To think gay is not a pejorative

[arthurfowlersallotment]

It makes me wince when I hear people say 'urgh that's gay' to indicate something negative. Especially when it's an adult.

Gay as a window

Thanks. I always just thought it was really weird.

A couple of posters have referred to using 'gay' when talking about something romantic (as in man being slushy, therefore not very hetero, therefore gay). Most teenagers are not using it this way. It means crap, rubbish, useless, unwanted, unfashionable etc etc and can be applied to trainers, homework, and people among others.
It has this usage as being gay is also considered to be crap and undesirable. I would much prefer it became as unacceptable to say as words like paki or mongo, rather than anyone try to reclaim it. Negative speech about a group of people lays the groundwork for negative actions, negative laws etc.

Someone once said to me "the kids just say gay the way we said everything was 'Irish' when we were young - doesn't mean anything".

I challenge it where I hear it at school. 'this homework does not have a sexuality, it doesn't fancy homeworks of the same sex, it is not gay'
'no miss, I meant gay like rubbish'
'oh, you think being gay is rubbish?'
'no, it's not like that'
'so you'd be happy with people calling everything they found rubbish "Johnny" would you? This homework's so Johnny'

Until they get bored of hearing it and stop using gay as an insult.

I may steal that, Noblegiraffe