I am gay, but that microwave is not.

haven't you ever heard anyone say "that's so gay," when referencing something that is terrible, ugly or unpleasant? i personally haven't realized that alot of people use the term "gay" as a synonym for stupid. especially some of my closest friends! i guess they just don't realize that it is offensive. to me, its offensive because you're associating gay with something that is degrading. everytime someone mentions it around me, i feel that they are making a homophobic remark without even noticing.

this isn't something i can't ignore, i just feel like the term is demeaning. what if someone had a microwave that broke? instead of saying, "that's so gay," in reference to the inconvenience why couldn't you say, "that sucks?" haha

to put this in perspective, what if you replaced "gay" with something else used to generalize a bad situation? say for instance your friend had on a pair of ugly socks...what if she said, "your socks are so oriental." or "those socks are nigger socks." or "those socks are straight." ? what would you think then? would you find it offensive? of course! well that's what i feel when the word "gay" is in their place. i feel disrespected and unsafe.

the same thing goes with the word, "faggot." i absolutely despise the use of it.
it really irks me when i'm hanging out with friends that call each other fag when something stupid happends. don't you realize what you are saying?? don't you realize that your friend is gay? how can you say that you support me, when you use such language?! don't you realize that this is hate speech? get out of your shell and have some consideration!

and how can folks think that GLBT people want to be treated better than everyone else? that is totally the wrong concept. that is exactly what people said when colored people were trying to gain their civil rights and when interracial couples were fighting for the right to marry. its not that we want special rights! we want the same rights as everyone else. we are discriminated against because of who we love and because of that i can never be legally recognized for my relationship and never be able to serve my country. so, it is not a matter of being treated "better," than everyone else it is a matter of being treated equally like everyone else.

please watch what you say, you never know how much it might hurt.