Growing up queer in Australia meant sacrificing your true self to limit humiliation and prejudice, according to writer and LGBTIQA+ activist Alexander Leon.
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Despite progress in other areas, a recent survey found most people in the LGBTIQA+ community had been the victim of derogatory language, with more than two thirds having slurs slung their way in the past year.
Conducted by YouGov research, the survey quizzed both people who do and do not identify as part of the LGBTIQA+ community.
It found 78 per cent within the community had been called homophobic words, commonly in high school, online or just while out in public.
And nearly a third said they first heard the hateful language out of the mouths of family and friends.
The stark figures prompted big-four bank ANZ to commission a short film, Love Speech, where young LGBTIQA-identifying people are asked to say their names.
In a twist which pulls no punches, they answer with epithets previously used against them.
Writer and social commentator Benjamin Law says his experience growing up as a "closeted child" meant quickly learning "gay" was one of the worst things you could be.
"Mostly it's intended as a joke, but every small sting that makes you weakly laugh along for self-protection is also a step back into the closet," Law said.
He quoted a tweet posted by fellow Australian writer Mr Leon last month, which was shared on Twitter more than 60,000 times.
'Queer people don't grow up as ourselves, we grow up a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation and prejudice,' Mr Leon wrote.
Part of what their young selves were protecting against were the so-called jokes stemming from hate and "the insistence we're inferior," Law said.
His comments come as Sydney prepares to host its annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
ANZ, a principle partner of the event, has released a Love Speech campaign to coincide with the celebrations and help combat the use of homophobic language.
The bank has also produced a digital guide - Your Guide To Love Words - of offensive words and replacement suggestions as well as an extension for web browser Google Chrome.
Called The Hurt Blocker, the software identifies derogatory words on a web page and replaces them with images of hearts, unicorns or rainbows to limit children and young adults' exposure to the language online.
Some people have bemoaned what they see as a rise of political correctness and its curb on free speech, Law said.
"But what could you apparently say 30 years ago - and about whom - without consequences?" he asked.
"We're not kids making dumb jokes any more. It's time to grow up."
Australian Associated Press
