Freedom of Speech

"I apologize for saying that"

How many times have you heard someone apologize for something they said on TV or in the newspapers and said to yourself "Oh my God, I say that everyday to my friends" or "big deal, I did not get offended by that". Well it's becoming an epidemic in this country. "That's Gay", I have heard it literally a thousand times even before I found out what it really meant when I was a kid.

The term was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637.[1] The term's use as a reference to homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the 20th century.[1] In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and occasionally as a noun, referring to the people, especially to men, and the practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex.[2][3] At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. In the Anglosphere, this connotation, among younger speakers, has a derisive meaning equivalent to rubbish or stupid (as in "That's so gay."). In this use, the word does not mean "homosexual", so it can be used, for example, to refer to an inanimate object or abstract concept of which one disapproves. This usage can also refer to weakness or unmanliness. When used in this way, the extent to which it still retains connotations of homosexuality has been debated.

As you can see, this word has been around for centuries. I believe you can claim the word the way you see fit, however, do not tell everyone else how you want the word to be used. While I am indifferent to the gay community, I do not think the group owns the word "gay" and I will use it as many times as I want and in any way that I would like to use it. This is a free country and freedom of speech seems to be in jeopardy. In most cases, the more power you give to something, especially a word, the more people become resentful and do the opposite of what you would like them to do. I say, don't give a word that much power over you and let people say what they want with those words, they will anyways!

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