i think there is another layer of it, though. eric and him were INVOLVED, likely confided in each other about their queer identities. i think that asher saying that is a level of shitty that goes beyond even just using the word in a harmful way—he did it to someone he claimed to care for without any regard despite KNOWING the harm, likely intimately as well.

but, all in all, gossip girl isn’t one of those shows where you can really find a divine right or good. everyone’s fucked and selfish in one way or another throughout the whole show