TEEN ANTI-GAY LANGUAGE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
A new national multimedia public service advertising (PSA) campaign aimed to address the use of anti-gay language among teens in the US has been launched by actress Hilary Duff in Los Angeles.
The campaign is spearheaded by The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and The Advertising Council.
It aims to raise awareness among straight teens about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behaviour in America’s schools.
“Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens,” said GLSEN.
“The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents, because their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behaviour among the target age group.”
The campaign includes television, radio, print, outdoor and Web advertising. The TV ads feature scenarios in which the term “that’s so gay” is used casually in an effort to help teens recognise that their anti-LGBT language is harmful. The ads conclude with comedienne Wanda Sykes in one TV spot, and Hilary Duff in another, urging teens to “knock it off.”
The PSAs direct audiences to visit a new website, www.ThinkB4YouSpeak.com, where the ads can be seen.
GLSEN’s recent 2007 National School Climate Survey found that three-quarters of LGBT teens in the US hear slurs such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school, and nine in ten reports hearing anti-LGBT language frequently or often. Homophobic remarks such as “that’s so gay” are the most commonly heard type of biased remarks at school.
“Research shows that these slurs are often unintentional and are a part of teens’ vernacular. Most do not recognise the consequences, but the casual use of this language often carries over into more overt harassment,” said GLSEN.
Why all the fuss!?. All my friends, and most of them are gay/lesbian, use this kind of language without meaning to offend anyone. Why try to wipe out these expressions/words from our conversation? It depends on the tone and context in which we use words such as ‘faggot’, ‘moffie’, etc. I really din’t mind being called any of those words, as long as it isn’t intended as an insult.
You’re so gay, you don’t even know when you’re being disparaged. But that is exactly the point. It IS insulting when the word “gay” is used to descibe anything considered weak, inferior or indesirable. Not downing 20 shots in one sitting isn’t gay. It’s being a chicken. The only time when an action should be labled as gay should be if it involves two men, KY and possibly latex gloves.
My sexuality shouldn’t be a slur.