using the word "gay"

[smurfitup]

Before going to college, my friends and I would use the term "gay" fairly regularly to refer to any person/situation that we considered unfavorable, [censored], etc. But once I went to college (uber-liberal school on the east coast), I found that I had to make a conscious effort not to use the term since there was this overbearing culture of political correctness . It didn't really bother me that I had to stop using it, but now when I hear my friends use it in a context not referring to a homosexual, I always feel alarmed. Is this normal? How many OOTers use the word "gay" in everyday convo?