Thanks for intervention for the idea, I love it when that happens :P
2007-11-12 16:28:03 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Hmmn, didn't the word gay mean happy originally?
I am not sure about this but I thought that the term "gay" was used for homosexual people because they acted in a certain happy way...
My question is whether the original term - Gay - can still mean just happy.
I like to be happy but don't really like the idea of more than just platonic friendship with other guys - what is up with that Adams apple thing anyway??? :P
2007-11-12 16:54:51 · update #1
In today's society, being gay as in happy is old-fashioned. You could go ahead and call yourself gay and mean that you're happy, but you might get funny looks or something stupid like that
2007-11-13 10:30:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, they both have the same denotations, with the exception of gay having the synonym of happy, but they have two different connotations. Homosexual refers to a specific sexual attraction toward men. Gay on the other hand refers more toward an emotional attraction. For many centuries two men falling in love was simply unimaginable to the prudish and strongly religious public. So when referring to homosexuals they would describe it in terms of deprave sexual misconduct going against God's natural plan. It wasn't until the 20th century that homosexuality began to slowly become more understood the word gay became associated with a strong emotional relationship between two men (according to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest occurance of this is in 1935). The word gay was really a major step for the gay community since it validated that two men could have as strong an emotional bond as a man and a woman could share.
2007-11-13 00:35:44 · answer #2 · answered by Omega_Red9 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gay is associated, for men anyway, with a very effeminate personality, whereas being homosexual is only a sexual preference and isn't necessarily stereotyped as a "flamer".
So yes, it is possible for one to consider himself a homosexual and not be thought of as gay.
For women, Gay and homosexual have basically the same meaning. But when you say you're a Lesbian, it's usually assumed that you're very manly and quite butch....
Frogme, the word gay has always, as far as I know, had two meanings... one being happy the other being homosexual... I could be wrong though... :)
2007-11-13 00:48:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
wikked, I think so. You can have the traits of some "gay" guy(as our society labels them) by like having a high voice, etc. Gay did mean happy back in the 1920's or b4. Without saying something that could definitely get me kicked off Answers, I'll just have to answer a YES and say I agree with Omega.
2007-11-13 19:02:50 · answer #4 · answered by "Johns" 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your definition of gay. If you define gay as being homosexual, then no (your question is an oxymoron).
If however, by gay you mean lame, then yes, you can be gay without being homosexual (for example, the remake of that Sting song "Every breath you take" is totally gay (meaning lame, not homosexual)
2007-11-13 00:34:40 · answer #5 · answered by James Bond 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think you can be gay-if you mean not having sex with another man but still having desire to do so without doing it. That is the only way I know of being gay without homosexual-no sex.
2007-11-13 00:31:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends how you use the word "Gay". You can be happy and straight so i guess the answer to your question is yes.
2007-11-13 00:30:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you mean happy. Otherwise they mean the same thing, like saying 'is it possible to be round but not curved in today's world?'
2007-11-13 00:36:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah people can be happy but not like people of the same sex but you couldn't really say "I'm gay" without the wrong connotations
2007-11-13 00:30:24 · answer #9 · answered by Evieve 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
aren't those the same thing?
or you "gay" means "in a happy mood" here?
There are plenty straight men who are happy.
2007-11-13 00:30:43 · answer #10 · answered by Steven Walker 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋