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Gay is an adjective that usually refers to homosexuality in contemporary colloquial usage. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual " Queer studies " is the study of issues relating to Sexual orientation and Gender identity. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. LGBT history refers to the History of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Transgender peoples and cultures around the world dating back Timeline of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and Transgender ( LGBT) history Homosexual rights during the 20th century Gay Liberation is the name used to describe the radical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian This is a Timeline of AIDS, including some discussion of early AIDS cases (especially those before 1980 Poliamory pride in San Francisco 2004jpg|thumb|Representatives of the Polyamory community at a San Francisco parade Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture LGBT pride or gay pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that LGBT ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Closeted Coming out (that is " coming out of the closet " describes the voluntary public announcement of one's Sexual orientation and/or Gender identity A gay village (also known as a gay neighborhood or by the slang gayborhood) is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries Queer theory is a field of Gender Studies that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of gay and Lesbian studies and feminist studies the relationship between homosexuality and religion can vary greatly across time and place within and between different Religions and Sects and regarding different Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender ( LGBT) communities have adopted certain Symbols and symbolates for Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Questioning is a term that can refer to a person who is questioning their Gender, Sexual identity or Sexual orientation. The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full legal recognition of Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to Marriage. LGBT adoption refers to the Adoption of children by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgendered people A sodomy law is a Law that defines certain Sexual acts as sex crimes. The militaries of the world have a variety of responses to Gays Lesbians and Bisexuals Most Western military forces have now removed policies excluding sexual Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain Social group, usually defined The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full legal recognition of Same-sex marriage Heterosexism is a term that applies to attitudes, Bias, and Discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps Lesbophobia (sometimes Lesbiphobia) comprises various forms of negativity toward Lesbian women as individuals as a couple or as a social group Biphobia is a term used to describe the fear of aversion to or discrimination against Bisexuality or LGBT people who are bisexual or perceived to be bisexual Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation.

In earlier and in literary usage, the word means "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy". From the 1890s, it had begun to carry a connotation of promiscuity, as in a "gay house" referring to a brothel. The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the " Mauve Decade" because William Henry Perkin 's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that Promiscuity refers to sexual behavior of a man or woman who casually has sex with many partners For the 2008 film of this name see The Brothel. For the television series of this name see Cathouse The Series. It began to be used in reference to homosexuality in particular from the early 20th century, from the 1920s at the latest. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada

The word "gay" is sometimes used to refer to same-sex relationships more generally, as in "gay marriage", although this usage is discouraged by some LGBT supporters: the rationale is that this usage is exclusive of not only bisexual and transgender people but also lesbians who generally reject labels of being a subset of men, even gay men. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives While gay applies in some contexts to all homosexual people, the term lesbian is sex-specific: it is used exclusively to describe gay women. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Sometimes gay is used to refer only to men.

In contemporary culture, the word 'gay' also has pejorative non-sexualized usage (especially among younger generations) to mean 'rubbish'; for something not considered good ^[1]. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. The use of the term in this manner is contentious ^[2].

History

Etymology

A cartoon from Punch magazine from 1857 illustrating the use of "gay" as a euphemism for being a prostitute. Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Sexology is the study of sexual interests behavior and function Asexuality is a Sexual orientation that describes individuals who do not experience Sexual attraction. Autosexuality refers to Sexual orientation and sexual behavior of attraction or romance that one holds exclusively and expresses towards oneself Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Pansexuality or anthrosexuality ( anthro- literally meaning human human sexual (sometimes referred to as omnisexuality) is a Sexual orientation Pomosexual, or undefined sexual orientation, is a Neologism used to describe a person who shuns Sexual orientation labels (such as heterosexual and homosexual Zoophilia Zoosexuality is a term used to describe a Sexual orientation towards non-human animals A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Questioning is a term that can refer to a person who is questioning their Gender, Sexual identity or Sexual orientation. The Kinsey scale attempts to describe a person's sexual history or episodes of their sexual activity at a given time The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid attempts to further measure Sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale which categorizes sexual history from 0 Biology and sexual orientation is research into possible biological influences on the development of human Sexual orientation. Measurement difficulties Measuring the prevalence of various Sexual orientations is difficult because there is a lack of Reliable data. Intersexuality is the state of a living thing of a gonochoristic species whose Sex chromosomes, Genitalia, and/or Secondary sex characteristics Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born Punch was a British weekly Magazine of Humour and Satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002 One woman says to the other (who looks glum), "how long have you been gay?" The poster on the wall is for La Traviata, an opera about a courtesan. La traviata is an Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.

The primary meaning of the word gay has changed dramatically during the 20th century—though the change evolved from earlier usages. It derives via the Old French gai, probably from a Germanic source. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. ^[3] The word originally meant "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy" and was very commonly used with this meaning in speech and literature. For example, the title of the 1938 ballet aptly named Gaîté Parisienne ("Parisian Gaiety"), a patchwork compiled from Jacques Offenbach's operettas, illustrates this connotation, and the optimistic 1890s are still often referred to as the Gay Nineties. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach 20 June 1819 in Cologne &ndash 5 October 1880 in Paris) was a German Gay Nineties is an American term that refers to the decade of the 1890s

The derived abstract noun gaiety remains largely free of connotations of sexuality. "Gaiety" was also a common name for places of entertainment. One of Oscar Wilde's favourite venues in Dublin was the Gaiety Theatre. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St

Sexualization

The word started to acquire sexual connotations in the late 17th century, being used with meaning "addicted to pleasures and dissipations". This was by extension from the primary meaning of "carefree": implying "uninhibited by moral constraints". By the late nineteenth century the term "gay life" was a well-established euphemism for prostitution and other forms of extramarital sexual behavior that were perceived as immoral. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money.

The use of gay to mean "homosexual" was in origin merely an extension of the word's sexualised connotation of "carefree and uninhibited", which implied a willingness to disregard conventional or respectable sexual mores. Such usage is documented as early as the 1920s. It was initially more commonly used to imply heterosexually unconstrained lifestyles, as for example in the once-common phrase "gay Lothario",^[4] or in the title of the book and film The Gay Falcon (1941), which concerns a womanizing detective whose first name is "Gay". Tom Conway in Grand Central Murder trailer headcropjpg|thumb|right|150px|

Well into the mid 20th century a middle-aged bachelor could be described as "gay" without any implication of homosexuality. This usage could apply to women too. The British comic strip Jane was first published in the 1930s and described the adventures of Jane Gay. Jane was a Comic strip created and drawn by Norman Pett exclusively for the British Tabloid The Daily Mirror Far from implying homosexuality, it referred to her freewheeling lifestyle with plenty of boyfriends (while also punning on Lady Jane Grey). Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537&ndash 12 February 1554) also referred to as Queen Jane, a greatniece of Henry VIII of England, was a claimant

A passage from Gertrude Stein's Miss Furr & Miss Skeene (1922) is possibly the first traceable published use of the word to refer to a homosexual relationship, though it is not altogether clear whether she uses the word to mean lesbianism or happiness:

The 1929 musical Bitter Sweet by Noel Coward contains another use of the word in a context that strongly implies homosexuality. In the song "Green Carnation", four overdressed, 1890s dandies sing:

The song title alludes to Oscar Wilde, who famously wore a green carnation, and whose homosexuality was well known. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright Bitter Sweet is an Operetta in three acts written by Noel Coward and first produced in 1929 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of Green is a Color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a Wavelength of roughly 520–570- nm. However, the phrase "gay nineties" was already well-established as an epithet for the decade (a film entitled The Gay Nineties; or, The Unfaithful Husband was released in the same year). The song also drew on familiar satires on Wilde and Aestheticism dating back to Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience (1881). This article is about aestheticism a term with a root meaning of sensuous Not to be confused with the religious practice of Asceticism: an abstinence from the sensual Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of Librettist W Patience, or Bunthorne's Bride, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W Because of its continuation of these public usages and conventions – in a mainstream musical – the precise connotations of the word in this context remain ambiguous.

Other usages at this date involve some of the same ambiguity as Coward's lyrics. Bringing Up Baby (1938) was the first film to use the word gay in apparent reference to homosexuality. Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 Screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. In a scene where Cary Grant's clothes have been sent to the cleaners, he must wear a lady's feathery robe. When another character inquires about his clothes, he responds "Because I just went gay. . . all of a sudden!"^[5] However, since this was a mainstream film at a time when the use of the word to refer to homosexuality would still be unfamiliar to most film-goers, the line can also be interpreted to mean "I just decided to do something frivolous". There is much debate about what Grant meant with the ad-lib (the line was not in the script). The word continued to be used with the dominant meaning of "carefree", as evidenced by the title of The Gay Divorcee (1934), a musical film about a heterosexual couple. The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 Film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was originally to be called "The Gay Divorce" after the play on which it was based, but the Hays Office determined that while a divorcee may be gay, it would be unseemly to allow a divorce to appear so. Gay Divorce (1932 is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. For the television broadcasting term please see Production code number.

Narrowing to "homosexual"

By the mid-20th century, "gay" was well-established as an antonym for "straight" (which had connotations of respectability), and to refer to the lifestyles of unmarried and or unattached people. Other connotations of frivolousness and showiness in dress ("gay attire") led to association with camp and effeminacy. Effeminacy is a trait in males that generally contradicts traditional male ( masculine) Gender roles It is a derogatory term frequently applied to Femininity This association no doubt helped the gradual narrowing in scope of the term towards its current dominant meaning, which was at first confined to subcultures. Gay was the preferred term since other terms, such as "queer" were felt to be derogatory. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. "Homosexual" was perceived as excessively clinical: especially since homosexuality was at that time designated as a mental illness, and "homosexual" was used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to denote men affected by this "mental illness". Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' ( DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association Homosexuality was no longer classified as an illness in the DSM by 1973, but the clinical connotation of the word remained embedded in society.

In mid-20th century Britain, (where male homosexuality was illegal until the late 1960s) to openly identify someone as homosexual was considered very offensive and an accusation of serious criminal activity. Additionally, none of the words describing any part of homosexuality were considered suitable for polite society. Consequently, a number of ironic euphemisms were used to hint at suspected homosexuality. Examples include “Such a nice man”, “Such a gay man”, “Such beautiful handwriting”, all with the stress deliberately on the otherwise completely innocent adjective.

One of the many characters invented by 1950s TV comic Ernie Kovacs was a "gay-acting" poet named Percy Dovetonsils. Ernie Kovacs ( January 23, 1919 — January 13, 1962) was an American comedian whose Percy Dovetonsils is a Fictional character created and played by Television Comedian Ernie Kovacs. In one of his poems (which were always read to an imaginary off-screen character named "Bruce") he mentions the expression "gay caballero".

By 1963, the word "gay" was known well enough by the straight community to be used by Albert Ellis in his book The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Man-Hunting. Albert Ellis ( September 27 1913 &ndash July 24 2007) was an American Psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive

Paul Kirchner's Everything You Know Is Wrong claims that the term goes back to a term for Renaissance actors playing female roles when women were not allowed on the stage, "gaieties;" however, Shakespeare scholars dismiss this explanation and claim that the term is a neologism. Paul Kirchner (born January 29 1952 in New Haven CT is an American writer and illustrator This is also the name of a "Weird Al" Yankovic song on the Bad Hair Day album and a Chumbawamba song on the Un album Kirchner's bibliography is one page with no direct citations, so it is difficult to ascertain the source of his claim.

A folk etymology refers to Gay Street, a small street in the West Village of New York City — a nexus of homosexual culture. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. Gay Street, a short Street that penetrates one block of Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is The City of New York

Homosexuality

Sexual orientation

Main article: Homosexuality

Sexual orientation, behavior, and self-identification are not necessarily aligned in a clear-cut fashion for a given individual (See sex for a discussion of sex and gender. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual ) Most people consider gay and homosexual to be synonyms. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. This is how, in fact, the Oxford English Dictionary defines it. However, some consider gay to be a matter of self-identification, while homosexual refers to sexual orientation. Indeed, the British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has argued that the term gay is merely a cultural expression which reflects the current status of homosexuality within a given society, and claiming that "Queer, gay, homosexual . Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is an Australian born British Human rights activist who gained international celebrity . . in the long view, they are all just temporary identities. One day, we won't need them at all. " ^[6]

If a person engages in same-sex sexual encounters but does not self-identify as gay, terms such as 'closeted', 'discreet', or 'bi-curious' may be applied. Coming outThe expressions " closeted " or "in the closet " generally refer to undisclosed sexual behavior, Sexual orientation or Gender Bi-curious is a term used to refer to someone who does not identify as Bisexual or Homosexual but feels or shows some interest in a relationship or sexual activity Conversely, a person may identify as gay without engaging in homosexual sex. Possible choices include identifying as gay socially while choosing to be celibate or while anticipating a first homosexual experience. Celibacy refers to the lack of participation in Sexual intercourse. Further, a bisexual person can also identify as "gay" but others might consider gay and bisexual to be mutually exclusive. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation There are some who are drawn to the same-sex and may not have sex and also not identify as gay, these could have the term 'asexual' applied even though an 'asexual' generally can mean no attraction and includes heterosexual attraction that is not sufficient to engage in sex or where the sex act is not desirable even though titillation may occur. Asexuality is a Sexual orientation that describes individuals who do not experience Sexual attraction.

Terminology

Main article: Terminology of homosexuality

Self-identification of one's sexual orientation is becoming far more commonplace in areas of increased social acceptance, but many are either reluctant to self-identify publicly or even privately to themselves. See also List of terms for gay in different languages The terminology of homosexuality has been a contentious issue since the emergence of homosexual Social Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes The process is fairly complex, and many groups related to gay people cite heterosexism and homophobia as leading obstacles for those who would otherwise self-identify. Heterosexism is a term that applies to attitudes, Bias, and Discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps

Some people reject the term homosexual as an identity-label because they find it too clinical-sounding. They believe it is too focused on physical acts rather than romance or attraction, or too reminiscent of the era when homosexuality was considered a mental illness. Conversely, some people find the term gay to be offensive or reject it as an identity-label because they perceive the cultural connotations to be undesirable or because of the negative connotations of the slang usage of the word.

According to the Safe Schools Coalition of Washington's Glossary for School Employees:

The term gay is used to describe both same-sex male and same-sex female relations, although it is more commonly applied to men. More rarely, gay is used as a shorthand for LGBT: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual Some transgender individuals find their inclusion in this larger grouping to be offensive.

Gay community

Main article: Gay community

The lesbian and gay movement is a social movement, whose development is attributed to the Stonewall Riots of June 28, 1969 in New York City. Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of Individuals and/or Organizations focused on specific The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28 1969 at the Stonewall Inn The City of New York Its direct predecessor was the homophile movement of the 1950s and 60s. The word homophile is an alternative to the word homosexual, preferred by some because it emphasizes love (" -phile " from Greek φιλία over

Just as the word "gay" is sometimes used as shorthand for LGBT, so "gay community" is sometimes a synonym for "LGBT community. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual " In other cases, the speaker may be referring only to gay men. Some people (including many mainstream American journalists) interpret the phrase "gay community" to mean "the population of LGBT people".

Some LGBT people are relatively isolated, geographically or socially, from other LGBT people, or don't feel their social connections to their LGBT friends are different from those they have with straight friends. As a result, some analysts question the notion of sharing a "community" with people one has never actually met (whether in person or remotely). But other advocates insist that all LGBT people (and perhaps their allies) share political and social interests that make them part of a global community, in one way or another.

Cultural relativity of the term

The concept of gay identity and the use of the term gay itself may not be used or understood the same way in non-Westernised cultures, since models of sexuality may differ from those prevalent in the West. ^[8] Shivananda Khan notes that "About three-quarters (72%) of truck drivers in North Pakistan who participated in a recent survey published in AIDS Analysis Asia admitted that they had sex with other males, while 76% stated that they had sex with female sex workers. Are these 72% gay? Homosexual?". He suggests that debate on sexuality can take a neocolonial form "whereby Western sexual ideologies have 'invaded' Indian discourses on sexuality and identity by professionals, laypersons, 'straights' or 'gays,' and whereby indigenous histories and cultures become invisible. "^[9] A similar argument is made by Joseph Massad, with reference to Arab culture. Massad argues that "Following in the footsteps of the white Western women's movement, which had sought to universalize its issues through imposing its own colonial feminism on the women's movements in the non-Western world -- a situation that led to major schisms from the outset -- the gay movement has adopted a similar missionary role. "^[10]

Descriptor

The term gay can also be used as an adjective to describe things related to gay people or things which are part of gay culture. Poliamory pride in San Francisco 2004jpg|thumb|Representatives of the Polyamory community at a San Francisco parade For example, while a gay bar is not itself homosexual, using gay as an adjective to describe the bar indicates that the bar is either gay-oriented, caters primarily to a gay clientèle, or is otherwise part of gay culture. gay bar (also known as a boy bar if the clientele is predominantly male or conversely a girl bar) is a drinking establishment that caters exclusively

Using it to describe an object, such as an item of clothing, suggests that it is particularly flamboyant, often on the verge of being gaudy and garish. This usage pre-dates the association of the term with homosexuality, but has acquired different connotations since the modern usage developed.

Using the term gay as an adjective where the meaning is akin to "related to gay people, culture, or homosexuality in general" is a widely accepted use of the word. By contrast, using gay in the pejorative sense, to describe something solely as negative, can cause offence.

Use as noun

Gay was originally used purely as an adjective ("he is a gay man" or "he is gay"). Gay has been in use as a noun with the meaning "homosexual man" since the 1970s. "Gays are opposed to that policy"; although some dislike this usage, it is common particularly in the names of various organizations such as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere (COLAGE). Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG) is a group of family members and friends of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere (COLAGE is an Organization, created in 1989 by the children of several Lesbians and Gay men who felt It is sometimes used as a singular noun, as in "he is a gay", such as in its use to comic effect by the Little Britain character Dafydd Thomas. Little Britain is a character-based comedy Sketch show first appearing on BBC radio and then television

Pejorative non-sexualized usage

When used with a derisive attitude (e. g. "that was so gay"), the word gay is pejorative. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt While retaining its other meanings, it has also acquired "a widespread current usage" amongst young people, as a general term of disparagement. ^[11][12] This pejorative usage has its origins in the late 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s and especially in the late 1990s, the usage as a generic insult became common among young people.

This usage of the word has been criticized as "homophobic". BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps A 2006 BBC ruling by the Board of Governors over the use of the word in this context by Chris Moyles on his Radio 1 show, "I don't want that one, it's gay", advises "caution on its use" for this reason:

Given name

The first name Gay is still occasionally encountered, usually as a female name although the spelling is often altered to Gaye. (795th most common in the United States, according to the 1990 US census^[14]). It was also used as a male first name. The first name of the popular male Irish television presenter Gabriel Byrne was always abbreviated as "Gay", as in the title of his radio show The Gay Byrne Show. This article is about the Irish television presenter See Gabriel Byrne for the Irish actor It can also be used as a short form of the female name Gaynell and as a short form of the male names Gaylen and Gaylord.

See also

• PFLAG
• Anti-gay slogan
• Civil rights
• Dyke (lesbian)
• Faggot (epithet)
• List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people
• List of LGBT-related organizations
• List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films
• Pride flag
• Pro-gay slogans and symbols

References