Can a pop singer and the British Parliament change how the word “gay” is used? Will Young hopes so.
British singer and songwriter Will Young knows the scars that can be left by kids who are bullied for being gay, or even being perceived as gay. He knows that it’s still being used in school as an insult.
Now, he’s lobbying the British Government to change how the next generation uses that word. Could a high profile campaign from a well-known pop singer make a difference?
Public and Parlimentary support is growing. Now, can the schoolroom culture that brushes off these words as “no big deal” change?
I may well be taking an unpopular stance on this, but only because I’m very particular about the usage of the word ‘gay’ when used to describe something pejoratively as lame or annoying. To me, there is a very real disassociation between the use of the word nowadays in the UK and its use as describing sexual orientation. I see something akin in America with the use of the word ‘Faggot’ and how South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone explored the issue in a very witty episode. Quite simply, to the younger generation, the words are used without… Read more »
I do agree with you and have to say that was one of my favorite episodes, as well. I do think you’re missing a big part of the argument, though. We live in a country where gay kids commit suicide on a daily basis due to the fact that kids in school make fun of them for their sexuality. Those kids, and a lot of people on the internet, are not using the word “gay” in the way you are. It is not an impulse they have from having heard it a lot, it’s something they actually mean to offend.… Read more »