That’s Gay! Gay as a Slur Among College Students

Abstract

In recent years, the use of the word "gay" as a synonym for dumb or lame or stupid has become prevalent in our culture. Because of this, it is clear that many individuals do not consider the word to be a slur and are not offended by its use. Using an original data set (N = 790) collected from four Midwestern universities in the winter of 2011-2012, this article examines the characteristics of those college students who perceive the word gay to be a slur or who are offended. We find that those individuals who report having more gay friends are more likely to take offense at the use of the word gay as a slur even after controls are instituted. We also find that, contrary to expectations, attendance at religious services appears to have a direct relationship, with more frequent attenders more likely to express offense at the use of gay as a slur. Egalitarianism also emerged as a significant predictor. We offer suggestions as to why some college students perceive the word to be a slur while a majority of college students do not.

Is sexual orientation a categorical or spectrum dimension? An exploratory study of different sexual orientation measurements and scales

“…The word gay comes from the French gaieté and it originally meant cheerful; now dated ("gay", 2022). Its meaning transitioned from "dandy" and "shining" to "promiscuous" -a gay house aka a brothel, to slang, and an insult among young people (Postic & Prough, 2014;Slaatten et al, 2015). Gay activism has a complex history of reclaiming both terminology and symbols (Campbell, 2019).…”