I'm a dyke.

I am queer. I am a woman. I am a dyke. I'm homosexual. Which is the right word to choose (if I must choose one to call myself)? And which is the correct term for anyone else to title me by? Should someone from the homo family have more of the right to call me a dyke versus someone of the heterosexual lifestyle? No. Personally, a word is a word. No matter what anyone calls anyone else, I feel that it is more than just the definition that defines the word in which they are titling. It depends on the TONE that the person implies. You can look any word up in the dictionary and have a definition. You can't look up the tone or the way the person is implying. And you definitely can not find the context of the situation. Tone of word is important. It's why Word Choice is one of the six or so English Contents you learn when you're in 6th grade. Anyone can use any word and have it be okay. What makes a word derogatory is the tone that the person sets.

I remember a few times when I was younger where one of my older sisters and I would get into an argument and it would end with her screaming at me calling me a "stupid dyke". Thankfully, she has grown out of this, realized and apologized but it is instances like these that make me wonder if people who are not homosexual value their life better or more normal. I mean, yes, 50 years ago, being heterosexual was the RIGHT and NORMAL thing to do. But still, you hear people throwing around the words gay, fag, dyke, queer, and homo as slanders to either degrade an actual homosexual or even to tease and/or describe a normal (ha ha ha, I had to throw this in there) heterosexual, thing, object, event, etc (whatever they are describing). Why are these descriptions used to taunt? Yes, of course homosexuals are much, much more accepted these days but is that really valid? Or is this just what everyone wants to think? Is it an obligation to society? The tone of the word queer and dyke haven't altered much, but, those words have gained a positive tone, at least. Anyone can use any word they like, they just need to make sure to use it in the right tone in the right context.