At Secondary school, many pupils and some teachers kept using the phrase “That’s so gay!” to refer bad or boring things happening. Premier League football teams would be referred to as “gay” if they lost a match regardless of the players’ sexuality. If a boy at school was behaving in a way that his friends didn’t like. His friends would say:
“Oi [insert name of boy here] stop being so f***ing gay! Stop being such a girl!”
I have heard a popular male DJ on a youth radio station use the phrase “That’s just gay!” to refer to people or events that he deemed rubbish or “stupid”. He used it frequently when trying to make jokes or be funny.
As a female I have never used this phrase. Other people around me using this phrase had made me feel socially uncomfortable even though I do not identify as lesbian or bi myself. It makes me feel upset for other people who might be hurt or feel ashamed by this phrase. I feel like that phrase puts a barrier on friendly or cooperative conversation with the person who says it.
And they said that school would enhance our “personal and social development” and teach us to “embrace diversity”. Lies. My schools regressed my personal social development and made it go backwards!
It probably didn’t do a lot for other people’s personal, social and sexual development either!