I’m frankly upset we can’t say gay or f*g anymore. When I was growing up in the 90s in New York we used this shit all the time, and neither word had anything to do with gay people.

Gay meant lame. But not because homosexuality was bad. It was used among people I knew more like, if someone used the word “gay” to describe being happy, like if you were an outdated out of touch ned Flanders like person that’s super nice, your gay. It just meant lame shit but not directed at gays.

F*g was used literally like how South park explained. It had nothing to do with being gay, it was used against people who are ruining everyone’s good time or who are loud and whiny and annoying.

I’m willing to say gay and f*g are obviously also used as hate speech and it’s horrible, but people can’t deny there used to be dual meaning to these words and you can’t judge a bunch of people for using them assuming their intent.

Language is complex, and I love gay people, but I really miss using those words for other stuff and it’s very hard for me to be careful not to say them. I go out of my way to make sure I don’t accidentally say it which is difficult when you grew up saying it all the time.

I wish people would stop hating on the lgbtq community, but I also wish I could catch a break sometimes if a word slips out accidentally, and not be immediately shamed and blamed and labeled a bigot.