I'm aware of all that...but, are you then engaging in a "very calculated" attempt to "hijack" the meaning of the word yet again? And, if so, why?
Using the word "gay" as a synonym for "lame" reeks of homophobia...at least, it does out here on the Left Coast.
And, as far as I can tell, no dictionaries yet show "lame" as a definition for "gay".
I suppose the young folks using it have hijacked it and in an attempt to identify with their vernacular I find myself echoing their phraseology at times. I don't actually use it that way all that often. While I am obviously not a supporter of the *****exual lifestyle I don't really have an axe to grind against it either. I've had the unfortunate experience to have lost several old classmates as a result of that lifestyle and don't consider it a "happy" thing at all. Homophobic......yes I am in one sense but not on a personal level with those I am/was friends with.
I'm a left coast dweller too!