How and when did the word "Gay" become synonymous with the word "Homosexual?"?

Answer 1

gay Look up gay at Dictionary.com
1178, "full of joy or mirth," from O.Fr. gai "gay, merry," perhaps from Frank. *gahi (cf. O.H.G. wahi "pretty"). Meaning "brilliant, showy" is from c.1300. OED gives 1951 as earliest date for slang meaning "homosexual" (adj.), but this is certainly too late; gey cat "homosexual boy" is attested in N. Erskine's 1933 dictionary of "Underworld & Prison Slang;" the term gey cat (gey is a Scot. variant of gay) was used as far back as 1893 in Amer.Eng. for "young hobo," one who is new on the road and usually in the company of an older tramp, with catamite connotations. But Josiah Flynt ["Tramping With Tramps," 1905] defines gay cat as, "An amateur tramp who works when his begging courage fails him." Gey cats also were said to be tramps who offered sexual services to women. The "Dictionary of American Slang" reports that gay (adj.) was used by homosexuals, among themselves, in this sense since at least 1920. Rawson ["Wicked Words"] notes a male prostitute using gay in reference to male homosexuals (but also to female prostitutes) in London's notorious Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889. Ayto ["20th Century Words"] calls attention to the ambiguous use of the word in the 1868 song "The Gay Young Clerk in the Dry Goods Store," by U.S. female impersonator Will S. Hays. The word gay in the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity -- a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back to 1637. Gay as a noun meaning "a (usually male) homosexual" is attested from 1971.

Answer 2

It was started by some guy named Bernie in early 1982. It caught on and has been used ever since. I think the exact quote was "that's so gay" when someone in Bernie's class suggested that the theme for the high school prom should be based on the Rainbow Brite characters. Which you have to admit is pretty lame, stupid and gay.

Answer 3

I remember that particular word really started being used in reference to homosexuals in the early 1970s. This was after the Stonewall Riots in 1969, where a gay bar was raided by police. Many homosexual activists consider that incident to be the real start of the civil rights movement for gays.

Answer 4

Cary Grant's character used "gay" to mean homosexual in the 1938 movie "Bringing Up Baby" with Katherine Hepburn.

Answer 5

Because "gay" is such a "gay" word. It's the perfect adjective to descibe a homosexual.

Answer 6

And when did 'gay' became the synonyms for the word 'stupid' and 'ugly'? -__-

Sadly, meanings change. People are homophobic.

Answer 7

The homosexuals took it and owned it to erase the stigma of homosexuality. They took a word that previously meant "happy" and connected it to their homosexual lifestyle, thus taking away the sting of any negative connotation.

Answer 8

My guess is that some kid wanted to insult someone without saying homosexual, so he said gay.

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay