Apple’s Dictionary Define Gay As Foolish and Stupid

<p>Apple’s dictionary lists the word 'gay' to mean Foolish and Stupid in software found on its computer operating systems.</p> <p>By Newsdesk | 12th November 2013</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4601680004.png" width="460" height="229" alt="Apple" title="Apple"/></p> <p></p><p>The computer and Smartphone giant has landed itself in hot water after it was discovered that the word gay is described in its dictionary as Foolish and Stupid. </p><p></p><p>The description was found after a 15 year-old student in Massachusetts in the US discovered the pejorative use of the word gay during an assignment for school. The student, Becca Gorman has started a campaign to ask Apple to remove the offensive definition reports the MetroWest Daily News.</p><p></p><p>In a letter to the company Becca Gorman, whose parents are lesbians, asked Apple’s CEO Tim Cook to remove the informal explanation.</p><p></p><p>‘I assume that you are a pro-gay company, and would never intend for any one of your products to be as offensive as this definition was.’ Gorman wrote.</p><p></p><p>‘Even with your addition of the word informal, this definition normalizes the terrible derogatory twist that many people put on the word ‘gay.’’</p><p></p><p>Within an hour a representative called Ms Gorman:</p><p></p><p>‘They told me it’s so hard to track the dictionaries they’re getting sources from, and that they were also shocked themselves.’ </p><p></p><p>Apparently Apple sources its Dictionary's from four different sources.</p><p></p><p>Speaking to TheGayUK a spokesperson for the company said: </p><p></p><p>'We license our content from the Oxford University Press, which is acknowledged in our preferences panel within the app.'</p><p></p><p>In June this year a petition drew attention to an app available on Apple's app store, Setting Captives Free, which offered users a 'gay cure'. The app was removed from the app store within 24 hours after 50,000 people signed the petition. </p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4601680958.png" width="461" height="282" alt="Oxford Dictionary" title="Oxford Dictionary"/></p> <p></p><p>The Oxford University Press (OUP) Dictionary also defines the word gay as foolish, stupid, or unimpressive, however the OUP uses the caveat: 'informal, often offensive'</p><p> </p>