by Jordan Redman Staff Wrer Do you know what the word gay really means? The word gay dat back to the 12th century and om the Old French “gai,” meang “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Old High German “gahi,” meang impulsive.
Contents:
- GAY HISTORY: HOW ‘GAY’ CAME TO MEAN ‘HOMOSEXUAL’
- THE HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”
- GAY (ADJ.)
- THE ORIG OF THE WORD ‘GAY’ S HOMOSEXUAL NTEXT
- WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GAY” AND “HOMOSEXUAL"? IS ONLY BY GENR?
- GAY
- GAY RIGHTS
GAY HISTORY: HOW ‘GAY’ CAME TO MEAN ‘HOMOSEXUAL’
The word “gay” seems to have s origs around the 12th century England, rived om the Old French word ‘gai’, which turn was probably rived om a Germanic word, though that isn’t pletely known. The word’s origal meang meant somethg to the effect of “joyful”, “reee”, “full of mirth”, or “bright and showy”.… * gay gay homosexual gay original *
The word “gay” seems to have s origs around the 12th century England, rived om the Old French word ‘gai’, which turn was probably rived om a Germanic word, though that isn’t pletely known.
THE HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”
* gay gay homosexual gay original *
Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostute and a gay man was someone who slept wh a lot of women (ironilly enough), often prostut. In terms of the sexual meang of the word, a “gay man” no longer jt meant a man who had sex wh a lot of women, but now started to refer to men who had sex wh other men. Gay men themselv seem to have been behd the drivg thst for this new fn as they felt (and many still do), that “homosexual” is much too clil, soundg like a disorr.
As such, was mon amongst the gay muny to refer to one another as “gay” s before this was a monly known fn (reportedly homosexual men were llg one another gay as early as the 1920s). Sce then, gay, meang homosexual male, has steadily driven out all the other fns that have floated about through time and of urse also has gradually begun supplementg the word ‘lbian’ as referrg to women who are homosexual. Bee even mentng someone was a homosexual was so offensive at the time England, people who were thought to be gay were referred to as “sporty” wh girls and “artistic” for boys.
The name chosen by this important early activist group is the ma reason gay beme the polilly rrect term stead of any of the many more mon terms e before then.
GAY (ADJ.)
GAY Meang: "full of joy, merry; light-hearted, reee;" also "wanton, lewd, lasciv" (late 12c. as a surname,… See orig and meang of gay. * gay gay homosexual gay original *
In the 1890s, the term “gey t” (a Sttish variant of gay) was ed to scribe a vagrant who offered sexual servic to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and the pany of an olr man. In 1951, gay appeared the Oxford English Dictnary for the first time as slang for homosexual, but was most likely ed this way “unrground” at least 30 years earlier. ” This le (ad-libbed by Grant) n be terpreted to mean that he was behavg a happy-go-lucky or lighthearted way but is accepted by many as the first e of gay to mean homosexual a mastream movie.
When gay is ed today to mean stupid or unsirable ( has only been ed this way sce the 1990s), rri wh a history of negative judgment and rigid ias about who or what is acceptable. 240]The associatn wh (male) homosexualy likely got a boost om the term gay t, ed as far back as 1893 Amerin English for "young hobo, " one who is new on the road, also one who sometim do jobs. Gay ts were severely and celly abed by "real" tramps and bums, who nsired them "an ferr orr of begs who begs of and otherwise preys upon the bum — as were a jackal followg up the kg of beasts" [Prof.
McCook, "Tramps, " "The Public Treatment of Pperism, " 1893], but some acunts report certa olr tramps would domate a gay t and employ him as a sort of slave.
THE ORIG OF THE WORD ‘GAY’ S HOMOSEXUAL NTEXT
by N. David Williams Williams-Nichols Collectn Department of Archiv & Special Collectns Universy of Louisville Use of the word "gay" a homosexual ntext may date to as long ago as Paris the late 16th century, when homosexuals were reportedly lled 'gai," but there are a uple of other trigug and perhaps more provable… * gay gay homosexual gay original *
In "Soclogy and Social Rearch" (1932-33) a paragraph on the "gay t" phenomenon not, "Homosexual practic are more mon than rare this group, " and gey t "homosexual boy" is attted Noel Erske's 1933 dictnary of "Unrworld & Prison Slang" (gey is a Sttish variant of gay) "Dictnary of Amerin Slang" reports that gay (adj. Rawson ["Wicked Words"] not a male prostute g gay reference to male homosexuals (but also to female prostut) London's notor Cleveland Street Sndal of 1889. [John Boswell, "Christiany, Social Tolerance, and Homosexualy, " 1980]As a teen slang word meang "bad, ferr, unsirable, " whout reference to sexualy, om (n.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GAY” AND “HOMOSEXUAL"? IS ONLY BY GENR?
The meang of GAY is of, relatg to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attractn to people of one's same sex —often ed to refer to men only. How to e gay a sentence. Usage of Gay: Usage Gui Synonym Discsn of Gay. * gay gay homosexual gay original *
Use of the word “gay” a homosexual ntext may date to as long ago as Paris the late 16th century, when homosexuals were reportedly lled ‘gai, ” but there are a uple of other trigug and perhaps more provable theori. Homosexual Amerin ary personnel wanrg the streets of London durg World War I may have picked up on the phrase and brought back to the Uned Stat after 1918. In Abigail van Buren’s “Dear Abby” advice lumn of Augt 9, 1982 (#721 below), a rear objects to the e of the word “gay” to scribe homosexuals and feels “queer” is more appropriate.
If, for example, a homosexual man were at a party and started nversg wh a man he found attractive, he might throw the word slyly to the nversatn to see how the other man reacted. ” As a homosexual New Yorker, he undoubtedly unrstood the double entendre, as would have many New York theatergoers, but s meang would have been lost on most dienc the provc.
Bis a fleetg reference 1949, the first time the Courier-Journal ed the word s morn ntext was a 1969 display ad for a homosexually-themed Hollywood movie entled The Gay Deceivers. Probably bee the word lbian exists as well, one is slightly more likely to refer to men when g the word gay; but note that is very often also ed for women.
GAY
The gay rights movement the Uned Stat began the 1920s and saw huge progrs the 2000s, wh laws prohibg homosexual activy stck down and a Supreme Court lg legalizg same-sex marriage. * gay gay homosexual gay original *
Anyway, gays took back the word "gay" bee was beg ed as a slur agast them, much like the n-word, much like the word faggot (and if you are unfaiar wh the rivatn of the word faggot, I suggt you n to your dictnary right now, sce is no where near as fortable as the rivatn of the word lbian). Suffice to say that the word homosexual is an outdated term all but the most tached scientific wrg; that the word lbian appli strictly to women; and that the word gay n refer to both men and women, but ually refers to men.
There are some who would argue that "homosexuals" are those who meet the clil fn of beg more attracted to members of the same sex than those of the oppose sex (given that most theori of sexual orientatn today dite that sexual orientatn is a ntuum, that heterosexualy and homosexualy are more than or ls than differenc rather than dichotomi). Given the opprsn that has led to the "closet, " many people who are more homosexual than heterosexual do not and have never participated the gay liftyle or culture and may even be largely unaware of . It tends to imply salcns bee the word SEX ss right there the middle--a sure attentn-grabber and an implitn that homoSEXuals are exclively ncerned wh SEXual gratifitn and have no "fay valu" whatsoever.
Virgia is not the only state that is experiencg an outbreak — Florida officials are rpondg to a ser outbreak of mengocl disease among gay and bisexual men. The Universy of Wyomg mp Laramie has a long history of wranglg wh LGBTQ+ issu sce the murr of gay hman Matthew Shepard 1998 heightened attentn to them natnwi.
GAY RIGHTS
The duo also reced several members of the former AAGPBL to serve as advisers — cludg the legendary Maybelle Blair, who at age 95 me out as gay durg the prs tour for the show.