Gay positive meaning
LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary
GLOSSARY
The terms and definitions below are always evolving, changing and often indicate different things to different people. They are provided below as a starting point for discussion and understanding. This Glossary has been collectively built and created by the staff members of the LGBTQIA Resource Center since the early s.
These are not universal definitions. This glossary is provided to aid give others a more thorough but not entirely comprehensive understanding of the significance of these terms. You may even consider asking someone what they mean when they use a term, especially when they use it to describe their identity. Ultimately it is most important that each individual characterize themselves for themselves and therefore also define a term for themselves.
“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” -Audre Lorde
This glossary contains terms, such as ableism and disability, that may not be considered directly related to identities of sexuality or gender. T
How ‘gay’ got its rainbow: What once meant merry is now a badge of identity for homosexuals
On Thursday, as the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality, reading down the controversial British-era section of the penal code, Mumbai-based Arnab Nandy took to social media to articulate his joy, as many across the country and the world were doing. “I am so Gay today…” he wrote in a coming-out post that has since gone viral. But while Nandy’s choice of word was bang on that night, how did a word that had originally meant light-hearted, carefree or cheerful, become associated with a community whose life has been often been anything but?
The Oxford English dictionary traces the history of the word ‘gay’ to the French synonyms Gai. Merriam Webster takes it further back to a Germanic origin “akin to the Aged High German Gahi” that meant “quick or sudden”. According to both dictionaries, in English the use of ‘gay’ to mean adj, excited, merry, carefree or bright started in the Middle English period that stretches between the 12th and the 16th century.
All For An Identity
While some boo
by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer
Do you perceive what the synonyms gay really means?
The word gay dates back to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” meaning “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Old High German “gahi,” meaning impulsive.
For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to mean delighted , carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s.
At that time the meaning of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might have been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”
“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.
In the s, the term “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a juvenile traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.
This latter use suggests that the younger man was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the fir
LGBT
LGBT or GLBT is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Gay is used to describe persons, specifically men, who are romantically or sexually attracted to persons of the similar sex. Lesbian is a preferred term for women who are romantically or sexually attracted to women. Bi-sexual refers to persons who are romantically or sexually attracted to persons of any sex or gender identity. Sometimes bisexual is used interchangeably with pansexual. Transgender is an umbrella term for those whose gender identity or expression is diverse from their sex assigned at birth. Being transgender does not require one to undergo surgeries or make changes in physical appearance.
LGBT has been seen as a positive symbol of inclusion. To enhance such inclusion and create a sense of acceptance for a greater community, more and more people are now using the term LGBTQ, with Q standing for queer or questioning. Once used as a disparaging term against LGBT people, queer now refers to people who are not exclusively heterosexual. This term can be used by anyone within the LGBTQ commun