Being gay in the Bay Area of California isn't something unusual. It is one of the most accepting places for gays and lesbians to live in the entire country. Why, then, is homophobia and discrimination so apparent in Bay Area High schools? The answer to that question is simply the miseducation or lack of awareness in schools about queer issues.
As an out lesbian in a Bay Area high school, I've experienced and witnessed both direct and indirect discrimination directed towards gays. I hear phrases like, "that's gay" or epithets like "faggot" or "dyke." The problem is not that I'm not accustomed to that type of language, but the fact that I've had to grow accustomed to it. This type of language is equivalent to the usage of the "n" word or any other racial slur, whether that is widely accepted opinion or not.
I'm not sure when it became cool to refer to something as "gay," or, technically, "happy." Would I make any sense at all if I referred to something I didn't like as "straight" or "bi?" No. Another issue with this phrase is that people fail to understand exactly what is offensive about it. Well, let me just ask, what is meant by "that's gay?" It's negative in almost every case. So, the thing that is offensive is the choice of the word. Would it be so hard to say, "that's stupid" or "that's lame?" I don't think so.
The usage of the word "faggot" is especially unacceptable, yet I hear this word daily. The people that can impact this type of epithet in classrooms are not the children using them, but the staff. If a white kid called me the "n" word, there'd most definitely be consequences. But if a boy calls another boy a "faggot" there seems to be a serious lack of punishment. This is unjust and not acceptable.
This type of environment makes it especially difficult for gay individuals –closeted or out– to attend school comfortably. It is the school's responsibility to ensure that students feel safe and welcome. What are public schools doing about these issues?
I couldn't agree more with you on this one. It makes it extremely uncomfortable to be in school and it should not be like that. Calling someone queer or dyke is relatively the same as calling someone the "n" word. So why is there a lack of punishment?
There are so many people out there speaking for and against you..I'm glad you stepped up.
Keep it coming!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
"I hear phrases like, "that's gay""
I mean, of course this phrase comes from a derogatory place, and isn't exactly PC, but I don't consider it to be homophobic. I think that when people say something is "gay," it isn't neccisarily related to homosexuality at all. I think that it has sort of branched out as a completely separate definition. Like when someone calls someone else a "pussy." They don't actually mean that they're a vagina. I do think that the phrase is inapropriate, but try not to take it too personally (if you can), because I think many people who use the term think of it as just a word, and may be very accepting of homosexuality.
Associating the word "gay" with the ideas of "stupid", "lame", "substandard", "weak", and "bad" to be homophobic. Just as I, a Jew, wouldn't mind the word "Jew" being associated with "greedy", "corrupt", and "evil".
Actually, that's a lie. I'd be screaming "ANTI-SEMITISM" at the top of my lungs, and I'd be perfectly justified in doing so. As are the GLBT youth who scream "HOMOPHOBIA" at the top of theirs.
Now lets deconstruct your two examples. You are a straight (I'm going to be presumptuous here) male. You chose "gay" and "pussy" as your two examples. You are neither.
Your position also holds "I accept you, but let me continue to be bigoted because I am too intellectually lazy to accurately describe a situation ", and you do not understand why this offends GLBT youh?
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"We cannot redeem evil, we must combat it." -- Jean Paul Sartre
I just called to say how much I care, oh I do!
I'm sorry about the lapse into Lionel Richie, but I do. It's true. That was an excellent response, and I, for one, GREATLY appreciate it. Allies rock. Especially enlightened allies.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
It's his daughter Nicole who I have issues with . . . Although she seems to be attempting to get her act together, so I may revise my opinion.
I never really got why our society has always resisted giving rights to people who did not previously have them. It's just so -- dare I say it -- unAmerican. Keep fighting the good fight, because for as long as you do, I -- and people like me -- will have your back.
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"We cannot redeem evil, we must combat it." -- Jean Paul Sartre
I hate it when people use those words. It is very offensive and they shouldn't be using those terms. What happened to when gay used to mean happy? Why does it now have to be used to express the dislike of something?
i confess i am guilty of using the words "gay" and "faggot" often.
and everytime, the concept of homosexuality never crosses my mind.
and i have sat down, and thought about what they have come to actually mean, and decided in my mind not to use them anymore, but then, of course, i do.
i completely agree with you, they ARE equivalent to the "n" word.
thank you for pointing this out. your case was wonderfully stated.
People like you - the people who THINK about and KNOW what they are saying is wrong - are a rarity in schools like mine. Whenever I try to explain how saying things like that is offensive, most people compltely miss the point and think I'm attacking them. When you get into the habit of saying something like "that's gay" often, it's a hard habit to break. It took me the longest time to stop saying "That's retarded." But I respect the fact that you are trying to stop. It means that you're taking other people's feelings into consideration.