, lust, ire, hate), and we all interpret what we listen differently based on our own experiences, our possess prejudices, or whatever mood we happen to be in at the second. In this day and age, or at least in my own petite social atmosphere, people come across to be more sensitive to language than they’ve ever been.
Words, phrases, and expressions that have historically been PC are no longer acceptable, depending on whom you’re speaking to. Some people think we’re in a language revolution, aggressively ridding the earth of hurtful words and phrases for the betterment of mankind. Others believe people are hypersensitive, creating a tense environment by making others hesitant to speak their minds even if what they hold to say is harmless.
Some words and phrases are definitely not okay to say, agreed upon by the general public living in modern society (e.g. several different ways to describe black people,