Just curious. Why GAY?

Question

Why was the word "gay" chosen to describe homosexuals? Where did that originate? Do homosexuals prefer being called "gay" over "homosexual?"

Answer 1

Well, the word origin of Gay - it used to mean Happy.... it was then kind of a code word to describe a flamboyant person, someone who acted like the flaming queens we have today, since a lot of those people were actually homosexual it became the word for the whole community. As for which I prefer to be called, it depends on how it's said. I say gay, the news uses homosexual to appear more proper....as long as it's said without being a part of hate speech I don't have a preference.

Answer 2

the term gay stems from the Old Provencal word "gai," meaning high spirited and mirthful. Beginning in the seventeenth century, the term referred to the behavior of a playboy or dashing man about town. By the 19th century, the term had come to also refer to a woman of allegedly loose morals. The term gay did not attain prominence as a self-selected term for openly homosexual individuals until the late 1950s and early 1960s. It became increasingly common in this usage by the 1970s and was established in general usage by gays and non-gay individuals alike by the 1980s.

Answer 3

The word gay is now standard in its use to refer to homosexuals, in large part because it is the term that most gay people prefer in referring to themselves. Gay is distinguished from homosexual primarily by the emphasis it places on the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality as opposed to sexual practice. Many writers reserve gay for males, but the word is also used to refer to both sexes; when the intended meaning is not clear in the context, the phrase gay and lesbian may be used. Like the other names of social groups derived from adjectives (for example, Black), gay may be regarded as offensive when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as in There were two gays on the panel; here phrasing such as gay members should be used instead. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the plural to refer collectively either to gay men or to gay men and lesbians, so long as it is clear whether men alone or both men and women are being discussed.

Answer 4

I believe the vast majority of gay men prefer to be called gay. Some women do prefer to be called lesbians, though.

Thank you for asking this question, by the way.

Regarding the origin of the word gay, someone has already pointed out that it probably comes from the French word gai, which was used to mean ...well...gay.

I've read that it first came into usage among gay men in the early twentieth century. I've also read that gay men used gay as a code word that would not be understood by other people. Most gay people, unless they were very wealthy or maybe involved in the Arts, had to live an underground sort of existence in those days.

I like the word gay because it originally meant happy and carefree.

I think that is part of the reason it caught on with gay people. It countered the prevailing notion that gay people were evil, desperate, sick, depraved deviants that posed a grave danger to the rest of the world.

I don't care for the word homosexual, because it places emphasis on the sexual act. Being gay means being attracted to someone of the same gender. That includes romance, and feelings of love and tenderness.

Think of it this way, your parents are heterosexual, but do you really think of them in terms of their sex life, and the specific sexual acts they perform with each other? Of course, they have sex, but if you're like me you'd rather not dwell on it. The main thing is that they probably love each other, or did at some point.

People tend to obsess over gay sex. Don't ask me why, but they do. Especially regarding gay men. There is nothing wrong with anal sex. However, non-gay men assume all gay men have anal sex, and they can't let go of that image, and they feel the need to comment about it and joke about it and ridicule. Not all non-gay men, of course. But a lot, maybe even most. And it gets old.

Gay people have relationships, not just sex. Contrary to what bigots claim, gay people do not want to flaunt their sex lives. We just want to be accepted as equals. Doesn't everyone?

The word heterosexual does not have the same sort of connotation as homosexual, because most people believe heterosexuals are superior, and because heterosexuals constantly talk about their relationships: their wives, their husbands, their boyfriends, their girlfriends, whatever. It would take more than a word to reduce heterosexuals to a sexual act, because no one really thinks of them that way.

Heterosexuals do not have to hide their relationships. Think about it. Heterosexuals spend tens of thousands of dollars to have a wedding.

I realize this may seem overly-sensitive to some. But remember, there is a 1500 year history of gay people being murdered, imprisoned, put in mental institutions, executed, bullied, ridiculed, fired from their jobs, and being ostracized by friends and loved ones

Answer 5

As a g0y I prefer the word homosexual. If you call me gay you would be wrong.

Answer 6

I prefer to be called by my first name, or baby/honey from my partner. Or someone could call me happy. and if i could point out happier than most people I know who are with partners of the opposite sex.

Answer 7

I'd rather be called Mike

Answer 8

It's just semantics at this point. . .we could have been called anything. . . a rose by any other name. . .

Answer 9

I agree, they should have used FLAMBOYANT!!!!!