Closet Talk: Your Clothes Aren’t Gay
Oh, that’s gay. That’s sooo gay. That’s like, totes uber gay. Ugh. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that awful phrase… uber.
Okay, obviously I’m joking. My real gripe is with the word “gay” – a word that represents me – being used to express dislike and hate. I hear so many things called gay: homework, exams, traffic… One time, I even heard a girl say, “My mom and dad are so gay!”
What the hell does that even mean? Was she adopted?
There are so many expressions about other minorities that people wouldn’t dare to say, but quips like “that’s so gay” and “no homo” are everywhere.
It’s ridiculous. The word gay used to mean happy. Now it means the complete opposite. It’s like when hipsters call something bad, but really mean it’s good, but truly mean it’s bad, but ultimately mean nothing because they’re being “ironic.”
If we go by the original meaning, calling someone gay should be a compliment. Why doesn’t anyone ever say, “Oh my gosh, I love your bag! It’s so gay!”
One time, I was wearing a colorful jacket, and a passerby called it gay. Okay sure, I’m busted – my jacket prefers other jackets of the same sex. That totally explains the homoerotic magazines in my pocket. Inside were explicit pictures of jackets taking it up the sleeve. They popped their collars, unzipped each other, turned inside out, and completely exposed their tags. There were even some spicy interracial photos of a jacket with a muumuu.
Seriously, being gay isn’t a punchline. I was born with this identity, carrying a burdening secret. Growing up, I heard countless false, misleading, and downright cruel things about who I was and what I might become. It’s unfair.
I’m all for freedom of speech, but if you know you’re saying something hurtful, do you really want to be the person who keeps saying it anyway?
Let’s consider some creative alternatives: that’s so vile! that’s so applesauce! that gives me the collywobbles! what a load of hooey! horseapples! poppycock! that’s so uber jacket!
My point is, words have power, and in today’s world, members of the LGBTQ+ community already face enough challenges. So next time you’re frustrated with life, remember: the world isn’t gay… I am.
49 Comments
CharlieIsADemigod
It’s unfair when people say stuff like this! Just because a boy’s wearing pink (for example) doesn’t mean that you can go and call them gay.
Isabel
My Brothers call my clothes gay all the time. Then I call their clothes cats (since I hate saying bad things) and they're like "Wtf?!"
Stephanie
It's silly how we are constantly changing the meaning of words so we have to keep making new ones. It's odd how a word that just used to mean happy, then meant that you like other people of the same sex, then went straight to a derogatory term. I sometimes wonder how the first jump began in the first place? Not to mention telling someone they are gay is a poor insult anyway. "You are so gay!" "why, yes, I am extrodinarily happy! It's too bad that you're life is so meaningless that you have to try to insult others with such poor creativity."
In order to not be offended by people's misuse of words I try to think of their sentences in literal terms. For example, if someone were to say "school is so gay" I imagine a school filled with rainbows and people of the same sex hand in hand prancing around happily, with unicorns and nyan cat thrown in for good measure. If someone were to say "that flower is retarded" I say "Well, if it isn't growing fast enough, maybe you should water it!".
Clint
I think people are overrated with the use of the word "gay". I mean, it's like they are using it as a word replacement.
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