If someone says “That’s so gay,” you can respond with any of the following:
What do you mean by that?
How do you think a gay person might feel?
Do you say that as a compliment?
So the connotations are negative?
So maybe it’s not a good thing?
You know, saying that is insulting to gay people.
How would you feel if someone used a characteristic like your race or your religion as an insult?
I find that offensive.
Telling someone that they are ‘so gay’ is offensive. Although you might mean ‘stupid’, you are actually saying stupid and gay are the same. It is not okay to put down gay people. Furthermore, it’s not okay to call someone stupid.
You know, I have good friends who are gay and lesbian, so I find what you just said to be really offensive.
What you just said was really inappropriate because you are implying that there is something wrong with being gay or lesbian when there isn’t.
I need you to say that again without the hate language please.
If you don’t like it, you should use a word that actually means something bad.
How would you feel if your name/identity was inserted instead of “gay” and it was used repetitively?
You might be surprised to know that what you just said could hurt someoneʼs feelings.
That was a homophobic put down and it doesnʼt belong at school.
“Homophobia is like Racism and Anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood…” -- Coretta Scott King