A brief history of gay signalg, om hanky s to that 'what gay guys are actually like' vio

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
• LIFE ISN’T PRI.SIMPLE GAY APPAREL IS MEANT TO TRANSCEND PRI AS WE KNOW . YOU AREN’T JT A RABOW, JT A “GAY PERSON” WHO ONLY POPS TO EXISTENCE EVERY JUNE FOR OUT-OF-TOUCH BRANDS TO LABEL AND MODIZE — FOR BRANDS TO FAKE RE ABOUT AND RCTNISTILLY APPEAL TO — PURSU OF THEIR MA GOAL, THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. YOU’RE MORE THAN THAT — YOU’RE A GAY PERSON WH A GAY EXPERIENCE. AND, AS YOU KNOW, OUR GAY EXPERIENCE ISN’T ALL RABOWS AND UNIRNS. RABOWS AND UNIRNS FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THE LONG PATH THAT WE DDGED ALONG BEFORE BEG ABLE TO FALLY PEEK OUR HEAD OUT OF THE DARKNS AND AT SOME POT, HOPEFULLY, BEE RELATIVELY SHAMELS.I CREATED SIMPLE GAY APPAREL BEE THE MARKET OFFERGS WEREN’T GETTG . I WAS CRAVG SUBTLETY AND NUANCE. I WAS CRAVG VISIBILY, REPRENTATN, AND MULTI-DIMENSNALY MY PURSU TO BE OUT NFINTLY.MY DARK DIGN INSPIRATN.AFTER I SET OUT TO SIGN SUBTLE AND NUANCED VISIBILY, I REALIZED THAT A LOT OF MY UNNSC SPIRATN WAS G OM DARKNS AND SHAME THAT FED MY GAY EXPERIENCE — DARKNS THAT I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, RECLAIM, TAKE OWNERSHIP OVER, AND MAKE LIGHT OF. I THK THERE’S SOMETHG EMPOWERG ABOUT ACKNOWLEDGG A THG AS REALLY IS — ACKNOWLEDGG PA, ACKNOWLEDGG SHAME, ACKNOWLEDGG THE PROCS — AND OWNG ANKLY AND SIMPLY, HUMOR AND IRONY.WH MY SIGNS, I E VAR SYMBOLS TO CREATE STORI, LTLE SNAPSHOTS OF EMOTNS AND SENTIMENTS THAT REPRENT THE WI SPECTM OF THE GAY EXPERIENCE — OM SHAME TO SPE, OM LONELS TO PRI. MY COMMMENT TO QUALY.
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY SIGNALG, OM HANKY S TO THAT 'WHAT GAY GUYS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE' VIO
• WHAT CLOTH DO GAY PEOPLE WEAR?
• NO, GAP DON'T STAND FOR "GAY & PROUD," BUT THE SCHOOLYARD TNT STILL FOLLOWS ME TODAY
• DEFINITIONS FOR GAY APPARELGAY AP·PAR·EL
• DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL
• THE MOST CONFG CHRISTMAS MIC LYRICS EXPLAED (VIDEO)WHO IS PARSON BROWN?WHO IS PARSON BROWN? A GLOSSARY OF WHAT ALL THOSE STRANGE PHRAS CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS MEAN.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED APR. 21, 2017 2:15PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 24, 2014 5:45AM EST CLASSICSTOCK/ALAMYWE HAPPILY HOIST OUR EGG NOG THE AIR, EMBRACE EACH OTHER, AND RAISE OUR OUT-OF-TUNE VOIC SONG. AND WE HAVE NO IA WHAT SANTA’S NAME WE’RE SGG.EACH HOLIDAY SEASON, THE MASS ROL ABOUT “FIGGY PUDDG” AND “GAY APPAREL” AND SOMEONE NAMED PARSON BROWN, MOSTLY IGNORANT TO THE MEANG OF THE ANTIQUATED PHRAS AND REFERENC TO THGS LONG PAST. IN THE SPIR OF FDG THE TE MEANG OF CHRISTMAS, WE THOUGHT BT TO FD THE TE MEANG OF THE BEFUDDLG CHRISTMAS SONG LYRICS. HERE, A GLOSSARY TO THE MOST NFG.‘WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS’‘OH, BRG A FIGGY PUDDG’ WHETHER ROLERS WOULD TLY LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO BRG THEM SOME FIGGY PUDDG, AS THEY MAND “WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS,” PENDS ON THEIR FONDNS FOR ANOTHER CLASSIC HOLIDAY SSERT. IT’S “A LTLE B LIKE UKE,” BAKG EXPERT DORIE GREENSPAN TOLD NPR’S MICHELE NORRIS ON ALL THGS CONSIRED. “I WAS AAID TO SAY BEE UKE HAS SUCH A BAD REPUTATN, BUT [FIGGY PUDDG] IS STEAMED; ’S CHOCKABLOCK WH DRIED US; ’S SO BOOZY…’S LIC.” IT WAS POPULARIZED AS A HOLIDAY SSERT 16TH-CENTURY ENGLAND AND ALSO IS KNOWN AS CHRISTMAS PUDDG OR PLUM PUDDG. OVER THE YEARS, S POPULARY HAS WANED SIGNIFINTLY. ‘A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS’‘I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’LL BE SNOW BUT HAVE A CUP OF CHEER’ THERE’S A CUTE PLAY ON WORDS GOG ON HERE. IT’S CHRISTMAS, BUCKO, SO LOOK HAPPY! BUT AS SOME OF KNOW ALL TOO WELL, “CUP OF CHEER” REFERS MORE SPECIFILLY TO A BRIMMG CUP OF HOLIDAY HAPPY JUICE. BOOZE. WHETHER ’S SPIKED EGG NOG, MULLED CIR, OR SOME OTHER LIBATN, THE NARRATOR HERE IS VG LISTENERS TO RAISE A GLASS, DRK, AND BE MERRY. ‘SLEIGH RI’‘IT’LL NEARLY BE LIKE A PICTURE PRT BY CURRIER AND IV’CURRIER AND IV WAS A PRTMAKG FIRM BASED OUT OF NEW YORK CY OM 1834 TO 1907. FOUND BY NATHANIEL CURRIER, WHO LATER PARTNERED WH JAM MERRT IV, THE FIRM SCRIBED SELF AS “PUBLISHERS OF CHEAP AND POPULAR PRTS,” MOST OF WHICH WERE LHOGRAPHS PICTG THE SPECTM OF AMERIN LIFE. EXTREMELY POPULAR WERE THE WTER LANDSP, WHICH FEATURED UTOPIAN WTER SCEN OF UPL RIDG HORSE-DRAWN RRIAG THROUGH THE SNOW OR FAI ICE SKATG ON PICTURQUE PONDS. IN “SLEIGH RI,” THE NARRATOR IS PATG A SCENE SO PERFECT THAT ULD BE FEATURED ON AN INIC CURRIER AND IV PRT. ‘WTER WONRLAND’‘IN THE MEADOW WE N BUILD A SNOWMAN THEN PRETEND THAT HE IS PARSON BROWN’ ONE LE “WTER WONRLAND” HAS STOPPED UNTLS PEOPLE AD THEIR TRACKS. WHO IS PARSON BROWN, AND WHY ARE THE PEOPLE MAKG A SNOWMAN THAT LOOKS LIKE HIM? GIVEN THAT 1934, WHEN THE SONG WAS WRTEN, THE MOST FAMO PARSON BROWN WAS A FLORIDA ORANGE GROWER, LYRICIST RICHARD B. SMH WAS LIKELY REFERRG TO A FICTNAL PASTOR. DURG THAT PERD, PROTTANT MISTERS WERE LLED “PARSONS” AND WOULD TRAVEL OM TOWN TO TOWN TO PERFORMG WEDDGS FOR UPL WHO DIDN’T HAVE A LOL MISTER OF THEIR FAH WHERE THEY LIVED. SO THOSE LYRICS ARE ACTUALLY A B FLIRTAT. THE NARRATOR IS SUGGTG THAT THEY BUILD A SNOWMAN THAT LOOKS LIKE A MISTER. THE NEXT L, “HE’LL SAY ‘ARE YOU MARRIED?’ WE’LL SAY ‘NO, MAN, BUT YOU N DO THE JOB WHILE YOU’RE TOWN!’” ULD BE NSIRED A MOCK PROPOSAL. ‘DECK THE HALLS’‘DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL FA LA LA, LA LA LA, LA LA LA’“DECK THE HALLS” WAS WRTEN BACK THE 16TH CENTURY, WHEN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WAS VERY DIFFERENT. MORN TRANSLATN: “PUT ON YOUR PARTY CLOTH!” ‘HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LTLE CHRISTMAS’‘MAKE THE YULETI GAY FROM NOW ON YOUR TROUBL WILL BE AWAY, OH’AS WE JT REVIEWED, “GAY” MEANS HAPPY—JUDY GARLAND WAS NOT SGG ABOUT A YULETI WH HOMOSEXUAL LEANGS. “YULETI,” ETYMOLOGILLY, ROOTS THE OLD ENGLISH WORD “ġéOL,” WHICH HAS SCE BEEN TRANSLATED TO “YULE,” REFERRG TO THE 12-DAY RELIG FTIVAL CELEBRATED BY NORTHERN EUROPEANS HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. OVER THE YEARS, THE MEANG HAS EVOLVED, SENTIALLY, TO “CHRISTMASTIME,” AND SCRIB THE PERD BETWEEN DEC. 24 AND JAN. 6. JUDY, AS PRSG AS SHE SOUNDS THIS SONG, JT WANTS YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON TO BE HAPPY. ‘IT’S BEGNG TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS’ ‘A PAIR OF HOPALONG BOOTS AND A PISTOL THAT SHOOTS IS THE WISH OF BARNEY AND BEN’ A PAIR OF HOPALONG BOOTS” KICKS OFF THE LIST OF CHRISTMAS PRENTS FOR PAIRS OF CHILDREN THAT ARE RATTLED OFF “IT’S BEGNG TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.” THE BOOTS QUTN HAVE NO PARTICULAR SPRG OR BOUNCE—THE SONG REFERS TO POPULAR STUME BOOTS OM THE ’40S AND ’50S MOLED AFTER THE ON WORN BY THE WBOY HOPALONG CASSIDY A SERI OF BOOKS AND FILMS. ORIGALLY NCEIVED BY THOR CLARENCE E. MULFORD 1904, HOPALONG WAS C, ROUGH-TALKG, AND DANGERO. FOR THE 66 (!) FILMS STARRG WILLIAM BOYD THAT ME OUT THE ’30S AND ’40S BEFORE RE-NNG ON TV AND FDG AN EVEN WIR DIENCE THE ’50S, HOPALONG WAS REBRAND A CLEAN-CUT, VALIANT HERO—AND HIS BOOTS WERE THE PRIZE OF LTLE BOYS EVERYWHERE. ‘SANTA CLS IS COMG TO TOWN’‘ROOTY TOOT TOOT AND MMY TUM TUM SANTA CLS IS G TO TOWN’AMAZGLY, THERE ARE THEORI FLOATG AROUND THAT “ROOTY TOOT TOOT” REFERS A ROOT BEER-FLAVORED NDY WHISTLE, AND “MMY TUM TUM” REFERS TO M BALLS MEANT TO SOOTHE UPSET STOMACHS, WH THE IA THAT “SANTA CLS IS G TO TOWN” AND HE’S BRGG WH HIM NDI TO HELP YOU FEEL BETTER AFTER TOO MUCH PARTYG ON CHRISTMAS EVE. THE REAL ANSWER, HOWEVER, IS MUCH SIMPLER. THE LE RIGHT BEFORE THIS IS “WH LTLE T HORNS AND LTLE TOY DMS.” THE “ROOTY TOOT TOOT” IS SIMPLY THE NOISE THE HORNS MAKE, WHILE “MMY TUM TUM” IS THE DMS. ‘AULD LANG SYNE’‘SHOULD LD ACQUATANCE BE FOTAND LD LANG SYNE’ IMPRS ALL YOUR IENDS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, EVERYONE. “AULD LANG SYNE” IS STTISH-GAELIC FOR “OLD LONG SCE,” OR, MORE IDMATILLY, “DAYS GONE BY” OR “TIME LONG PAST.” KEV FALLON
• GAY APPAREL FN, GAY APPAREL MEANG | ENGLISH DICTNARY

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

Some lbians may prefer to intify as gay or as gay women.

LIFE ISN’T PRI.SIMPLE GAY APPAREL IS MEANT TO TRANSCEND PRI AS WE KNOW . YOU AREN’T JT A RABOW, JT A “GAY PERSON” WHO ONLY POPS TO EXISTENCE EVERY JUNE FOR OUT-OF-TOUCH BRANDS TO LABEL AND MODIZE — FOR BRANDS TO FAKE RE ABOUT AND RCTNISTILLY APPEAL TO — PURSU OF THEIR MA GOAL, THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. YOU’RE MORE THAN THAT — YOU’RE A GAY PERSON WH A GAY EXPERIENCE. AND, AS YOU KNOW, OUR GAY EXPERIENCE ISN’T ALL RABOWS AND UNIRNS. RABOWS AND UNIRNS FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THE LONG PATH THAT WE DDGED ALONG BEFORE BEG ABLE TO FALLY PEEK OUR HEAD OUT OF THE DARKNS AND AT SOME POT, HOPEFULLY, BEE RELATIVELY SHAMELS.I CREATED SIMPLE GAY APPAREL BEE THE MARKET OFFERGS WEREN’T GETTG . I WAS CRAVG SUBTLETY AND NUANCE. I WAS CRAVG VISIBILY, REPRENTATN, AND MULTI-DIMENSNALY MY PURSU TO BE OUT NFINTLY.MY DARK DIGN INSPIRATN.AFTER I SET OUT TO SIGN SUBTLE AND NUANCED VISIBILY, I REALIZED THAT A LOT OF MY UNNSC SPIRATN WAS G OM DARKNS AND SHAME THAT FED MY GAY EXPERIENCE — DARKNS THAT I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, RECLAIM, TAKE OWNERSHIP OVER, AND MAKE LIGHT OF. I THK THERE’S SOMETHG EMPOWERG ABOUT ACKNOWLEDGG A THG AS REALLY IS — ACKNOWLEDGG PA, ACKNOWLEDGG SHAME, ACKNOWLEDGG THE PROCS — AND OWNG ANKLY AND SIMPLY, HUMOR AND IRONY.WH MY SIGNS, I E VAR SYMBOLS TO CREATE STORI, LTLE SNAPSHOTS OF EMOTNS AND SENTIMENTS THAT REPRENT THE WI SPECTM OF THE GAY EXPERIENCE — OM SHAME TO SPE, OM LONELS TO PRI. MY COMMMENT TO QUALY.

GAY.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY SIGNALG, OM HANKY S TO THAT 'WHAT GAY GUYS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE' VIO

“we aren’t about rabows and unirns jt for the sake of rabows and unirns”Life Isn’t Gay Apparel is meant to transcend Pri as we know . You aren’t jt a rabow, jt a “gay person” who only pops to existence every June for out-of-touch brands to label and modize — for brands to fake re about and rctnistilly appeal to — pursu of their ma goal, the almighty dollar.

WHAT CLOTH DO GAY PEOPLE WEAR?

You’re more than that — you’re a gay person wh a gay experience. And, as you know, our gay experience isn’t all rabows and unirns. I created Simple Gay Apparel bee the market offergs weren’t gettg .

I was cravg visibily, reprentatn, and multi-dimensnaly my pursu to be out Dark Dign I set out to sign subtle and nuanced visibily, I realized that a lot of my unnsc spiratn was g om darkns and shame that fed my gay experience — darkns that I wanted to acknowledge, reclaim, take ownership over, and make light of. I thk there’s somethg empowerg about acknowledgg a thg as really is — acknowledgg pa, acknowledgg shame, acknowledgg the procs — and owng ankly and simply, humor and my signs, I e var symbols to create stori, ltle snapshots of emotns and sentiments that reprent the wi spectm of the gay experience — om shame to spe, om lonels to pri.

Digng gay visibily so that you n be out, nfintly isn’t jt about signg fire graphics. So I tted over 20 different shirt styl before landg on the — which I refully selected for their relaxed style and flatterg f no matter your body type, their softns and material qualy, their thickns and non-transparency, their unique and plementary lors, and their overall this, I give you Simple Gay Apparel.

NO, GAP DON'T STAND FOR "GAY & PROUD," BUT THE SCHOOLYARD TNT STILL FOLLOWS ME TODAY

Maybe you've seen the recent vio that purports to show "what actually happens when gay guys see other gay guys and straight people aren't around. " While I n't nfirm or ny the accuracy of the clip's subject matter (still wag on clearance om the Gay Agenda), I n say that s edy is rooted a rich history of signalg, flaggg, and other forms of non-verbal munitn between gay Pulls a CharlottvilleThe vio fds actors/edians Brian Jordan Alvarez, Stephen Guaro, and Mch Silpa nng to one another their apartment buildg's regnizg one another's gayns, and realizg they're a space utterly void of heterosexualy, the three men lnch to some light nway……'80s face-molg 101……talog at-hangg……and low-key Bernatte-ery……wh a llective "Bnch!

DEFINITIONS FOR GAY APPARELGAY AP·PAR·EL

" at the unrlyg tensn of the scene stems om the ia that the men are only ee—or perhaps safe—to unleash their purt gay selv the pany of others like them. Halper wr How to be Gay. )The need to navigate one's inty through different social suatns, mixed wh the sire for regnn, has led gay men (and women, obvly, but this article is foced on the male si of this phenomenon) to velop subtle, often wordls methods of munitn wh others the of the systems have been historilly ed to broadst sexual sir, like the hanky , which saw s peak age the 1970s and '80s.

DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL

In Gay New York, Gee Chncey c red neckti as one of the major "fairy" signifiers of the 1890s, and the 1930s there was "practilly a homosexual monopoly" on dark brown and gray sue sho the 1930s. Physil mannerisms,, why do gay men ntue to create and cultivate the systems of mostly non-verbal munitn wh each other? I thk a lot of has to do wh the fact that gayns don't e wh hered physil tras or other visible intifiers on the body; we're forced to create our own.

Gay people ually wear shirts and pants.

THE MOST CONFG CHRISTMAS MIC LYRICS EXPLAED (VIDEO)WHO IS PARSON BROWN?WHO IS PARSON BROWN? A GLOSSARY OF WHAT ALL THOSE STRANGE PHRAS CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS MEAN.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED APR. 21, 2017 2:15PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 24, 2014 5:45AM EST CLASSICSTOCK/ALAMYWE HAPPILY HOIST OUR EGG NOG THE AIR, EMBRACE EACH OTHER, AND RAISE OUR OUT-OF-TUNE VOIC SONG. AND WE HAVE NO IA WHAT SANTA’S NAME WE’RE SGG.EACH HOLIDAY SEASON, THE MASS ROL ABOUT “FIGGY PUDDG” AND “GAY APPAREL” AND SOMEONE NAMED PARSON BROWN, MOSTLY IGNORANT TO THE MEANG OF THE ANTIQUATED PHRAS AND REFERENC TO THGS LONG PAST. IN THE SPIR OF FDG THE TE MEANG OF CHRISTMAS, WE THOUGHT BT TO FD THE TE MEANG OF THE BEFUDDLG CHRISTMAS SONG LYRICS. HERE, A GLOSSARY TO THE MOST NFG.‘WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS’‘OH, BRG A FIGGY PUDDG’ WHETHER ROLERS WOULD TLY LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO BRG THEM SOME FIGGY PUDDG, AS THEY MAND “WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS,” PENDS ON THEIR FONDNS FOR ANOTHER CLASSIC HOLIDAY SSERT. IT’S “A LTLE B LIKE UKE,” BAKG EXPERT DORIE GREENSPAN TOLD NPR’S MICHELE NORRIS ON ALL THGS CONSIRED. “I WAS AAID TO SAY BEE UKE HAS SUCH A BAD REPUTATN, BUT [FIGGY PUDDG] IS STEAMED; ’S CHOCKABLOCK WH DRIED US; ’S SO BOOZY…’S LIC.” IT WAS POPULARIZED AS A HOLIDAY SSERT 16TH-CENTURY ENGLAND AND ALSO IS KNOWN AS CHRISTMAS PUDDG OR PLUM PUDDG. OVER THE YEARS, S POPULARY HAS WANED SIGNIFINTLY. ‘A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS’‘I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’LL BE SNOW BUT HAVE A CUP OF CHEER’ THERE’S A CUTE PLAY ON WORDS GOG ON HERE. IT’S CHRISTMAS, BUCKO, SO LOOK HAPPY! BUT AS SOME OF KNOW ALL TOO WELL, “CUP OF CHEER” REFERS MORE SPECIFILLY TO A BRIMMG CUP OF HOLIDAY HAPPY JUICE. BOOZE. WHETHER ’S SPIKED EGG NOG, MULLED CIR, OR SOME OTHER LIBATN, THE NARRATOR HERE IS VG LISTENERS TO RAISE A GLASS, DRK, AND BE MERRY. ‘SLEIGH RI’‘IT’LL NEARLY BE LIKE A PICTURE PRT BY CURRIER AND IV’CURRIER AND IV WAS A PRTMAKG FIRM BASED OUT OF NEW YORK CY OM 1834 TO 1907. FOUND BY NATHANIEL CURRIER, WHO LATER PARTNERED WH JAM MERRT IV, THE FIRM SCRIBED SELF AS “PUBLISHERS OF CHEAP AND POPULAR PRTS,” MOST OF WHICH WERE LHOGRAPHS PICTG THE SPECTM OF AMERIN LIFE. EXTREMELY POPULAR WERE THE WTER LANDSP, WHICH FEATURED UTOPIAN WTER SCEN OF UPL RIDG HORSE-DRAWN RRIAG THROUGH THE SNOW OR FAI ICE SKATG ON PICTURQUE PONDS. IN “SLEIGH RI,” THE NARRATOR IS PATG A SCENE SO PERFECT THAT ULD BE FEATURED ON AN INIC CURRIER AND IV PRT. ‘WTER WONRLAND’‘IN THE MEADOW WE N BUILD A SNOWMAN THEN PRETEND THAT HE IS PARSON BROWN’ ONE LE “WTER WONRLAND” HAS STOPPED UNTLS PEOPLE AD THEIR TRACKS. WHO IS PARSON BROWN, AND WHY ARE THE PEOPLE MAKG A SNOWMAN THAT LOOKS LIKE HIM? GIVEN THAT 1934, WHEN THE SONG WAS WRTEN, THE MOST FAMO PARSON BROWN WAS A FLORIDA ORANGE GROWER, LYRICIST RICHARD B. SMH WAS LIKELY REFERRG TO A FICTNAL PASTOR. DURG THAT PERD, PROTTANT MISTERS WERE LLED “PARSONS” AND WOULD TRAVEL OM TOWN TO TOWN TO PERFORMG WEDDGS FOR UPL WHO DIDN’T HAVE A LOL MISTER OF THEIR FAH WHERE THEY LIVED. SO THOSE LYRICS ARE ACTUALLY A B FLIRTAT. THE NARRATOR IS SUGGTG THAT THEY BUILD A SNOWMAN THAT LOOKS LIKE A MISTER. THE NEXT L, “HE’LL SAY ‘ARE YOU MARRIED?’ WE’LL SAY ‘NO, MAN, BUT YOU N DO THE JOB WHILE YOU’RE TOWN!’” ULD BE NSIRED A MOCK PROPOSAL. ‘DECK THE HALLS’‘DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL FA LA LA, LA LA LA, LA LA LA’“DECK THE HALLS” WAS WRTEN BACK THE 16TH CENTURY, WHEN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WAS VERY DIFFERENT. MORN TRANSLATN: “PUT ON YOUR PARTY CLOTH!” ‘HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LTLE CHRISTMAS’‘MAKE THE YULETI GAY FROM NOW ON YOUR TROUBL WILL BE AWAY, OH’AS WE JT REVIEWED, “GAY” MEANS HAPPY—JUDY GARLAND WAS NOT SGG ABOUT A YULETI WH HOMOSEXUAL LEANGS. “YULETI,” ETYMOLOGILLY, ROOTS THE OLD ENGLISH WORD “ġéOL,” WHICH HAS SCE BEEN TRANSLATED TO “YULE,” REFERRG TO THE 12-DAY RELIG FTIVAL CELEBRATED BY NORTHERN EUROPEANS HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. OVER THE YEARS, THE MEANG HAS EVOLVED, SENTIALLY, TO “CHRISTMASTIME,” AND SCRIB THE PERD BETWEEN DEC. 24 AND JAN. 6. JUDY, AS PRSG AS SHE SOUNDS THIS SONG, JT WANTS YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON TO BE HAPPY. ‘IT’S BEGNG TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS’ ‘A PAIR OF HOPALONG BOOTS AND A PISTOL THAT SHOOTS IS THE WISH OF BARNEY AND BEN’ A PAIR OF HOPALONG BOOTS” KICKS OFF THE LIST OF CHRISTMAS PRENTS FOR PAIRS OF CHILDREN THAT ARE RATTLED OFF “IT’S BEGNG TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.” THE BOOTS QUTN HAVE NO PARTICULAR SPRG OR BOUNCE—THE SONG REFERS TO POPULAR STUME BOOTS OM THE ’40S AND ’50S MOLED AFTER THE ON WORN BY THE WBOY HOPALONG CASSIDY A SERI OF BOOKS AND FILMS. ORIGALLY NCEIVED BY THOR CLARENCE E. MULFORD 1904, HOPALONG WAS C, ROUGH-TALKG, AND DANGERO. FOR THE 66 (!) FILMS STARRG WILLIAM BOYD THAT ME OUT THE ’30S AND ’40S BEFORE RE-NNG ON TV AND FDG AN EVEN WIR DIENCE THE ’50S, HOPALONG WAS REBRAND A CLEAN-CUT, VALIANT HERO—AND HIS BOOTS WERE THE PRIZE OF LTLE BOYS EVERYWHERE. ‘SANTA CLS IS COMG TO TOWN’‘ROOTY TOOT TOOT AND MMY TUM TUM SANTA CLS IS G TO TOWN’AMAZGLY, THERE ARE THEORI FLOATG AROUND THAT “ROOTY TOOT TOOT” REFERS A ROOT BEER-FLAVORED NDY WHISTLE, AND “MMY TUM TUM” REFERS TO M BALLS MEANT TO SOOTHE UPSET STOMACHS, WH THE IA THAT “SANTA CLS IS G TO TOWN” AND HE’S BRGG WH HIM NDI TO HELP YOU FEEL BETTER AFTER TOO MUCH PARTYG ON CHRISTMAS EVE. THE REAL ANSWER, HOWEVER, IS MUCH SIMPLER. THE LE RIGHT BEFORE THIS IS “WH LTLE T HORNS AND LTLE TOY DMS.” THE “ROOTY TOOT TOOT” IS SIMPLY THE NOISE THE HORNS MAKE, WHILE “MMY TUM TUM” IS THE DMS. ‘AULD LANG SYNE’‘SHOULD LD ACQUATANCE BE FOTAND LD LANG SYNE’ IMPRS ALL YOUR IENDS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, EVERYONE. “AULD LANG SYNE” IS STTISH-GAELIC FOR “OLD LONG SCE,” OR, MORE IDMATILLY, “DAYS GONE BY” OR “TIME LONG PAST.” KEV FALLON

Footwear n range om flip-flops to formal drs sho, pendg on the ocsn, but you would typilly see sneakers or sual swimmg, gay people often choose to wear bathg sus, and when workg out, they wear loose-ftg clothg lled sweats and tee shirts. That’s bee “Gap” was synonymo wh “gay and proud” amongst my thls, pre-teen schoolyard tntg related to Gap is one of the most formative memori I have about fashn — and my own queerns. I will adm, my early 2000s search history on dial-up Inter probably ntaed the phrase “Do Gap really mean ‘Gay And Proud?

I already knew the answer — of urse didn’t mean gay and proud. But that didn’t stop children om latchg on the the psdo-acronym as a form of homophobic bullyg. “I walked to middle school as a fifth grar wh a GAP hoodie on and had to go home and Google what ‘gay’ meant, ” 25-year-old Meghan Welch, who is one of my former classmat, tells me.

GAY APPAREL FN, GAY APPAREL MEANG | ENGLISH DICTNARY

Queer sexualy wasn't somethg often talked about my small Massachetts town, and I certaly didn't know any queer “gay and proud” Gap tnt ma abundantly clear that LGBTQ sexualy was supposed to be shameful and hidn.

Though people were certaly “gay and proud” 1969, beg so openly was met wh vlence and ristance.