Dearest Darby,
I have a question concerning the use of the term gay. Recently i over-read on a message board a conversation between two people. They were discussing the legitimacy of using laptop computers to blend music together, club dj style, vs. mixing the actual vinyl records. One person didn't like the fact that the other was using his computer to mix songs together instead of playing records the old-fashioned way. He called dj'ing with a computer "gay". How do you and the people you know feel when someone uses the word "gay" to describe something negatively? He thinks that "Dj'ing with computers is gay" which means he thinks it sucks. Is he right? How do you feel about the way he described "dj'ing with computers"?

the lavender linguist



August 5, 2002

Dear Linguist,

Your signature of "linguist" would lead one to believe that you are fairly educated, and skilled both in the English language and others. If this were true, you would realize the error of the use of the word "gay", and avoid the use.

As for my reaction and thoughts of the use in this demeaning manner? I nor my friends do not think on these low terms, and I think very little of this question. This is such a little question from one who thinks so little.

Princess Darby