Do You Know What You’re Saying?

Hi Smart Gals,

A few nights ago I was speaking to a group of teens about how to deal with the stress in their lives. We got into a discussion about the kinds of things we say when we’re in a jam or feeling totally stressed out, and a couple of the girls said that their phrase of choice regarding anything that was stupid, stressful, or generally unpleasant was “that’s so gay.”

I cringed.

We sidetracked into a conversation about what that phrase really means, and I realized as soon as I launched into the discussion that these girls hadn’t thought about what was behind the words they were saying. I knew they meant no offense…they just weren’t thinking. And hey, I’d done the same thing back in college when I thoughtlessly used the phrase when talking to a gay friend. He was like, “That’s so WHAT?” and I realized what I was saying.

Check out this great public service announcement that was recently made about this very issue: