How 'gay' became children's insult of choice

[Sash]

The word "gay" is now the most frequently used term of abuse in schools, says a report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do children use homophobic insults to get at each other?

Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground put-downs that can leave a pupil's reputation in tatters among their peers. For the current generation "gay", "bitch" and "slag" are the most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards. But the worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the teaching union.

The most popular by far is "gay". Of the teachers interviewed, 83% said they heard it being used regularly and much more than its nearest rivals, bitch (59%) and slag (45%). So how did it achieve this dubious honour?


WHAT TEACHERS HEAR
Gay (83%)
Bitch (59%)
Slag (45%)
Poof (29%)
Batty boy (29%)
**** (26%)
Queer (26%)
Lezzie (24.8%)
Homo (22%)
Faggot (11%)
Sissy (5%)
Source: ATL

The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual, says Clive Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds University.

"In the early 19th Century is was used to refer to women who lived off immoral earnings," he says. Around the 1970s it was claimed by the homosexual community as a descriptive term for their sexual orientation, now its most popular meaning.

But while the word may not be new, language experts say "gay" has only become a documented trend in young people's slang in the last few years. Previously it might have been an occasional insult.

"Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual insults, in my day it was 'poofter' or 'bender'," says slang lexicographer Tony Thorne. "They were used much more because they were considered more offensive than 'gay', which is more neutral.

"It's only in the last four years that I've documented it being used so much by young people. It's what we call a 'vogue' word, which is a fashionable word."

One reason for this increase in use could be because "gay" has partly lost its sexual connotations among young people, he says. While still pejorative, for the majority of youngsters it has replaced words such as "lame".

"I have interviewed scores of school kids about this and they are always emphatic that it has nothing at all to do with hostility to homosexuals," says Mr Thorne, compiler of the Dictionary of Contemporary Slang. "It is nearly always used in contexts where sexual orientation and sexuality are completely irrelevant."

A bad pair of trainers is much more likely to be called "gay" than a person, says 12-year-old Katie from Colchester.

"It's used as more of a way to tease a friend rather than have a real go at someone. I wouldn't call someone 'gay' because I know that's sort of bullying them."

The use of "gay" in this particular way was first recorded at the end of the 1970s and developed among US high school students, says Mr Throne. It's not only youngsters in the UK who have recently adopted it, the same has happened to the German equivalent, schwul, he adds.

This mutation of the word is one reason why using "gay" as in a pejorative sense often goes unchallenged. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles caused controversy in 2006 for his casual use of the word. He said he'd used it to describe something as "rubbish" and was backed by the BBC.

"The word has what we call multiple coinage and that's the problem," says Mr Thorne. "While teenagers are generally using it to mean 'lame' it can separately be used as a homophobic term of abuse."

It's this ambiguity that prevents some teachers from tackling pupils who use it in a negative sense, says ATL. They are afraid of "blowing trivial matters out of proportion".


"It's tricky because it's often a casually throwaway remark and said without any obvious malice," says Deborah, a teaching assistant from Essex. "Terms such as 'batty boy' are clear homophobic insults and much more straightforward to deal with."

The research suggests teachers are also wary of intervening for fear of being seen as "pushing" homosexuality, a hangover from when councils were prevented from promoting homosexuality. Although that law has been repealed some teachers are still unsure about how to address the issue of sexuality, says ATL.

But while "gay" may have changed for some, it is still being used as a means of bullying. Last year, the Westminster government announced the first guidelines for schools on how to deal with homophobic bullying.

Gay lobby group Stonewall says 65% of young gay people experience homophobic bullying. And many who aren't gay also get labelled as such.

"It's a form of peer group control," says psychologist Helen Cowie. "Boys have to be masculine and macho and anyone who isn't must go along with it or face being bullied. It's a form of bullying that domineering people seek out vulnerable people and school age is a time of emergent sexuality which is itself a vulnerable time."

She has observed schools developing children as "peer supporters" to listen, mediate and support bullied children. But "boys have a "harder time" adopting such roles because the attributes are not seen as masculine.

"In one school we studied they were known as queer supporters," she notes.

Recalling her time as a boys' secondary school teacher in the 1970s, Ms Cowie recalls how "obsessed" pupils were with homosexual innuendo. "It didn't seem to matter what you read to the class they'd always find an gay innuendo."


BBC NEWS | Magazine | How 'gay' became children's insult of choice

Kids can be cruel. Can't really remember what "the" word was when I was at school. If anyone said something nasty to me it was a multitude of words or insults regarding my circumstances.

[teflon]

I think about 15 years ago we said homo, faggot and bender. Obviously gay was around but it was so common as to be unimaginative.
But they are right, most of the time when you called someone those things it didn't actually mean they are a homosexual, the real gays got called stuff like effing homo, effing faggot and effing bender.
How utterly sophisticated young teens are...

[Amy]

It's too true.
I hear it all the time, having two younger brother and all.

[Bimbo]

The funny things we used to say in the playground. I remember we used to use the word 'jew' as a verb meaning 'ripping someone off', as in "stop trying to jew me'. I never had any idea what it meant but I've revived it now for a laff, in my opinion if any Jewish people hear me say it they should have a sense of humour about it!

Personally I think that there is a connection between the word 'gay' meaning lame and the meaning of homosexual but its very subtle. Its probably similar to saying something is girly or limp wristed. I agree that most of the time kids use it they are not even thinking remotely of homosexuals though.

[draganess]

I must be past it cos I cant remember what the word at school was! I cant remember even hearing swear words at school but we all must have done it! lol my memory is sooo bad.

I hate hearing kids swear. Especially little ones, one of Emma's friends taught her own little girl to call people a bitch, she thinks its funny.

[Puratech]

I like the word spackerjew.

[Sash]

Originally Posted by draganess

I hate hearing kids swear. Especially little ones, one of Emma's friends taught her own little girl to call people a bitch, she thinks its funny.

Bar of soap......