I just spent two days with people who find it acceptable to use "gay" as a perjorative. As in, "that is so GAY!" They found it acceptable to do this even AFTER I told them I found it personally offensive, homophobic, completely inappropriate, and, as an afterthought, totally unprofessional.
What do you do about that? I mean, the hard part is supposed to be speaking up, isn't it? In the situation I have been in, speaking up is a bit of a problem, because these people, directly or indirectly, employ me. But I thought that once I did speak up I'd at least get some abashed looks and people would shut up!
It really makes me wonder where all of this so-called progress is taking place. If I am in a supposedly professional situation and the entire room (15 people) take no notice of this until I point it out, no one backs me up when I point it out, and then the fucking do it anyway, I don't think we've moved very far.