"OCD...," "Depressed...," "Queer...," "ADHD...," "Mental...," "Anxiety...," "ADD...," "Immigrant...," "Girl...," "Pussy...," "Dick...," "Bipolar...," "Retarded...," "Gay..."
These are more than just filler words. These are people's identities.
High School, Junior Year, Chemistry. I remember the guy across from me calling something "gay." I remember disagreeing and asking him not to use "gay" in such a way.
"Are you gay?"
Because the only reason to be upset with the use of "gay" as a filler word, is if you yourself are. Because never mind the fact that you are insinuating that someone's identity is something wrong. Never mind the fact that "gay" is not the only identity being slandered by public slang. Because it's "okay" and did not "offend" my openly gay friend beside me.
It's not okay.
"OCD...," "Depressed...," "Queer...," "ADHD...," "Mental...," "Anxiety...," "ADD...," "Immigrant...," "Girl...," "Pussy...," "Dick...," "Bipolar...," "Retarded...," "Gay..."
These are not terms you can use to describe something negatively. These are not terms you can use to joke about. These are not words to use to offend other people. These are not your words.
They do not belong to you. These are someone else's identity. Never mind the fact that no one with you identifies with one currently. Do not turn someone's identity against them. Do not use their identity to describe something completely separate from what it means.
You are the reason for the stigma.
You are the perpetrator of microaggressions.
You are the slanderer of identities.
You are a part of the problem.
"OCD...," "Depressed...," "Queer...," "ADHD...," "Mental...," "Anxiety...," "ADD...," "Immigrant...," "Girl...," "Pussy...," "Dick...," "Bipolar...," "Retarded...," "Gay..."
Regardless of my sexual orientation, I am not okay. Regardless of my mental health, my ethnicity, my identity, I am not okay.
I am not okay with the misuse of these terms and many others, not because I am overly sensitive but because of the negativity you are assigning to an identity of someone else. Regardless of those around you, regardless of "if they are okay with it," it's not okay.
We cannot move on in society and accept others if people continue to misuse our identities.
"OCD...," "Depressed...," "Queer...," "ADHD...," "Mental...," "Anxiety...," "ADD...," "Immigrant...," "Girl...," "Pussy...," "Dick...," "Bipolar...," "Retarded...," "Gay..."
We are people, we are human beings. Just because we identify with one or more or some other word, it does not make us any less of a person.
