I think this idea is really awesome!

[purgatorysflame]

"One thousand one hundred thirty-eight flowers will be handed out at 11:38 a.m. next week in New York's Union Square to symbolize the 1,138 federal rights that come automatically with marriage, an institution denied same-sex couples. A display of 1,138 roses will be set up in

Comments

[jackieclark]

When I say "that's so gay," I'm NOT thinking "that's so homosexual." To me, it's just slang. If you worry about people being PC, you're going to be upset all the time. And I'm not saying that for the gay community, I'm saying that for you personally, Tom. I don't want you to get all pissed off because someone called something gay. It's unhealthy to be offened so frequently

[starryskies]

It might be slang, but it means something. I know this was directed at Tom, but every time I hear someone say "That's so gay," it really freaking bothers me. You might just see it as slang, but when I hear it, I hear you refer to something that you see as negative as gay. And I identify myself as gay. As the same word was used for both... so therefore if gay=negative and gay=me then me=negative. There's just no way around that.

[purgatorysflame]

Sweetheart, that phrase is a recent addition to "slang." So recent that I am 100% sure that many people use it because being queer is weird.

And whether or not you are thinking "that's so homosexual," you are reinforcing a negative stereotype towards gay people. Everytime you use "gay" to mean something demeaning, you are equating gay with something less than respectful towards the queer community.

If you don't say nigger, please don't say, "That's so gay."

I love you so much. This is why I'm a queer activist. People don't realize the destruction that they can wreak on someone with such simple prejudice. I want to change that.

[jackieclark]

This is for starryskies too. I guess because I'm not homosexual, I can't really understand how it can offend you so much. I just remember my gay friend (not Tom) yelling at me for calling something gay and then he went and called something retarded... you know cause that's so much better (sarcasm). After awhile I felt like if you're going to be PC about one thing you should be PC about everything... and that's just stressful. Then I just threw being pc out the window cause I had to censor myself all the time. I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

[purgatorysflame]

I do my best not to say retarded anymore. It makes life difficult sometimes to try to be politically correct, but I believe that it's the right thing to do.

[willifindmyself]

I'm gonna have to agree with Tom and Cary. After hearing that over and over at work, at school, by my closest friends, it really gets to you. Its not okay. Why do people seem to think that it is still okay to discriminate against queer identified people or women? I don't use retarded, gay, faggot, bitch, and other terms I find highly offensive. If anyone requests that I not use a term I will listen. I feel like there are so many words in the English language that its not really all that hard to do.

[jackieclark]

Excuse me, but I NEVER felt that it was "okay to discriminate against queer identified people or women," so I would appreciate it if you didn't throw me into that category. My main concern in my comments was Tom's happiness. The more you stress over people's words the less happy you'll be in life. That's true in any situation. Girls call me fat all the time cause I'm not as skinny as them. If I let that get to me, I'd be miserable all the time. Instead, I shrug it off and listen to Fat Bottom Girls by Queen and that puts me in a good mood. Maybe next time you hear someone call something gay you should do something that shows how much pride you have in yourself.

[willifindmyself]

That is why I said people, not you. I have had this conversation over and over with numerous people and that is the topic that comes up. Why is it okay to discriminate? Its not just women and queers. People still use derogatory language and jokes for people of color, jews, muslims, etc, especially where I am from. I get what you are saying that perhaps I should let things slide and I would be more happy...but everytime that person in the closet hears "thats so gay" or "why would someone choose that?" it reinforces why they are in the closet in the first place. That language is STILL hurtful and no matter how one tries to push it off it still gets to you. It makes me feel shitty about myself, stuck in a place where people obviously aren't that accepting and reinforces that maybe I AM some sort of freak. So I would much rather get upset and confront it than withdraw into myself...which is still something I find myself doing if I have confronted someone about using gay inappropriately or faggot and they STILL repeatedly use it

[lee_xingxian]

Plus there are so many other awesome invectives to use in all sorts of occasion :D

[moufle]

Let me push up my linguistics glasses for a second....

It's not a question about being PC or anything, it's a matter of semantic categories. By using "gay" and "bad" in the same semantic category, you're just perpetuating the idea that gay=bad. Even if you don't outwardly think that being gay is bad, there are people who do use the slang gay in that way who really believe that and thats the semantic category that you're adhering to.

[purgatorysflame]

I love linguistics. And I love you.

Fix your leg, damnit!

[moufle]

i'm tryyiiiiin. i can move my ankle a little bit now. maybe like, 10 degrees, hahaha

i'm also becoming a speed demon at crutches. i still can't hop over things though!!

what are you doing thursday between 4 and 630?