My friend Blakeyboi recently posted an immortal photo of two buff young wrestlers in Spandex on his blog (see it reposted in the A Queer Tribe photo gallery), saying: "That's so gay? No THIS is so gay! As most people that know me know, I hate the phrase 'that's so gay,' and I will call you on it every time if I catch you using it. But if it must be used, use it properly, as if to describe this image."

Indeed, there is nothing like Greco-Roman athletics for developing fine lads and these two certainly are fine.

In the absurd new movie "Land Of The Lost" a character says "That's so gay!" intending the comment as a deadly insult -but is negated completely when another character replies, with perfect dignity and aplomb, "Yes, it _is_ great." An excellent way to respond, I thought ...not in angry reaction, but by rather smoothly taking the high moral ground, making an elegant statement, and prompting critical self-reflection among everyone within hearing range all while keeping cool.

This would totally throw (in the Heideggerian sense) the person saying "That's so gay" as an intended insult, I would think. Probably they would first have a blank moment and then wonder if they had been misunderstood as saying "That's so great!" Might even more loudly repeat "That's so gay!" again with better enunciation and clarity of diction, to which one could reply with equal volume and excellent pronunciation "Yes, I heard you the first time, and yes, it _is_ GREAT."

This year in particular I have nearly been in fistfights (or worse) at the Alaska Club South locker room when shitheads say "That's so gay!" as an intended insult and I call them on the slur. I tend to become angry in such moments. Maybe it will be more effective to instead say, very loudly and clearly, "Yes, it IS great!" while staying coldly collected and focused instead of becoming hot and launching directly into an angry butt-chewing.