That's so gay
By Ali the Sexpert
October 3, 2007
 “That is so gay.” We’ve all heard the phrase used before. It is usually used as a synonym to mean stupid, disagreeable or dumb. Some people feel that it is fine to use this phrase while others strongly oppose its use. This phrase is a hotly debated topic in public schools and high schools right now because it is raising concern from the harassment and bullying that is taking place and how this word is incorporated in discriminatory violence against people who are perceived to be gay by their peers. There has been a backlash from people who feel it is completely inappropriate to use this phrase because it is offensive to many.
The evolution of “Gay”
According to Wikipedia.com, the word gay has a long history. Its origins have been noted as being French and German. The word gay originally referred to a feeling, mood or emotion, which described positive associations such as carefree, happy, or bright. These meanings of the word gay were commonly used in the twentieth century. This word then became attributed to a person’s sexual orientation in the seventeenth century. The meaning during this time referred to a person who was “addicted to pleasures and dissipations” and who had “loose morals”. By the late nineteenth century, a prostitute or people who engaged in extra-marital affairs were referred to as having a “gay life”. The word gay was also adopted as people’s first name or used to refer to plays in the theater. The word “homosexual” is also linked into the meaning of this phrase, but it has more to do with medical history and language.
The History of Homosexual
Dr. James Kiernan of Chicago who researched and wrote about sexual perversions first used the word homosexual. Kiernan used the term “pure homosexuals” when describing someone who had the mental capacity of the biologically opposite sex. This term was also used for describing a person who was a rebel of gender norms, which we refer to today as gender bending.
Richard von Krafft-Ebing was the next person to define sexual labels in the nineteenth century. His work became famous because he pathologized and medicalized descriptions of sexuality, which have led to our modern Western understandings of the word homosexual. Krafft-Ebing’s definition of a homosexual was described as a “contrary sexual instinct,” or the opposite of “hetero-sexual,” which was a non-reproductive pathological sexual desire towards the same sex. The popularity of these concepts gave him great public power, and his definitions led to the earliest notions of conversion since he believed that homosexuals (perverts) should be “cured” of their sexual perversion. Homosexuality became a “mental illness” and was classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Kraft-Ebing’s definitions of what is normal and abnormal are still used today, and some people still believe that having a non- heterosexual orientation makes you a pervert even though history shows that this was not always the case.
The Importance of Language
 Since the clinical and medicalized word “homosexual” was something that was socially constructed, so was the word “gay”. By the mid-twentieth century, the word “gay” was well established as an antonym for straight or heterosexual, and referred to respectability. The negative connotations were then attributed with the word “homosexual” in opposition of that. Homosexual also became a synonym for the word “gay” to refer to abnormality and immorality. The word gay was also associated with being effeminate, flamboyant and portraying ridiculous sexual deviance.
With the rise in the common use of the word “gay” came new meanings for the word. What was once used to refer to a happy mood was now being used as an adjective (he is gay), a plural noun (gays want equal rights), a singular noun (he identifies as a gay man), as well as used in titles of organizations such as “LGBTQ” (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning). With so many uses, another negative phrase was born - “That’s so gay.”
The Debate of “That’s So Gay”
Some people who chose to use this phrase argue that it is their right under the Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms to use any word they chose to describe anything they desire. They feel that this right is more important than the negative message they could be sending to others about their choice of words. Some people also feel that it is a harmless phrase and that everyone knows when they use this phrase; they are referring to something stupid, not to a person’s sexual orientation.
 People who oppose the use of this phrase do so for a number of reasons. They feel that when you use the word “gay” as a synonym to mean stupid, you are giving the message that it is okay to say that it is stupid to be gay. Or you are giving the impression that using that phrase means it is okay to use negative connotations towards a group of people while continuing to remain ignorant of the history or the discrimination that phrase continues to uphold. It is also an undesirable phrase to use because “that’s so gay” is considered to be discriminatory towards a person’s sexual orientation. People who are offended by the use of this word feel it is just as offensive as phrases like “that’s so heterosexual,” or “that’s so black,” or “that’s so male.” They feel that using a phrase that could demean any group of people is discriminatory.
So it is your choice to use this phrase or not, however, it is important to realize that there is a history and it is a negative one. You could be offending many people by using it. So think about why you use this phrase and decide if it is something that represents you and your value system appropriately, because your choice of words does reflect this to others. Always remember that language is a powerful tool, and your words reflect meaning regardless of the intention you have behind them. So what may seem harmless could be perceived as discriminatory towards someone else.
Ali the Sexpert is a researcher and teacher in the field of sexuality. She has an Honours B.A. in Sociology (Windsor); a MA degree in Sociology (Windsor); is currently pursuing a second MA in Social Work. Campus Kiss is currently syndicated at universities across Canada.
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