i like the OP's stance. hah. Unfortunately he has another big ban next to him :(

I think it's a real problem that 'Gay' has really become an insult again, and I really don't like the fact it seems to be driven by young, western game playing teenagers, particularly in US and UK.

Not only is it just wrong to go for sexual orientation, but it re-enforces the stereotype of game players as being immature, homophobic idiots (although, sadly, clearly many are judging from your average game on certain on-line communities) which I find personally annoying.

Gamers whine about how they are viewed in press, etc. - well, using such behaviour simply plays right into that view.

In my country "fag" means cigarette.

I would be willing to bet that there have been numerous cases where Americans and various other folk who have come to England and heard us using the word fag frequently and have been extremely shocked. But that word flies here.

Things are all about perspective.

...

It's like Portuguese and Brazilian people, when I first heard a Portuguese speaker use the word "nigger" I was shocked. But the case is that the word to them is simply an adapted use of "negro" their word for the colour black. They don't neccessarily see the negative connotations that English speaking people do.

im gay and im not offended by it at all. i actually use it sometimes. i *highly* doubt that when someone says "thats gay", they mean that its homosexual. more than likely they mean its lame. so why it would offend gay people, i dont know.

i think the whole situation is wayyyyy overblown, and its a lot of fuss about nothing. surely there's something more worthwhile to spend the money on?

Back in the old days, gay was a good thing: "Oh, we had such a gay time at the carnival". Now, it's an insult: "Oh, we had such a gay time at the carnival".

I can think of no greater barometer of a person's immaturity than their use of the word gay as an insult. Find someone who says "that's gay" and low and behold, they are incredibly immature.

words have the meaning you give them.. calling something gay in this context has nothing to do with homosexuality whatsoever. i'm gay and i don't give a shit, i say "that's gay" all the time. the people who get offended by that are creating their own connection between two completely unrelated definitionsssssssssssssss

more importantly, don't take yourself too seriously or you won't enjoy your life at all. don't be gay. :)

I agree, it's not like it's increidibly insulting, it's just that there's no reason at all to use it and you have a thousand of other words you can perfectly use without having to misuse a word. Even if gay before meant happy, now it does not. Words change meaning all the time, it happens.

Now, if anyone says "that's so gay", I'm not gonna call people with burning torches saying "he's homophobe, burn him!", but I will think the word was misused and that the one who said it has an increidibly limited vocabulary

We're allowed to burn homophobes? Cool.

*highwaystar101 grabs torch, lights it and goes to known local homphobe's house*

Actually homophobes largely deserve pity more then anything else based on the scientific research.

Homophobia as a stance doesn't seem to have the same origins of other phobias. 

Although it itself puts homosexuality in a negative light this is the best analogy i can think of at the moment.

For most homophobes research suggests they hate and fear gay people for the same reason recovering alcholics hate and fear bars.

IE most homophobes are closet homosexuals, even to themselves... and as such being around gay people and gay acts makes them incredibly uncomfortable because it confuses them since they have such urges.