I, being a huge proponent for LGBT rights, try to limit my use of that phrase as much as possible, but it still happens. You hear it so much in our culture and it's bound to slip out at some point, and it really doesn't always have to mean the person is homophobic. We all have phrases and sayings that we picked up from our culture and community that we use without even thinking about, but I agree people should be much more conscience of what they say when it's regarding a serious matter (I.e. the phrases "That's so gay" or "That's retarded", etc.)

I just assume the people who use the word "gay" are either mentally or socially incompetent. That's all I can do. Either that or they are simply 12 years old.

oh. my. gawd. puke in my fucking mouth.
can everyone just stop with the politcal correctness bullshit? This isn't Orwell's 1984, we shouldn't be eliminating words from the popular use dictionary just because it offends people.
When people get upset over verbal behavior, I tend to laugh because 99.9% of things that occur in daily life are far more important than this stupid bullshit.
"Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me"
Life isn't fair, we don't live in a sterile bubble, get off your high horse, and seriously just ignore most of the crap that spews from people's mouths on a daily basis.

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga - i dont think this has anything to do with political correctness.  political correctness would be, "no more jokes about homosexuality b/c homosexuals have had it bad enough already."  Or, "from now on we can only say 'homosexual' because the term 'gay' is offensive."  this is about straight up disrespect, immaturity, and - frankly - improper use of the english language

@bdel008 - it has everything to do with political correctness. When I was going through training for my current job, we honestly spent the whole first day talking about how we're supposed to refer to and talk about people that we work with. I work with "persons who have intellectual disabilities", which most of society thinks of as any range of things from "retarded" to "autistic"... you name it. At one point, scientific literature referred to these individuals as Mentally Retarded, etc., and now it's deemed offensive to even say that someone is "autistic". You're actually supposed to say that they are "a person who has autism". 
Language, connotations derived from it, and the popular use of it changes so quickly in this day and age it's hard to keep up. I think everyone honestly just needs to lighten up about things like the use of the term "gay" and "retarded" when it's being used in the form you are describing. It's completely obvious to any listener who isn't hypersensitive that the speaker is not actually referring to "gay" people or so-called "retarded" people (or "homosexuals" and "intellectually disabled" people to be p.c. about it). I'm not afraid to catch hell for saying something, and I will readily defend my verbal behavior at any time, because it's ridiculous that people are down to arguing over such trivial bullshit.

No one says that any more... I haven't heard it since middle school/maybe a few times freshman year. Of course theres "no homo" but that's not really offensive.

My sisters use it all the time. I think it makes no sense.

But saying "that's so stupid" expresses negativity towards stupid people. How is it that we feel no remorse towards hatred of stupid people? It's not as if being stupid is the only defining characteristic of a person. They may be a good charitable person. They may be a hard working person... But they just happen to be stupid because well... They ain't got the genes.

I know stupid people are perceived as frustrating... But then so are gay people with their gay pride parades and their buttless chaps. I suppose we should tolerate buttless chaps but not someone who struggles to read.

I'm being a bit satirical of course... I personally don't understand being offended by stuff like this. Even though I certainly recognize how gay people are hated... I hardly think "that's so gay" should be considered hurtful to anyone other than the softest people. I don't like bigotry, but I also don't like thin skin.

I'm also rather serious about stupid people. We really do treat stupid people rather harshly... Often times we should be more understanding.

Absolutely. See, the word "retarded" means what most people use it for; slow, dumb, stupid. It can be used as an adjective because it is no longer is used medically. However, i have limits. I don't call people retarded (sometimes my brother, but we have all kinds of pet names for each other), but i might say, "Omg, that's so retarded" time & time again. But i stopped using "that's so gay" awhile ago because, to me, it just seemed like a pointless word. Why attach a negative connotation to something that means either homosexual or happy? It didn't make sense whatsoever so i replaced it with lame. I mean, i don't get all up in arms when i hear it said around me because it was my personal choice not to say it, because it didn't feel right to me. I can't stand it when people are like, "Oh, you can't say that! I don't say that! It's a bad word! How would you feel if someone was like, 'oh, that's so Jesse'?!" O.o Especially when they're straight. I mean, i'm bisexual & i really don't get offended when people say it. I just don't like saying it, myself.

@katie - Oh, I know.  I hate it when people use the word gay.  As a happy person, I get genuinely offended when I hear someone say that they are gay.  One of my homosexual friends is depressed so why the hell is he going around saying he's gay?  As as gay person, I say shame on you. 

Seriously, if people went around not saying anything that would possibly offend someone, nothing would get said or done. 

By the way, my depressed gay friend said to stop being so sensitive because you are giving a bad reputation to gays everywhere. 

@SuperEvilPopTart64@xanga - I hate it when people use "gay" to mean dumb.

Just as you're using "dumb" to mean "stupid?" If "gay" to mean "stupid" is prejorative to members of the LGBT community, then your "dumb" is belittling of the physically handicapped.

 1: That's not what it means, 2: you're implying that to actually BE gay...

The larger point, though, should be that the meanings of words change. Through evolving useage and  understanding, old words gain new meaning and new application.

Just as "gay", through the past century of useage had come to reference homosexuals, "gay" had gained the additional utility in school-yard name-calling or straigt-forwad expressions of negativity.

So fuck no: When I call John "gay" I don't have to mean happy. When I call the spring season "gay" I don't have to mean homosexual. When I blue-screens-of-death gay, it should be clear I neither mean happiness nor queerness.

...There are other, better, more appropriate terms (in terms of both definition and social meaning). Use them.

This should be up to the speaker, right? It is up to his intent, literary toolbox, and understanding of his audience. The speaker should have avaliable to him his full range of literary paint and toolbrush to make his meaning.

This itself doesn't immunizie speakers and writers from criticisms for insensivity and offense, but this sort of censorship you're calling for isn't necessary.

@katie - I've read these comments and WOW. I am a gay adolescent and I cannot STAND hearing this around my high school, and out in public for that matter. People who claim "but that's not what I mean when I say it!", oh shut the fuck up with your bullshit excuses.

Certainly: Any speaker or writer ought to be atuned to the sensitivies of his or her audience. However, your hypersensitivity shouldn't effect my private use of the word in select company-- especially when useage of the word isn't spurred by some subcutaneous bigotry.

By themselves, niggardly, dumb, lame, and gyped wouldn't be taken with flagrant offense-- but I'd surely suppress their useage around African Americans, the hard of hearing, the physically hanidcaped, and those of Romani heritage.