Why be unkind?

[nullnaught]

There is nothing self-loathing about the word. Why are you so willing to let negative associations dominate the meaning of a symbol. Gay can be used negatively just as easily as queer, because it is now synonymous for stupid/uncool/effeminate amongst much of my age group, should I now abandon the word?

Queer's original meaning is not as a slur for gay people, it means strange or different. It is not even the same as the N word, because we are merely redeploying the original meaning of the word and reclaiming difference from the norm as something that can be celebrated rather than attacked.

Why do you think you have the right to dictate how people self-identify, to accuse them of self-loathing because they choose a word you dislike. What about people who have negative experiences related to the word gay, I know I have never been called queer as a slur, but I have personally encountered gay being used as a slur in and of itself.

I am not defending the word gay. I reiterate my point that scholars do not choose in your face language. Scholars use neutral language. There is no excuse to deliberately choose language that excludes part of The Community from equal access. The only ones who can read your works without being offended are people who walk in lock step with you and accept you dictating that they accept a slur as an identification. If people used the slur only privately, it would not matter; but you all have forced it into general use. You are the dictators. You are the ones who should have to explain why you would use such hateful, exclusive language. I shouldn't have to be the one explaining to you that your language divides The Comminity. You should have to explain why you have this need to divide through exclusionary language.