A court in New York says it's no longer slander to falsely call someone gay because it's not something society sees as negative anymore.
The mid-level appeals court says that although falsely calling someone gay or lesbian has for decades been grounds for slander, that's no longer the case.
The decision Thursday by the mid-level appeals court involves the case of a Broome County man who sued a woman who called him gay in what he says was an effort to get his girlfriend to leave him. He says it hurt his relationship.
The court says a "tremendous evolution of social attitudes" and rights afforded to gays prompted the decision that overrules previous rulings.
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