Yes, words mean things. Gay means happy. It does not mean homosexual.
I wish we could get back to the original meaning of “gay.” It used to be a perfectly nice word included in a lot of song lyrics. “Gaye” was a pretty girl’s name.
And while we’re at it, I want the rainbow back, too.
It used to have a perfectly good meaning, but no more. It has been hijacked and appropriated.
The vast majority of the population has no conception of the previous meaning.
Funny, if you were in a crowd of people and you told someone they were really gay, you would likely be castigated for insulting the person. And you would likely be castigated by the same people who stole the word.