It’s just not funny anymore

Here’s the thing, I know that our society has become very politically correct. I understand that sometimes a person really is joking or being sarcastic. I can be the exact same way, but if it truly affects or bothers a person, it shouldn’t be funny.

Gay, in technical terms, does indeed mean happy. However, as soon as “that’s so gay” comes out of your mouth, everyone knows you don’t mean happy. Why is gay being used as a derogatory term? When instead, it just means a person loves someone from the same gender.

I don’t hear anyone use the terms like “jocks” or “nerds” to describe a group of people anymore, so why are people still saying “gay”?

According to an article that appeared in The Guardian, “If a young person, growing up gay, constantly hears the word being used to refer to something that’s disliked, useless or stupid, they are quite naturally going to feel that reflects on them. They are going to feel disliked, useless and stupid. And young gay people have enough to deal with already.”

I don’t see why labels are necessary in the first place. Someone loves someone from the same gender? That’s amazing, because it makes them happy. Our generation has improved immensely on accepting people for who they are. But some people still harbor the mindset that if a man and another man are together, it’s wrong.

Here’s the thing about labels, just because it’s easy to call someone by their sexual orientation, does not mean it defines them.

Being quick to assume a person’s sexual orientation is incredibly disrespectful. If the person is, in fact, from the LGBTQ+ community, make sure that they don’t mind you referencing part of their identity as who they are.

Some people don’t care, and others want you to know that their orientation does not define them.

Even though using “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” towards a person may not affect them, they may find it easier to let it roll off their back.

A friend once said to me, “I realize that most of the time that people say stuff like that, they don’t realize what they’re saying and don’t mean it in that way, so I try not to take it personally.”

One could effectively argue that you had not intended to offend someone, that you were just joking around and that it meant nothing. But words leave a lasting effect, whether they were meant to be true or not.

As a society, we need to realize that some men are more “feminine” than others, this does not make them gay. Some women are more “masculine” than others, this does make them a lesbian. Some men dress nicer than others, this does not make them gay. Even if someone does fit this stereotype, people shouldn’t be quick to judge. We need to get the notion out of our head that same gender love is wrong. When in actuality, love is universal and everyone needs to accept it as a normal part of life.