“That's So Gay!”

This chapter focuses on “that's so gay!” Departing from the discussions of direct projectile slurs (“fag,” “dyke,” “tranny,” and “queer”), the more frequent humorous/joking qualities of “that's so gay!” coupled with its more common use between friends, especially through social bonding, are highlighted. In doing so, “that's so gay!” more closely adheres to the full Theoretical Model of LGBTQ Slur Use. First, a description of the “that's so gay” slur and its history are provided. Then, current research about the use of the “that's so gay” slur is discussed. Next, descriptive statistics are given. Following this, Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST) is used to investigate the sociological patterns of “that's so gay” slur usage with survey data collected from adults ages 18-64 that was stratified by U.S. census categories of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and census region (N = 3,104; n = 1500 cisgender men and women; n = 1,604 LGBTQ people). To conclude, a summary of key findings that integrates the previous literature while also highlighting the unique contributions of the text is offered. In sum, this chapter brings together an integrated discussion of LGBTQ slurs that considers both differences and overlaps between direct projectile slurs and the defensive/joking/bonding qualities of “that's so gay!”