I grew up with an older brother who would call things gay in a derogatory way back when we were teenagers and i also picked up the habit even though I had never met a gay person and have never had (and still dont have) any hate for them or anyone regardless of sexual preference or gender identity
I still call things gay tho to this day, usually when something kinda annoying happens (e.g. that was kinda gay when the teacher made us do extra homework)
I’m sure there are people who might feel hurt about that so i filter myself when meeting new people and i generally use it less these days but it happens sometimes
Anyone else relate to this?
I don’t think it’s weird but it’s hurtful and I think you should make an effort to stop. Like the others said anyone who grew up in the 2000s probably had a phase where they said it constantly.
To give you some perspective, I did and I found out that my brother was gay later. I still cringe at the things I said when we were kids and wish I could go back in time and slap myself… he doesn’t hold it against me but it doesn’t matter, when you grow up you start taking responsibility for what you say and do and to make sure your words reflect your ethics. If you’re not a homophobe then stop saying homophobic shit yo!
I can see how you maybe never had a lot of external pressure to stop but just imagine that it’s likely that there’s at least one person you know who is in the closet and you owe it to them to do better!