The history of the word “gay” | The Gayly

Contents:

• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• THE HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”
• MEANG OF GAY ENGLISH
• GAY (HOMOSEXUAL) AND GAY (HAPPY)
• GAY
• WHAT DO "GAY" MEAN?
• WHAT DO IT MEAN TO BE GAY? DEFN AND MEANG OF GAY
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

Consirg a recent survey by the Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn (GLAAD) found that 12 percent of the populatn intifi as LGBTQIA+, 's more ccial than ever to unrstand the termology around this growg muny.

THE HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”

Until somewhat recently, variatns of the term "gay muny" were ed to enpass the entirety of the group that we now refer to as LGBTQIA+. Magaze, the first acronym to take shape the 1990s was "GLBT," ed to scribe those who intified as eher gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr. Activists and members of the queer muny have sce e together to form the current acronym, "LGBTQIA+." This notatn clus space for those intifyg as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer (and some s, "qutng"), tersex, asexual (and sometim "ally"), and the "+" is for a plethora of other orientatns and inti.

Before then, the term "gay" was ed to refer to both men and women, although was more closely associated wh men.

MEANG OF GAY ENGLISH

Before the latter half of the 19th century, the word "gay" simply referred to someone who was "reee," "cheerful," or "bright and showy," acrdg to The Oxford Dictnary of Difficult Words. Sce then, the word "gay" has fully replaced the term "homosexual," which many found to be too clil and was riddled wh stigma.

Acrdg to the Universy of Illois, "gay" is still ed to scribe a number of thgs, cludg the LGBTQIA+ muny as a whole, a sgle dividual who do not intify as straight, and men who are attracted to other men a "romantic, erotic and/or emotnal sense.". (And, while this should go whout sayg, the ia that intifyg as bisexual is a "way statn" om straight to gay is an accurate and hurtful stereotype.).

GAY (HOMOSEXUAL) AND GAY (HAPPY)

The "A" LGBTQIA+ n also refer to the term "ally," which is ed to fe someone who "nonts heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexual, and genrstraight privilege themselv and others," acrdg to the Universy of Illois. Pri, formerly known as Gay Pri, is a regnn of LGBTQ inty, affirmatn of equal rights, and celebratn of visibily, digny, and diversy the LGBTQ muny. While the word homosexual is still ocsnally ed some ntexts, you might have noticed that don’t make an appearance any versn of the LGBTQ acronym.

As our age note on the term stat, “up until 1973, homosexualy was listed The Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs (DSM), psychiatry’s standard reference on the classifitn of mental illns.

GAY

People aware of this former tegorizatn feel that the term homosexual still rri a negative nnotatn. And many feel that this word plac undue emphasis on sexual activy, or that sounds overly clil.” In fact, the term homosexual was liberately rejected by early gay rights activists bee, acrdg to The New York Tim, “they did not want to be intified as exclively sexual begs.”. For the and other reasons, the term homosexual is wily nsired disparagg and offensive.

Gay, on the other hand, n be ed to scribe a person of any genr who experienc same-sex attractn, although is most often ed to scribe a man who is attracted to men. The days, the term homosexual is typilly limed to medil ntexts, if ed at all. On June 28, 1969, the New York Cy police raid the Stonewall Inn, a bar equented by gay and genr-nonnformg people (at a time when terms like LGBTQ didn’t yet exist).

They attempted to arrt the gay and trans bar patrons, which started a seri of protts agast the police. Partially rponse to Stonewall, 1970, queer activists New York Cy anized a march to Central Park wh the theme “Gay Pri.” A more prehensive history of the Stonewall Rt or the Stonewall Uprisg n be found our Pri Month explaer. Trans activist Slyvia Rivera particular advoted for the more forceful slogan “Gay power.”.

WHAT DO "GAY" MEAN?

The term queer, like the term homosexual, has a b of a troubled history.

WHAT DO IT MEAN TO BE GAY? DEFN AND MEANG OF GAY

However, unlike homosexual, has been wily reappropriated by the LGBTQ muny as a label.

Queer lerally means “strange or odd om a nventnal viewpot,” and by at least by the late 1800s, queer was ployed as a rogatory term for an effemate or gay man.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

In 1990, this effort foced on queer as a llective term for gay and lbian people.

Queer was seen as a way to refer to gays and lbians whout beg genr-sentialist or g divisns wh the muny. homoromantic: a person who is romantilly attracted to people of the same sex or genr. The word gay dat back to the 12th century and om the Old French “gai, ” meang “full of joy or mirth.