In particular, the description of individuals as homosexual may be offensive, partially because of the negative clinical association of the word stemming from its use in describing same-sex attraction as a pathological state before homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental disorders in 1973. Some style guides recommend that the terms homosexual and homosexuality be avoided altogether, lest their use cause confusion or arouse controversy. Even if they do not consider the term offensive, some people in same-sex relationships may object to being described as homosexual because they identify as bisexual+, or another orientation. Author and gay pioneer Quentin Crisp said that the term should be "homosexualist", adding that no one says "I am a sexual." Some gay people argue that the use of homosexual as a noun is offensive, arguing that they are people first and their homosexuality being merely an attribute of their humanity. The term homosexual can be used as an adjective to describe the sexual attractions and behaviors of people attracted to the same sex.
Some communities have cants, a rich jargon used among a subgroup almost like a secret language, such as Polari in the U.K., and others. Numerous slang terms exist for homosexuals or homosexuality. Academia continues to coin related terms, including androphilia and gynephilia which designate only the object of attraction, thus divorcing the terms from sexual orientation entirely. Gay people may also be identified under the umbrella terms LGBT. Some of these words are specific to women, some to men, and some can be used of either. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, gay, effeminate, queer, homoaffective, and same-sex attracted. Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. Send us feedback.Two men at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear indicate their identity with the word gay in the context of same-sex orientation, and protest its usage in the sense of stupid or uncool. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Sofia Krusmark, The Arizona Republic, 9 June 2022 See More history.Īmanda Rabines, Orlando Sentinel, 11 June 2022 Tickets start at $20 - and the first 5,000 fans who arrive to the game will receive a gay pride flag towel. The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 June 2022 Previously isolated as a Jewish, gay pianist, Chouchan credits Cayat for saving his sanity and his life.īeth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2022 On June 12, 2016, a gunman walked into the gay nightclub near downtown Orlando and shot 49 people to death and injured dozens of others in what was at the time the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2022 Utah Authorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho gay pride event Saturday after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
Ramírez, Vogue, 14 June 2022 The show was complete with fireworks and, toward the end of the set, McCartney and others marching around on stage with flags supporting Ukraine, the U.S., England, Maryland and gay pride. Matthew Gilbert,, 14 June 2022 A few hours in, with Kylie Minogue blasting and shirts off, the self-congratulatory, debauched dealings around them create a perfect petri dish for the ideas of gay sociology Circle Jerk explores.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The bar is one of Detroit's oldest gay bars and is located in the New Center neighborhood.Įve Sampson, Detroit Free Press, 14 June 2022 Early in the series, which is on Peacock, the gay community of New Orleans is thrown into chaos and grief when there’s a mass shooting at a club, much like the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.