When a 5-year-old calls another boy on the monkey bars a “fag,” it might still be offensive. But calling him “gay?” Not as bad, according to the BBC Board of Governors, which has taken the surprising step in associating the slang usage of “gay” as to mean “rubbish.”
A listener complained after Chris Moyles dismissed a ringtone by saying on his Radio 1 breakfast show: “I don’t want that one, it’s gay.”
The complainant argued that the use of the word gay in this context was homophobic. The governors said, however, that Moyles was simply keeping up with developments in English usage.
The programme complaints committee noted: “The word ‘gay’, in addition to being used to mean ‘homosexual’ or ‘carefree’, was often now used to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This is a widespread current usage of the word amongst young people.”
The committee, which consists of five BBC governors, including the former Royal Ballet dancer Deborah Bull, was “familiar with hearing this word in this context”.
Troubling? Absolutely. Whenever someone outside a cultural group adopts such a charged term to apply a derogatory meaning, it’s a step backward. There’s plenty of debate within minority communities – whether gay, black, or physically disabled – on whether offensive words should even be used within their community, let alone by anyone else. But an outsider throwing around “gay” to mean something patently unsavory — because “young people” deem it okay? We shouldn’t even have to raise the argument about anyone but people of color using the word “nigger.”
Gay means rubbish, says BBC [London Times]
Kevin
I am in agreement with your sentiment and am very uncomfortable with the use of the word “gay” attached to something of disdain.
However, in this case, the committee (British, remember.) is not using the word “rubbish” to mean literal “garbage” as in debris that collectors haul away, but rather “nonsense”, as in “The President’s announcement regarding the ‘Marriage Protection Amendment’ was filled with rubbish.” So, in my view, one would be overreaching to conclude that calling something one did not like, “gay,” means that one thinks that one who is gay is garbage, as your literal headline and graphic would seem to indicate.
Words are “slippery” things and language is ever changing as the evolution of the word “gay” itself illustrates.
Now please excuse me as I don my “gay” apparel. I mean my happy, festival clothing.
David Hauslaib, Jossip
Kevin – Your pointed is noted, though it’s the same to say “That idea is garbage” to mean “That idea is rubbish,” or, of course, “That idea is gay.” The negative connotation holds true in each instance.
Kevin
Hi David,
You and I are absolutely agreed. I abhor the negative connotation, and do not allow my students to use “gay”, and other choice words, in that way. Besides, ad hominem descriptions or attacks devoid of fact, reason and logic are extremely boring.
Having said that, Queerty is SO gay — and I mean that in the best possible sense!
Robguy
That decision is so stupid, it’s downright hetero. (sarcasm)
Uroskin
Oh dear, precious queens up in arms about cultural appropriation. How deliciously ironic after all those protestations over the last 50 years by heteros shocked by the redefinition of the word to mean something not quite what they envisaged the word to mean.
I’ve never liked the word to describe my particular passion, because it always sounded so innocuous, so bland, so white picket fenced and completely out of step with my particular tastes, smells, sounds and vision in man on man action. So I have no particular problem with the re-definition: language use will always evolve and it will involve fashions among the young and brainless which no-one should be upset about.
The “nigger” analogy doesn’t compute, helas, because that is about the appropriation of the insulting term by the targeted minority (as queer is). “Gay” has outlived its usefulness and should in future only be used to denote a marriage arrangement that isn’t “sad” (i.e. heterosexual)
Creepy Lesbo
On the plus side, Outrage will be pleased – they can now go back to their 90s roots and legitimately out anyone with headlines such as ‘Jake Gyllenhaal is gay!’ and when threatened with libel they can just shrug and say ‘we simply meant that we thought he’s rubbish’ and no one can do anything about it.
Seemingly the BBC have already censored loads of their messageboards – refusing to let anyone post ‘gay’ up on them – so it seems a double standard is in play.