Despite the fact that LGBT rights have improved so much in this day and age and the support of equality has grown larger than ever, casual homophobia is still a very prevalent thing. A prime example of this is the phrase “that’s so gay.” I probably hear this at least once a day at school.

A lot of people think that it’s fine to use the word “gay” as an insult if they don’t mean for it to be offensive towards the LGBT community. However, it’s offensive no matter whether you mean it to be or not. You are literally using the word “gay” as a substitute for the word “stupid.” In doing that, you are saying that those two words are synonyms, meaning that they mean the same thing. And by using it as an insult, you are implying that being gay is something that is a bad and negative thing. You’re making it sound like it is something to be ashamed of, which can be a hurtful for the people who are actually gay that overhear you.

If you still think it’s “just a word” and don’t believe me when I say that it can be harmful, a study of LGBT college students published in the Journal of American College Health found that those who frequently heard the word “gay” used as a derogative term reported feeling more isolated than their peers and were at an increased risk for an entire list of negative health problems such as headaches, poor appetite, and eating disorders.

I find it difficult to understand why people think it’s alright to use part of someone’s identity interchangeably with words they use to describe something they deem worthy of mockery. I feel like it shouldn’t be hard to comprehend why that’s wrong, but I know many people struggle to grasp why it is. Hopefully, this article will open those people’s eyes.