British TV Host Critized For Describing Car as “Gay”

Ofcom has told presenter Jeremy Clarkson that using the word “gay” in reference to a car is unacceptable. Mr. Clarkson repeated and amplified the comments of an audience member regarding the vehicle. Read more here.

““As Jeremy Clarkson supplemented the term “gay” with a phrase which is rhyming
slang for “queer”, there was no doubt that it was being used in the sense of
“homosexual”, and was capable of giving offence… in this instance there was no
editorial purpose which would have served to justify the potential offence and the
complaints were therefore upheld… the Executive Producer of Top Gear has
reminded the presenters and the production team of the importance of avoiding
derogatory references to sexual orientation”….
“Any use of the word “gay” which results in a negative portrayal of homosexual men
and women can give rise to concern. Some in the homosexual community are
sensitive to the word being used in a pejorative way, having seen adoption of the
word as a means of referring to themselves and their community in a positive
manner. To use it as a term of ridicule therefore runs the risk of giving offence.
However, there is evidence that for over the past thirty years or so a second meaning
of the word has gained currency. The current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary
(OED) states that in this second usage “gay” means foolish, stupid, and socially
inappropriate, or disapproved of and lame. The Dictionary points to an original
published use in 1978 of the word with this meaning, and states that this usage is
slang and most common in the USA. The OED does not consider this meaning of the
word to be offensive. The Dictionary does not set out the origins of this second
meaning.
In Ofcom’s view there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that use of the word