Gay couple asked to reverse shirt at Dollywood

[altlover85]

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad they filed the complaint.

 

[borg69unimatrix]

A lesbian couple is asking for changes at Dollywood after an employee asked one of the women to turn her T-shirt reading "marriage is so gay" inside-out to avoid offending others on a recent visit to the Tennessee theme park complex.

I skimmed the article, but I think I would be a little offended too, had I read it. Mainly because the wording to me is too similar to how straight people use it as a slur... "Aww.. Dude! That _______ is so gay!"

I don't feel it's any better coming from us then it is from them.

 

[altlover85]

I skimmed the article, but I think I would be a little offended too, had I read it. Mainly because the wording to me is too similar to how straight people use it as a slur... "Aww.. Dude! That _______ is so gay!"

I don't feel it's any better coming from us then it is from them.

While I see your point, I'm sure you see the irony with the saying and to me that cuts most of the offensiveness out of it.

 

[nfgrls]

I see no problem with it, the shirt kinda offends me, just because you are gay doesn't make it rigght to walk around saying somethings gay. If it's ok for one set of people to use it then everyone can use it.

 

[Spiff]

This complaint won't go anywhere. Dolly Parton herself probably signed off on the park's rule. As nice as she seems, she's got a bunch of conservative people working for her and visiting her park. Dollywood is right in the middle of red state territory.

 

[FanofFiction]

I agree with the Borg Queen. I don't like the negative connotation of the shirt.

 

[mbamike]

Would they be offended if I wore my Speedo to Splash Country?

 

[borg69unimatrix]

While I see your point, I'm sure you see the irony with the saying and to me that cuts most of the offensiveness out of it.

I see the irony... and still don't like it.

I'm equally offended when I see/hear African American's call each other the "N" word.

I find it hypocritical to bash the word(s) when 'THEY' use it, but it's ok for 'US' to use it???

I saw it as negative when straight people use it, and I saw it as negative when the Lesbians were using it (in that context).

IMO- it was in poor taste.

 

[maxpowr9]

Yawn. It is quite obvious that the lesbian was trying to incite a reaction from people by wearing that shirt. From the status quo, there is a certain level of "decency" required in public (even though this is on private property which is even more strict). If you can't comprehend the rules/laws, well, ignorance is no excuse.

 

[QuinnRider]

Dolly has always been a GIANT gay rights supporter. Even in the 80's when she had her variety show she talked about drag queens to her hick audiences, she even participated in a drag queen contest to see who looked the most like Dolly, anonymously, and lost lol I love her. One of her best friends is Lilly Tomlin, come on. I doubt Dolly would have anything to do with gay hatred of any sort.

Anyhoo, the shirt is offensive in its own way.

 

[jasoncrew03]

I can't say I disagree with the park. MANY in the gay community treat using the term "gay" as a negative descriptor equally as offensive as the "N word", the "S word", etc. The park had every right to ask her to turn her shirt inside out not only because it could be offensive to close-minded bigots but also to gays, regardless if it was a joke or not. I don't think anyone would be surprised if the woman was Hispanic and her shirt used the S word in a joking manner and park officials asked her to cover it up (as a Hispanic, I don't find the word's usage condonable even by fellow Hispanics. Ever.). If others can't use it because it's offensive, neither can we.

 

[Sam Blum]

I skimmed the article, but I think I would be a little offended too, had I read it. Mainly because the wording to me is too similar to how straight people use it as a slur... "Aww.. Dude! That _______ is so gay!"

I don't feel it's any better coming from us then it is from them.

I understand what you are saying, but then this idea also suggets that it isn't possible to reclaim words and redefine them. 'Queer' is a word that has been successfully (on the whole) reclaimed. 'Gay' is another. I hate hearing ignoramuses resort to the expression '__ is so gay,' but I can't think of another way to stop it continuing except by revisiting it's meaning and forcing it to mean more, to mean something other than 'disagreeable.' And for the record, the use of the word 'gay' in the context of something disagreeable is suspiciously being engineered by people who are around about the age of those who would be the sons and daughters of people my age, who were the ones who applied the word 'gay' in the 'original' negative context interpolating non-straights.

I feel it's offensive for the park staffer to ask somebody to hide the idea that marriage can be inclusive of gay people. It's extreme and insensitive to queer folk, while at the same time being hyper sensitive to the prejudices of right-wing conservatives.

 

[altlover85]

I understand what you are saying, but then this idea also suggets that it isn't possible to reclaim words and redefine them. 'Queer' is a word that has been successfully (on the whole) reclaimed. 'Gay' is another. I hate hearing ignoramuses resort to the expression '__ is so gay,' but I can't think of another way to stop it continuing except by revisiting it's meaning and forcing it to mean more, to mean something other than 'disagreeable.' And for the record, the use of the word 'gay' in the context of something disagreeable is suspiciously being engineered by people who are around about the age of those who would be the sons and daughters of people my age, who were the ones who applied the word 'gay' in the 'original' negative context interpolating non-straights.

I feel it's offensive for the park staffer to ask somebody to hide the idea that marriage can be inclusive of gay people. It's extreme and insensitive to queer folk, while at the same time being hyper sensitive to the prejudices of right-wing conservatives.

Thank you Sam Blum! You seem to best understand what I was trying to get at.

I don't know for sure if the reason they censored the shirt was out of fear of offending gay people or fear of offending bigots who wouldn't like to see the word "gay" and "marriage" on the same shirt. I sense that it's the latter and that's why I'm not as outraged as a lot of you seem to be.

 

[fetaby]

I see this idea that we have to be "better" than straight people by not using the term "is so gay." What a load of bullshit.

Some will want to be better, and some will already be better but that is not the point. The point is that that I thank that lesbian for wearing that shirt for 2 reasons.

1. Tackling two social issues in four words.
2. Protesting in what could be the most lazy way ever invented, the message tee.

 

[Willie Boy]

I skimmed the article, but I think I would be a little offended too, had I read it. Mainly because the wording to me is too similar to how straight people use it as a slur... "Aww.. Dude! That _______ is so gay!"

I don't feel it's any better coming from us then it is from them.

Quite an interesting point.

While I see your point, I'm sure you see the irony with the saying and to me that cuts most of the offensiveness out of it.

So now the attendant has to judge whether they are a lesbian couple or just a couple of straight women to try to decide if it might be seen as offensive? How are any other guests going to know that she is indeed lesbian when they see the shirt?

The point is that some people would get offended by the wording on the shirt (mostly gays. Seriously, they do tend to overreact before knowing even half the facts) and the attendant politely asked her to remove the offensive potential, that is his job after all. There was no discrimination. This is all just another aforementioned overreaction by the gay community.

 

[Croynan]

the shirt is offensive and demeaning..

eM/

 

[Sam Blum]

Quite an interesting point.

So now the attendant has to judge whether they are a lesbian couple or just a couple of straight women to try to decide if it might be seen as offensive? How are any other guests going to know that she is indeed lesbian when they see the shirt?

Is it important that the wearer be queer? Isn't the message what the park claims to be worried about - that marriage can be gay? While I agree that context is important, I also think that in this case, it's fairly obvious! I didn't read anything about the employee being concerned people may be offended at the idea of a perceived straight person advocating this message...

The point is that some people would get offended by the wording on the shirt (mostly gays. Seriously, they do tend to overreact before knowing even half the facts) and the attendant politely asked her to remove the offensive potential, that is his job after all. There was no discrimination. This is all just another aforementioned overreaction by the gay community.

So "the Gay community" is over-reacting? You don't think that may be an exaggeration?

 

[FanofFiction]

If a black person had been at the park wearing a shirt that said something witty using the 'N word', I'm sure they would have been asked to cover it up as well. If you want to reclaim a word- there is a time and place. In my opinion, a theme park is neither the time nor place. And forgive my ignorance but haven't we already reclaimed "gay"?

 

[Spiff]

If a black person had been at the park wearing a shirt that said something witty using the 'N word', I'm sure they would have been asked to cover it up as well.

We're comparing the misuse of "gay" with saying the N-word? Oh my, the state of our society has become worse than I thought.

 

[FanofFiction]

Words which are used to be malicious shouldn't have a greater value then other words used for the same purpose. Let us not split hairs. Would it matter which caliber bullet killed a person? They would be equally dead.