Imagine walking down a hall, watching everyone look quickly away or stare at you hatefully. Imagine hearing a word that describes you being used every few seconds as a derogatory insult. That is what many people face on a daily basis just for being born loving someone of the “wrong” gender.



People use the word “gay” as a general purpose insult. “Don’t do that, it’s gay.” Gay does not mean “stupid” or “annoying;” it means “homosexual.” If you are using it as an insult, then you are saying that all homosexual people are stupid and annoying. That statement is horrible, hateful, and discriminative.


It is also highly offensive to use the word “fag.” It is just used casually, to identify someone who is being a jerk. “I hate you. You’re a fag.” Unless you are English, and speaking about a cigarette, don’t say it. That is just distasteful. I am not gay, and do not want to hear that word, just as I don’t want to hear people say the “n”-word. There is no need for language that is deliberately derogatory.


Many people disagree with my views. “Gay people deserve it.” How is discriminating against someone based on sexual orientation any different from discriminating against someone based on gender, race, age, religion, national origin, or handicap?