A mid-level appeals court in New York ruled on Thursday that gay is okay — specifically, it's no longer considered a slur to call someone "gay." The ruling was sparked after Mark Yonaty of Binghamton sued a woman who allegedly spread a rumor regarding his sexuality, apparently with the hope that "Yonaty's girlfriend would break up with him." The queer accusation "hurt and ultimately destroyed" his relationship. However, said court ruled that being called gay, true or otherwise, simply isn't a bad thing. Which: hurray!
The New York decision claims that such commentary about one's sexual orientation is no longer "based on a false premise that it is shameful and disgraceful to be described as lesbian, gay or bisexual."
Does this mean that this is a widely accepted view across the country? Ha! Hardly. "The traditional view of being called gay was like being called an evil person. The state of public opinion has changed, but there are still people who feel that way," Jonathan L. Entin, law and political science professor at Case Western Reserve University Law School in Ohio, explains to Associated Press.