I doubt that this particular public awareness campaign will actually do anything useful...

This could have been a lot better. My idea would be " Manly people can go to a gay bar a retain their sexuality they have" or "Manly people treat others with respect". you could replace manly with cool. Just an idea. Basically change the idea of what is "cool or "manly" to something positive.
However I really think using the word gay to mean stupid is lame. The appeal of it does not click to me.

I went into this in depth on Kotaku comments, but basically, I think it's stupid. I know alot of gay gamers who don't care about it one way or another. They are using a blanket statement to say that everyone who says it is homophobic and has no life. They are idiots. Unfortunately, it looks like LBGT issues have usurped violence and sex in games as the new hot button issue.
On a side note, funny how all these organizations hate the word gay used as a negative word, but also associate themselves with the word "queer", meaning odd, strange, or shady, which I think is much more negative than gay ever is, considering that means "happy".
English FTW

OK, I've been following this topic a little bit and I thought I'd chime in. Basically, I fucking hate those ads because they make no sense to most of the people I know they are directed towards. The first time I saw this ad campaign was on The N, Nickelodeon's channel with (might I add liberal) programming geared towards teens, which is one of the most ignorant age groups in almost any society. So I don't see how they thought they were going to have that much of an impact on that demographic.
Also, one thing I really really REALLY hate is how anybody in the homosexual community takes such offence to the use of the term 'gay' in a negative connotation. The word was not invented for homosexuals, it was adopted by them. Simple as that. So why should they feel the right to be offended that someone wants to use the word in a different manner than the way they feel it should be used? It's the English language, it's a living language and lots of people use it, no matter how bastardized it has become, people will associate meanings to words however they choose. It's the human way,
Well, other than I hate the illogical ad campaign, I didn't really have a huge opinion on the subject matter otherwise. I like 'gay' people/homosexuals, but I still use the terms 'gay' and 'fag' in negative connotations. I don't feel bothered either way.

I don't care where you want to stick your penis, just be a team player and everything is fine.

Hell yeah. One of the best nights on the town I've ever had was at a gay club in Copenhagen, that sadly doesn't exist anymore. The mood of the place was so wonderful. It was about partying and having fun, nothing else. There was none of the testosterone-filled macho vibe you otherwise often meet in night clubs, no fights, no shouted arguments. Just happy people. Didn't turn me gay either. Or make me uncomfortable in any way, for that matter.

sounds like a sweet place even if I don't go to bars

Can't turn an orange orange...

You can if you use a orange sharpie! MWUAHAHAHA!

Gay bars are more fun. That is why they often end up being taken over by breeders.
Anyway, Alpha, you are clearly very intelligent but it doesn't sound as though you understand the severity of this issue. I can agree that laughter is the best anesthetic, but it does not actually repair the damage: there are far less glamorous solutions for that.
- I would gladly discuss this matter further but I am traveling through regions where (for the most part) the internet does not yet exist. Over & out.

That's why i said the add is bullshit. Surely there are more important issues to adress before even thinking about adressing the use of an expression that most times it's used without any actual intent to make an 'attack' or statement towards gay people.
Your point about 'non gay' derragoratory terms is quite valid. Gay people strive for being accepted just like everybody else. Everybody else has to deal with this kind of thing, so it seems to me that gay people will have to aswell, or else some might think that gays are lobbying for special treatment instead of equality. Actually, a couple of posts on this thread seem to indicate just that.
When it comes to intolerance there are worthier battles to be fought out there and definitely not just on the gay front.

Does anyone here actually USE the term "gay" in a derogatory way?
I certainly don't, and judging by the response to a certain thread a few weeks back, i don't think many here do either.
So if we don't consider it acceptable here, is there really any harm in trying to get others to accept the same idea?
Seems like a bit more respect all round leads to a better time for everyone... so anything that tries to encourage that is all fine with me.
(other people having to deal with the situation seems kind of irrelevant to me... just because other people get a bad time, doesn't mean we should encourage it).

I don't have anything against the add. I just think it's uninspired, and there are many other issues who could use the time, the money and the energy spent on it.
And i wish getting people to respect each other a litlle more was as easy as coming up with an add, but by all means, if people really think this will make a difference...

Actually I have done and still do occasionally. When I've said it, it has no meaning beyond "lame" and it's just not something I think about much. I don't think I'd say it around people who I didn't know/don't know me. If you were aware of any of my posts in the Gay Gamers thread you'd know I'm pretty far from homophobic and I think perhaps it's just a bad habit picked up from school.
Thing is, I'm not convinced I see it as a huge deal. If I say "you bastard" to a mate for some reason, perhaps he beat me at Tekken*, I don't worry about offending those with unwed parents. Context, as is so often the case, is key. With respect to this ad, I think it's a band aid on a bullet wound. We shouldn't be making words taboo, that's beyond pointless. It'd be nice if we could find a way to look down on people who genuinely have a problem with homosexuality. Make those sorts of attitudes worthy of ridicule, and I just don't see that happening by making "gay" an off limit word as an insult.
*Of course no one beats me at Tekken, it was purely hypothetical.