I said, "If you want to have the illusion that it's positive," but it would seem that we've reached an impasse as far as understanding goes.
I was also bullied for all of my school career, both my students and other teachers. I continue to have people who attempt to bully me for my beliefs and identity in everyday life. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is that male students who are perceived as gay, whether they are or not, are killing themselves because slurs are continually thrown at them and they see, "That's so gay!" to mean bad every day of their lives on TV or online and it drives them to the belief that who they are is fundamentally wrong.
It doesn't change the fact that when people who are not gay use gay, it's generally used as a negative.
It's simply a point I brought up to mention that even offensive words can change meaning and be use nonoffensively.
You're right, but RIGHT NOW, gay is generally used as a negative. Sitting in on your chats would only prove that for your tiny subsection of the world, it's somehow used to mean 'awesome' whereas for most of the rest of the world and the media it's used to mean, "stupid, effeminate (as a negative towards men), flamboyant (as a negative towards men)" and generally has a negative meaning.
Using gay in any context other than to refer positively to gay men, i.e., when they do it self-referentially, contributes to homophobia.
no subject
I was also bullied for all of my school career, both my students and other teachers. I continue to have people who attempt to bully me for my beliefs and identity in everyday life. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is that male students who are perceived as gay, whether they are or not, are killing themselves because slurs are continually thrown at them and they see, "That's so gay!" to mean bad every day of their lives on TV or online and it drives them to the belief that who they are is fundamentally wrong.
It doesn't change the fact that when people who are not gay use gay, it's generally used as a negative.
It's simply a point I brought up to mention that even offensive words can change meaning and be use nonoffensively.
You're right, but RIGHT NOW, gay is generally used as a negative. Sitting in on your chats would only prove that for your tiny subsection of the world, it's somehow used to mean 'awesome' whereas for most of the rest of the world and the media it's used to mean, "stupid, effeminate (as a negative towards men), flamboyant (as a negative towards men)" and generally has a negative meaning.
Using gay in any context other than to refer positively to gay men, i.e., when they do it self-referentially, contributes to homophobia.