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LGBT topics

lesbian ∙ gay ∙ bisexual ∙ transgender

Sexual orientation[hide]

 Homosexuality
 Bisexuality 
o Pansexuality
 Asexuality 
o Gray asexuality
 Queer
 Sexual identity
 Demographics
 Biology
 Environment

History[hide]
 Timeline
 LGBT social movements
 Stonewall riots
 Gay liberation
 LGBT and intersex
 African-American LGBT community

Culture[hide]
 Coming out
 Community
 Culture
 Events 
o Largest events
 Gay village
  Homosocialization
 Media 
o Films
o New Queer Cinema
 List of LGBTQ people from New York City
 Periodicals
 Pride 
o Pride parade
 Same-sex relationship
 Slang
 Symbols

Rights[hide]
 Adoption
 Intersex human rights
 Laws around the world
 LGBT parenting
 Marriage
 Military service
 Transgender rights
 Union
 Yogyakarta Principles

Health[hide]
 Medical organizations
 Rainbow Project
 Youth suicide
 Transgender health care
 Trevor Project

Social attitudes[hide]
 Heteronormativity
 Homosexuality and religion
 LGBT stereotypes
 Media portrayal
 Sexual diversity
 Transgender people and religion
 Mixed-orientation marriage

Issues[hide]
  Acephobia
 AIDS stigma
 Biphobia
 Closeted 
o Outing
 Domestic violence
 Gay bashing
 Heterosexism
 Homophobia
 Intersex discrimination
 Lesbophobia
 Migration
 Non-binary discrimination
 Rhetoric
 Sexualism
 Transphobia
 Violence

Academic fields and discourse[hide]
 Lesbian feminism
 Lavender linguistics
 Queer studies
 Queer theory
 Transfeminism

 LGBT portal

 v
 t
 e

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The
term was originally used to mean "carefree", "cheerful", or "bright and showy". [1]
The term's use as a reference to male homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but
its use gradually increased in the mid-20th century.[2] In modern English, gay has come to be used as
an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with
homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe
their sexual orientation.[3] By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by
major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex,[4]
[5]
 although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men. [6]
At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among
younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision (e.g., equivalent
to rubbish or stupid) to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule (e.g., equivalent to weak, unmanly, or
lame). In this use, the word rarely means "homosexual", as it is often used, for example, to refer to
an inanimate object or abstract concept of which one disapproves. The extent to which these usages
still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized. [7][8]