GAY...Why did they pick the gay word to pertain to homosexuals.?

Question

I would like to know why this word instead of some other.

Answer 1

Gay is odd. Odd is how heterosexuals define queers. Queer is a hatered term used by homophobes to label Gay which just so happens to be what most homosexuals respectfully want to be called. Good Question.

Answer 2

"gay", before a certain period of time, simply meant bright, happy, merry. My theory is that someone noticed that male homosexuals were sharp dressers and slyly extended the meaning of the original term. Dictionaries say that it was beginning to mean "homosexual" by the 1800s, because of a slang term used by members of the theatre. The theatre, then as now, developed many of its own slang terms and cheery euphisms for words, and then as now, contained large numbers of talented homosexuals.
The most famous use of "gay" to mean homosexual was arguably done by Cary Grant in the movie "Bringing Up Baby"; it was the first time the word, an obscure theatre term, had ever been publicly used in that context on television.
Cary, alleged to have been a bisexual, had a close male partner for many years.
But to describe the movie scenario which catapulted the word from backstage of the theater into common, modern American usage:
Cary Grant's character, David, is frantically searching for his clothes after the madcap heiress, Susan (Katharine Hepburn) has stolen them. In desperation he wears the only thing left in the nearest closet; a frilly pink frock.
Susan's aged aunt catches David wearing the frilly, lacy gown. An amusing scene follows; the aunt harangues him:

Aunt: You look perfectly idiotic in those clothes.
Cary: These aren't my clothes, I've lost my clothes.
Aunt: Well then, why are you wearing these clothes?
Cary: Well I don't know; maybe I just went GAY all of a sudden!
(He also does a little prance, leap, and jazz hands on the word GAY... leaving no doubt as to his intended meaning).
This instance, by word of mouth, regardless of how many had actually seen Bringing Up Baby, arguably integrated the word GAY meaaning male homosexual into every modern American's life.

Answer 3

They thought they were so happy and so sure about their sexuality, they started to call them Wow they're so gay (happy) and let's call them gay... Vice Versa.... the rest are just insults.

Answer 4

ok well the lesbian and gay rights movement stonewall, first used it and its actually initials for the saying Good As You
and basically it has stuck ever since

Answer 5

cause us hetrosexuals like to name people lots of things.

Gay means happy and they act like their always happy.

queer is just odd as we think they are just that.

hemosexual is the offical term as that mean two-alike items, and hetro means separate items.

Answer 6

http://www.gurl.com/findout/label/pages/0,,667671,00.html

Can't say for positive but it is certainly interesting

Answer 7

We voted... it was either gay or butt muncher.... which would you have chosen??

Answer 8

Queer, isn't it?