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'Gay'
as an Adjective "That's so gay." If you ask most teenagers, especially boys, they will tell you that those are the three words they'd least want to hear someone at school say to them. And yet, they are words commonly used today to put someone down. Accuracy in language is important. There is tremendous power in words. One word means many things to many people, and this is especially true for emotionally-laden terms like "gay." For a few who lament the old days when the word solely meant happy, it was a real affront to have it gradually indicate a group of socially unacceptable people who have peculiar attractions and behaviors. Over the years, it has indeed become the word of choice when referring to issues or people homosexual. There was a period of time in my life when the preferred term for my sexual reality was "homosexual." That was because I saw the more "clinical" term plainly describing me. Homosexual meant an attraction and sexual desire for someone of the same gender. It was clear and to the point. "Gay" seemed to carry a lot of baggage, and I suspect the word didn't feel right for many others having same-gender attractions. It seemed more aligned with effeminacy than masculinity. It indicated certain cultural inclinations that were not mine. It lumped me together with a group of people exclusively based upon my sexual orientation, not my character, interests, or goals in life — especially when used as a noun. Over the years, I have accepted being "gay" as equal to "homosexual." On the practical side of things, gay has fewer syllables and is easier to say. It has also become the term commonly used by society at large. However, as words often do have different meanings, I would encourage those of you who used it to describe "happiness" to continue to do so. There are so many things that every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or any other-than-heterosexual person is besides their sexual desire, actions, or identification. The term "gay" describes only one aspect of my being. It surprises me how often the gay community and publications still use "gay" as a noun. Today, you have an opportunity to do otherwise: Use it as an adjective. Scott Thiemann's column ran for several months in the Port Orford News, but was recently canceled due to advertiser pressure. His columns and commentaries have also run in the Brownsville Times and the Brookings Pilot.
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