Is gay the only word for gays?
 

Looking at the Joe X-factor non-story today it seems like gay is now the only word one can safely use to describe a homosexual or lesbian. Actually I suppose lesbian is still used.

Are there any other acceptable words?

I notice Joe is described as straight by many media but if he were gay would not have been described as bent!

Is straight the only word to describe a heterosexual?

As it is the norm of around 96% of the population it needs no name as it is the assumed sexuality.

There is other words... but gay is fine, can't see why we need a wide range of words. lol.

Of course it is! Thats the norm, the majority! Most people in this world are straight. Thanks for that brilliant scoop. I did not know.

d's question is perfectly legitimate. BEcause, honestly, if you use any other terms, than Gay, Homosexual, bi, for me at least, anything else you use, is for prejudice reasons (some people do use other terms, not offensive). A lot of the bad names for homosexuals, are usually now used as an insult, to straight people!
We all know, what the offensive terms are, used basically for showing intolerance. Lets not BS, and pretend like we dont know.
So, sorry, if you use any of those terms, its mainly malicious, and you know it. SO dont front!!

ever so slightly on the defence from the off!

It is a genuine question, it seems that gay, a term that did not mean gay 25 years ago is the current acceptable term, are there any more? What happened to queer, for example?

I am not asking not realising that there are lots of slang terms that are used to subjugate but as the word gay is now used as an insult in our schools how long will that term last?

I would imagine that the BBC and the broadsheet newspapers have some guidelines that address this contentious issue.

Pretty much.

other words arent needed as most are insulting.

Have to say i still use gay as a quick insult to friends.. eg "your gay".

Dude, for me, I can see perfectly well, what youre trying to do! Some wont! But I can see it miles away. Just too typical. I am not even gonna try to explain it.

Thats what I said in my post. A lot of term, to insult straight guys, have to do with calling people gay. I think people need to stop doing that, I even do it sometimes, from old, ignorant habits. But I work ti not do it anymore.

I call everyone a Puff haha, even my gay mates.

chip on your paranoid shouldersville:hugesmile:

Yeah i still do it through habit, it doesnt really mean anything its just like a reaction insult like saying "your mum".

My mate who has just started work where i work said to one of the girls your gay and she was like "actually im bi"

He went so red lol.

so calling a person who is not gay, gay in an ironic way is still acceptable?

Thats fine. People you know, and hang out with, you have your own vibes together. Amongst my friends, who knows what you call each other. Friends insult one another just for fun. :laugh:
BUt for people I dont know, I will give them the same respect as any other individual.

I do it too. I'm not over-sensitive to all this shite. Homophobic people seem to be more sensitive to what you can and can't say.

What difference does it really make anyway...

I only call them a puff when they act like it haha, I dont like gay acting people so when my gay mates go camp I take the mick out of them haha.

interesting view..

Interesting how?

"Homophobic people seem to be more sensitive to what you can and can't say"


so if i go around calling gay people ******s, queers, dykes, lesbos and benders I am less likely to be a homophobe?

No. I don't go around calling people all of the above, but by the same token I'm not over-sensitive about what I can and can not say.

I think over-sensitivity, for the most part, is caused by feeling like you don't relate to people in a certain group.. in this instance.. homosexuals.

I don't really think about the sexuality of the people around me any more than I think about their taste in food or music. It's simply just not an issue.

And thats, how they do it!

Everyone, gets a day, when they witness it, first hand.

so if you met a person who you found very attractive you would not wonder about them sexually?

No. For several reasons.

I'm married and not looking for someone.

If I were single and looking, I'd get to know them and establish whether the attraction was mutual. If they weren't into girls, then it would be pretty clear they weren't into me.

I don't tend to question the reasons why someone isn't into me. They either are or they aren't. I'm not about to get my knickers in a twist over the reason.

Maybe they just think I'm ugly. Maybe they don't like my personality. Maybe they aren't into girls. Does it matter? Fact remains, I didn't score in this hypothetical situation.

I will take that as a yes then

How on earth did you take that as a 'yes'?

Did I misunderstand your question? I thought you were asking me if I thought about whether someone was gay or straight in the event that I found them attractive.

Why do you feel the need for another word other than Gay??? Have you got some issues with that word or something LT??

no, but my point is that the word gay is being more used as a term of abuse so what else will there be after that becomes the norm, for example?

Exactly. The papers would be like "GAY JOE WINS X FACTOR" but last year it wasn't "BLACK ALEX WINS X FACTOR".

The same principle applies imo.

How is it being used as a term of abuse?

by da kids and by 2 peeps in this thread it would seem, amongst other words!

not quite, as skin colour is dictated by climate and by parents. sexual proclivity may be more nurture than nature. your examples are not on the same playing field.

and that would not be the headline in either situation.

It depends what side of the fence you fall on whether you believe its nature or nurture. There are strong arguments for both sides.

I think discrimination is discrimination whether natural or not. And I do think that if Joe was out as gay then the papers wouldn't stop reminding us he is a gay winner.

we get the fact that is is a Geordie a lot more

Well, If people use it as term of abuse, they are going to use any word meaning homosexual as a term of abuse really

I see you're still working on your Christmas List LT.
"Darkies - check. Nappy heads - check. Puffs? Oh yes, puffs. Right, that's the next one on my hit list"

No I've heard the words queer and bent used.

that would only work if you were seen as funny..

because he hasn't said he is gay

no, he was just on 5 live and he said that he has no penis but just a small flap of skin. he carries a small copper pipe that he uses to urinate and has not defecated since 2002.

ugh bitch plz. xxx

and um, what about ******? i luff that one <3