Microaggressions Affecting the LGBTQ+ Community — The Sarah Isom Center for Women & Gender Studies

Image is from a photo campaign "You Don't Say" by student organizations at Duke University

When standing on the bleachers at a home football game, I heard the student section start chanting, ‘Number 2 is gay!’ The students continued yelling this at a player on the field without any consideration of what they were actually saying. The phrase was followed by ‘At least we’re straight!’ and ‘Number 2 likes boys!’ in a mocking tone.

I approached the boys who were leading the cheers later that week to address my concern with their comments. When asked why they would use such offensive language they replied claiming they were ‘just stating the facts.’ Their attitude is similar to many others on school campuses. These kinds of comments are unfortunately the reality for many students. GLSEN’s ThinkB4YouSpeak guide points out that their 2007 National School Climate Survey found that “more than nine in ten (90.2%) LGBT students hear the word ‘gay’ used in a negative way frequently or often at school.” Although many people play down the impact of expressions like ‘that’s so gay’ due to how common they are, “83.1% of LGBT students say that hearing ‘gay’ or ‘queer’ used in a negative manner causes them to feel bothered or distressed.”

The term ‘that’s so gay’ has become extremely common when talking about anything perceived as stupid or unfortunate. It may seem silly because of how common this saying is, but this can indirectly harm those that identify as gay individuals. By using this word to describe things that are bad or unwanted, the word ‘gay’ is given a negative connotation. Even when this saying is used without direct correlation with sexual preference, it still indirectly criticizes students of the LGBTQ+ community.

However, there are claims that because the phrase is used without direct reference to sexual orientation, it does not offend anyone. “‘That's So Gay’: A Contemporary Use of Gay in Australian English,” an article found in the Australian Journal of Linguistics, argues that “gay is now being understood by young people to mean ‘stupid’, ‘lame’ or ‘boring’, as in ‘That shirt is so gay’, or ‘How gay is that?’ (3rd meaning).” Even if this may be true, doesn’t associating the word that means ‘homosexual’ with ‘stupid’ also make people see those that identify as gay as less than?

Speaking with GSA club members at my school, I found that students did indeed feel insulted when overhearing the phrase ‘that’s so gay.’ They explained that the use of the word associates its negative definition with people of the LGBTQ+ community. Using this type of language just conditions people to continue using the word offensively because they believe that they aren’t directly talking about sexual preference and there is no harm done. Although some members claimed that they felt indifferent towards the comment, they agreed that It is better to just not use the phrase at all because of the association it can create. In his book “That's So Gay!: Microaggressions and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community,” Kevin Nadal emphasizes the prevalence of subtle forms of discrimination, which he calls microaggressions. These may be comments or actions that go unnoticed by those who are not affected by it. Nadal states that these experiences can lead to “feelings of victimization, suicidal thinking, and higher rates of substance abuse, depression, and other health problems among members of the LGBT community.” These instances also push students who already struggle with their sexual identity to hide their feelings due to fear of being bullied.

The bottom line is that the homophobic rhetoric of ‘gay’ used ignorantly XXX. As plainly conveyed in an edugraphic by It’s Prounounced Metrosexual, the only time it should be acceptable to say something is gay is when describing a person’s sexual orientation. Whether it is a blatantly hurtful remark at a football game or the misuse of the word gay, these microaggressions disrupt the lives of LGBTQ+ students and make them outsiders on campuses.

My best,

Priya Thelapurath

About Priya:

Priya Thelapurath is a high school senior from Bentonville, Arkansas. She has taken Sociology and Gender Studies courses at her local community college and uses her experiences to drive her work and writing.