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OK to use? 18-Jan-2011 At 2:54:54 PM Ben

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I like your post Maccazia, but I think that the problem with the use of the word gay as a negative is that it is not being used in the original (and now somewhat less common) sense eg. "to skip gaily down the path", but the instead the negative use is directly related to the definition of gay as homosexual.

By using the word 'gay' as a strong negative people are explicitly defining homosexual as a negative.

To make up an example, let's say that that we use 'Queensland' instead of the word gay.

"Hey Brent, you're such a f**king Queenslander"
"How Queensland was that movie.." etc.

Done often enough, this is a pretty negative slant on Queensland and I'd imagine a few of them getting upset by it.

Queensland doesn't have multiple meanings like gay now does (to skip gaily vs homosexual) so you could argue that my example is pretty crap, but I'll contrast your use of the word in your post:

"When I skip gayly down a path, I do not believe sexually comes into it - I am simply expressing a cheerful and lighthearted approach; my gaily coloured clothes (I was hippy) were simply that, quite bright and colourful. In no way am I attempting to vilify or ridicule homosexuals." - Fair enough - original meaning.

but:

"If I thought my attempt at a climb was a bit 'gay', I am not attempting to insult myself by inferring that I might be homosexual (and that somehow that may be something wrong with that); nor am I attempting to be derogatory to anyone other than myself for putting in a light-hearted, half-arsed, piss-poor, weak-as shit performance. ( With apologies to any people suffering pulmonary, rectal, urinal or muscular difficulties who may or may not be reading this)."

Here you seem to be equating the second definition of gay (homosexual) directly with "light-hearted, half-arsed, piss-poor, weak-as shit"

I'd much rather people simply describe their attempt at that climb as "piss-poor".

Chockstone has always been fairly happy for.. robust language to be used, possibly because many climbers have fairly thick skins or whatever. And I'm fine with that generally.

But I object to gay and similar being used in that context because it feels like language that insidiously attacks a minority group without being explicit.