Ann's Blog on "that's so gay"

P.S. i wasn't trying to work the system on the last blog. I started it on feb. 20 and didn't finish it until march 2. i forgot to add march 2 to the dates. sorry!!!!!




blog #2:

"Student lawsuit hinges on whether 'That's so gay' is anti-gay putdown" (cnn.com, march 2, 2007)

A girl named Rebekah Rice is in the middle of a big lawsuit because of a comment she made. She said "that's so gay" at school one day back in 2002 and was sent to the office where they punished her for saying the phrase. She received a warning and a marking on her file and her parents sued. Her parents claim that her first amendment rights were violated by the school officials. The problem is that, without meaning to, she made a statement that put down the lifestyles of homosexuals. She claims that the phrase just means that's so stupid, that's so dumb. Apparently, the year before, two students were paid to beat up another gay student and that may have something to do with the administrations intoleration of rebukes behavior. Then the article goes on to talk about how the term can be and is offensive to many homosexuals. It also talks about how often the term gay is used in a derogatory sense.

I have never been a big fan of the phrase, myself. I guess I don't judge people or think that they are bad because they use it, but its not a phrase that I would use. I think people who use it seem ignorant and snotty and uneducated. I picture a girl twirling her hair in her fingers and gossiping with her fake girlfriends about the bad thing a boy did to one of them and saying "that's so gay". I guess that is all the defense I have to give the school because I have no personal connection to the word gay and using it in a derogatory sense doesn't affect me in the least. The article talks about just thinking about something that you are and then having someone use that word to mean stupid. Okay, well I'm a sixteen year old Christian. If someone were to make a generalized statement about how terrible sixteen year olds are in that type of way, I don't think I would be affected. If someone were to attack my faith in that same sort of way I would probably get a little bit more upset, but I still wouldn't think much of it. Those are two things that I am. I'm 16 and I can't help that and I chose to be a Christian and that's a lifestyle that I choose. Im strong in the way that I am and my choices. so whether or not a person claims that they choose to be gay or that they just 'are' gay. I don't see how it should affect them in a substantially amount. What do they care what the world thinks about them. People need to start living their own lives and quit wasting their time worrying about what others might be saying or thinking about them. It is awfully difficult to become accepted in the world if you don't first accept yourself. If you are confident in yourself and allow that selfconfidence to let itself out to the world, then there should really be no problems. I may sound smug in saying this, but I think that the people getting upset are overreacting to this.


article from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02/28/so.gay.ap/index.html