"Gay" and gay slurs used as insults

I tend not to mind people calling things gay, to me it's kind of like retarded, not the nicest thing to say, but not bad enough to get worked up over. Though people who use t repeatedly get on my nerves.

Faggot on the other hand I absolutely hate. I personally don't see any context where faggot can be used and not be offensive.

 

It only bothers me whenever the person knows I'm gay and is trying to provoke me. The more aggressive terms or if someone says it angrily I will feel offended. Most of the time, though, I don't mind. Hell, I even use gay slurs so I wouldn't ever get onto my friends for saying them unless it's in the context of "I want to beat the shit out of that fucking queer" which they have said before. -sigh- Ignorance.

 

I think the fact that "gay" and "faggot" are used as derogatory words says more about the culture that created and encourages those uses of the word than the person using them thusly.

That said, when someone uses "gay" to mean anything other than queer or uses "faggot" as an insult, the impression it gives me is that they are so lacking in intellect that they can't come up with a more creative or unique insult than "gay" or "faggot", and that they are so non-reflective and non-critical that they don't even think about the meaning and impact of the words that come out of their mouth. Suffice it to say that I don't hold people in either category in high regard.

 

You mean like, how "swag", "yolo", and "epic" are not insulting?

 

Can't say it really bothers me. I hear them so much playing online games that I I've become desensitized to it.

 

I find it offensive when people call things gay since it usually means something stupid or dumb, so in turn they are saying gay people are stupid/dumb without necessarily meaning it that way whether they really believe they are or not. It's degrading to gay people any way you look at it. As for gay slurs, there is no appropriate time to use them, even if you are gay and calling another gay person a fag/faggot in a non-hostile manner. Gay slurs carry a lot of negative connotations with them.

 

Well, a day doesn't go past when I don't hear someone say 'Oh, that's so gay.' That doesn't bother me.

However, I do get a little angry and annoyed when I hear people saying 'fag' 'homo' or 'queer'. Particularly when used in a context such as 'You're such a fag, Toby. Bet you love to suck dick.' It encourages the social climate in my school which is keeping people closeted.

 

Personally, I think it is extremely offensive when people use "gay" as an insult or to describe something as stupid.

Couldn't agree more

 

For me, the words ''faggot'' and ''gay'' really don't bother me no matter the context because I've heard it so much. I sometimes catch myself using these two words, too.

 

its pretty offensive, if only b/c it reinforces homophobia and stuff than b/c its actually offensive on its own

 

This feels hard to answer, because as of yet I haven't been personally insulted with any such slurs [one of the few benefits of not being completely out (heh)] and also that the words are sometimes used casually by both straight and LGBT people without any intent insult, yet I know that they do justifiably offend some people.

While I can't say at this time I'm personally offended, neither can I say it wouldn't bother me, so I'd like to do what I can so the words aren't mindlessly used and possibly hurt others.

 

I do find these kinds of things offensive, especially faggot. I know it's become a social norm to use them causally and without malicious intent, but it reinforces homophobia. I know the meaning of different words go through a sort of "evolution" (or perhaps devolution) throughout the years, but why can't people use "gay" or "homo" in an endearing way?

I have a couple friends, two girls, who say they're straight (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), but they call each other "homo" because they're best friends and have some sort of a special bond, or something...I don't know. Anyway, this doesn't bother me so much because it's used in a positive way. So yes, context matters, but generally when I hear people use "gay," "homo," or "faggot," it's used in a derogatory manner.

Exactly! I know I stayed in the closet a lot longer than I would have if people weren't always using "gay" offensively. Even now as I think about coming out to more people, hearing language like that makes me hesitate to come out to anyone.

 

I really don't like it. I hate when people use gay as in insult just as much as they use retarded and the N word. Mainly because if you say that you're using them as an insult, like being gay is stupid. I dunno. I don't get upset when my gay friends don't agree with me. I actually sit next to these guys at lunch that say "you're so gay!"or "that's gay!" all the time, and eventually I said something about it, all I said was "gay is not an insult." and they apologized, haha. they said they didn't mean to offend me and that if they say it again to just tell them to stop again. I thought that was cool. It makes me realize that people aren't saying it to try and hurt the gay community, it's just something they're used to that's hard to stop, like a bad habit. So I try not to get too upset by it.

 

True! When I came out to one of my friends, he mentioned exactly this. He apologized for anytime he may have used "gay" or "faggot" offensively. It has just kind of become engrained in people's vocabulary that they don't think twice about saying this stuff.

 

I find it incredibly hurtful.

 

it makes me feel uncomfortable and unsafe

also "context" arguments only rly apply to people inside of the joke. everyone outside who hears it, it either reinforces their homophobia (casual or otherwise) or it upsets closeted people and i mean why would you want to do that what is wrong with you stop it it's rly mean

21 people do get it though so if yall could explain that'd be cool

 

My friends used to always say "That's gay" or "Faggot" in derogatory terms. I never really cared for it and they knew it. After eight years of knowing some of them they have drastically reduced the amount of times they say "gay" in a derogatory manner and when they do say it they will also say "sorry" at the end.

I don't like it when people use those terms for derogatory reasons, but it isn't like I'll say something about it either. To me it's only a minor nuisance.