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Definition: Gay |
GayAdjective1. Bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer; "a cheery hello"; "a gay sunny room"; "a sunny smile". 2. Full of or showing high-spirited merriment; "when hearts were young and gay"; "a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"- Wordsworth; "the jolly crowd at the reunion"; "jolly old Saint Nick"; "a jovial old gentleman"; "have a merry Christmas"; "peals of merry laughter"; "a mirthful laugh". 3. Given to social pleasures often including dissipation; "led a gay Bohemian life"; "a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies". 4. Brightly colored and showy; "girls decked out in brave new dresses"; "brave banners flying"; "`braw' is a Scottish word"; "a dress a bit too gay for her years"; "birds with gay plumage". 5. Offering fun and gaiety; "a gala ball after the inauguration"; "a festive (or festal) occasion"; "gay and exciting night life"; "a merry evening". 6. Homosexual or arousing homosexual desires. Noun1. Someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
"Gay" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "gay", "happy". |
Date "gay" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Diversity | Pertaining to male homosexuality. (references) |
| A male homosexual. (references) | |
Literature | Gay (g hard). Gay as the king's candle. A French phrase, alluding to an ancient custom observed on the 6th of January, called the "Eve or Vigil of the Kings," when a candle of divers colours was burnt. The expression is used to denote a woman who is more showily dressed than is consistent with good taste. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Multilingual Slang | Afrikaans (moffie), Czech (teplous^, teply' ), Dutch (reetridder ), French (grande folle , pédale, serin , tapette ), German (schwul, Tunte, die), Greek (adelfi ), Hindi (gaandu ), Hungarian (buzi), Italian (frocio), Quebecois (fife, fifi, moumoune, moune), Russian (goluboy), Swedish (bög , fjolla ), Swiss German (schwuchtlä , schwudi, schwul, schwuppel ), Turkish (ibne). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In addition to meaning "joyous" or "glad," gay also means homosexual.The word gay has had a sexual meaning since at least the nineteenth century (and probably before) -- in Victorian England, female and male prostitutes were called "gay" (because they dressed gaily). Eventually, "gay boys" (renters) became used as a term for any male homosexual. In the United States, the term may have arisen from the hobo community: a young hobo, a "gay cat" or "geycat", often had to befriend an older more experienced hobo for education and survival. Such a relationship was implicitly sexual, hence the term "gay cat" came to mean "a young homosexual."
The term can be used inclusively or exclusively. The inclusive meaning refers to both men and women who prefer sexual or romantic relationships with their own sex (see homosexuality). The exclusive meaning refers only to men who prefer sexual or romantic relationships with other men. Whether bisexuals are included in either of those meanings is a matter of debate (see bisexuality).
It has been claimed that "gay" was derived as an acronym for "Good As You," but this is a folk etymology.
The word "gay" is also used in juvenile slang to express derision or mockery. For example, "My computer is acting gay," or "That hat is so gay." The derogatory implication is usually that the object in question is inferior, weak, or effeminate. In some parts of the United States, this slang is so common among young boys that many who use it do not know what the word refers to. See also: fag.
Related terms: Queer, homosexual, lesbian, lesbigay, LGB, faggot
See also: gay village, gay rights, gay pride, Same-sex marriage, gay movies, gay television shows, rainbow flag, political correctness, homophobia, Famous gay lesbian or bisexual people, Queer culture, Wikipedians/Queer, fag, lesbian, lesbigay, List of gay-related topics.
External link
- Gay.com
- Gay How-to
- Gay Health
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gay."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Gay is a town located in Meriwether County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 149.Geography
Gay is located at 33°5'38" North, 84°34'26" West (33.093797, -84.573924)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 149 people, 61 households, and 38 families residing in the town. The population density is 66.9/km² (173.1/mi²). There are 69 housing units at an average density of 31.0/km² (80.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 56.38% White, 43.62% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 61 households out of which 9.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% are married couples living together, 16.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 3.24. In the town the population is spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 48 years. For every 100 females there are 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the town is $26,667, and the median income for a family is $29,583. Males have a median income of $31,875 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the town is $20,840. 25.5% of the population and 12.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 82.4% are under the age of 18 and 17.2% are 65 or older.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gay, Georgia."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Homosexuality (rarely homophilia) is a sexual orientation or orientations characterized by romantic or sexual desire for, or sexual attraction toward, members of the same sex. The term usually implies an exclusive or predominant sexual orientation toward persons of the same sex, and is distinguished from bisexuality as well as heterosexuality. In addition to referring to a sexual orientation, the term homosexuality is also used for sexual behavior between people of the same sex.
Terminology
In women, romantic or sexual desire for other women is also called lesbianism (lesbian, noun and adjective). The term gay is used to refer to homosexual persons of either gender, although it is mostly used to refer to males (hence the expression gays and lesbians or gay men and lesbians). Persons with the sexual orientation of homosexuality are sometimes called homosexual (noun and adjective). Many people regard the term homosexual as derogatory or clinical because of its cold, antiseptic connotation, particularly when applied to a person, and most people who regard themselves as having a homosexual orientation prefer the term gay, lesbian, or, less frequently, queer (sometimes capitalized as Queer) or Same-Gender Loving.
The term homosexuality was coined in 1869 by Karl Maria Kertbeny in an anonymous pamphlet advocating the repeal of Prussia's sodomy laws. It was listed in 1886 in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's detailed study on deviant sexual practices, Psychopathia Sexualis. The word homosexual translates literally as "of the same sex," being a hybrid of the Greek prefix meaning "same" and the Latin root meaning "sex." Although some early writers used the adjective homosexual to refer to any single-sex context (such as the Roman Catholic clergy or an all-girls' school), today the term refers exclusively to same-sex sexuality. The term homosocial is occasionally used for single-sex contexts that are not specifically sexual.
The use of homosexuality to describe sexual behavior between people of the same sex sometimes causes confusion and controversy. This is due to the fact that some people who engage in same-sex behavior do not use the terms homosexual or gay (as is often-used in public discourse) to describe themselves. For instance, among some sectors of African-American gay sub-culture (called men on the DL or "down-low", same-sex sexual behavior is sometimes viewed as solely for physical pleasure. Men on the "down-low" may engage in regular (though often covert) sex acts with other men while continuing sexual and romantic relationships with unsuspecting women. These men often shun the more commonly-known "gay" as a term applying to stereotypically flamboyant and effeminate men of European ancestry; a group from which some may wish to distance themselves. On the other hand, some experts have suggested that this mostly African-American subculture may have come about because of stronger stigmas against same-sex behavior in African-American communities, and, due to more widespread poverty, greater dependence on possibly homophobic family networks for support.
Homosexuality in population
People whose sexual desire and activities are mainly channelled toward members of their own sex are a minority of the population. Due to the political nature of this topic it is difficult to find studies where the meaning of the results has not been challenged; therefore, putting a percentage to the number of homosexuals is impossible. At one extreme, the Kinsey report reported that 37% of men in the U.S. have achieved orgasm of some type and duration through contact with another male. At another extreme, the National Opinion Research Center has reported that approximately 0.7% of men in the U.S. consider themselves to be exclusively homosexual. (See Note 1.) Most random surveys carried out in the U.S. and Western Europe tend to place the number of people who have ever had same-sex experiences at around 8%, and the number who prefer exclusively same-sex experiences at between 1% and 2% for males and below 1% for females.
Some people who are in general heterosexual may have mild or occasional interest in members of their own sex. Conversely, many people who identify themselves as homosexual, or who might prefer homosexual activities or relationships, have engaged in heterosexual activities or even have long-term heterosexual relationships. Such heterosexual behavior by people who would otherwise show homosexual behavior has often been part of being "in the closet", or concealing one's homosexual orientation, and may be becoming less common, as acceptance of homosexuality increases.
Some studies, notably Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) by Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey, note that when asked to rate themselves on a continuum from completely heterosexual to completely homosexual, and when the individual's behavior as well as their identity is analyzed, the majority of people appear to be at least somewhat bisexual. (See Kinsey report.) Most people have some attraction to either sex, although usually one sex is preferred. Kinsey and his followers therefore consider only a minority (5-10%) to be fully heterosexual or homosexual. Conversely, only an even smaller minority can be considered "fully" bisexual, if that term is defined as having no preference for one sex over another. Some later studies have suggested that Kinsey's studies exaggerate the occurrence of bisexuality in the population at large, but his idea of a sexuality continuum still enjoys wide acceptance.
Sexual activity with a person of the same sex, in and of itself, does not necessarily demonstrate homosexual orientation, but is considered homosexual behavior. Not all who are attracted or have sexual relationships with members of the same sex identify themselves as homosexual or even bisexual. Some people frequently have sex with members of the same sex yet still see themselves as heterosexual. It is important therefore to distinguish between homosexual behavior, homosexual attraction and homosexual identity, which need not coincide. For example, people in prison, the military, or other sex-segregated environments may engage in homosexual situational sexual behavior despite being heterosexual outside these environments. In addition, some people engage in homosexual sexual behaviors for reasons other than desire. One example is hustlers, who are usually young men who make money through prostitution with men. Some hustlers are probably homosexual themselves, but a significant number are not.
Homosexual behavior in non-human animals
The presence of homosexual behavior appears to be widespread amongst birds, mammals and the apes, and some believe it to have its origin in male social organization and social dominance, similar to the dominance traits shown in prison sexuality.
The bonobo, which has a matriarchal society(unusual amongst apes), is a fully bisexual species- both males and females engage in heterosexual and homosexual behavior, being noted for lesbianism in particular.
Homosexual black swans of Australia will form sexually active male-male mated pairs and steal nests or form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs(the female is driven away after she lays the eggs), more of their cygnets survive to adulthood than those of heterosexual pairs possibly due to their superior ability to defend large portions of land.
Whip-tailed lizard females have the ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis and as such males are rare and generally distained (from a Darwinian standpoint the females are passing their full genetic code to all of their offspring and do not want it compromised by sexual reproduction), the females engage in sexual behavior to stimulate ovulation.
Theories
Some scholars in Queer studies, and most famously the French philosopher Michel Foucault (though some have argued that his opinions on this issue have been distorted by later scholars), attack the notion that sexual identities such as 'homosexuality', 'heterosexuality' or 'bisexuality' have any objective existence, viewing them instead as social constructions. (See Queer theory.) A frequent argument used is that homosexuality prior to the modern period differed from modern homosexuality (age-, gender- or class-structured rather than egalitarian). Critics argue that, although homosexuality in different periods has had different features, the underlying phenomenon has always existed and is not a recent invention of our society.
Once homosexual desire or behavior has been singled out for attention, and especially negative attention, the question naturally arises: What makes people this way? The causes of sexual orientation are currently under investigation. The general understanding that seems to be emerging is that rather than a single cause being involved, there is instead a symphony of factors that act over a long time to determine each individual's sexual orientation.
Society, Religion, and the Law
Societal attitudes towards homosexuality have varied over the centuries, from homophobia to social acceptance.
The religious response to homosexuality varies, though in most Abrahamic religions homosexuality is a sin; see religion and homosexuality for a comprehensive discussion.
In many cultures, especially those influenced by anti-gay religions, homosexuality is considered a perversion and has been outlawed (see sodomy law, consensual crime), sometimes considered a capital crime.
Persecution of homosexuals ("gay bashing") in such cultures is common; the experience of homosexuals in Nazi Germany is an egregious case.
Beginning in the 20th century, Gay rights movements, as part of the broader civil rights movements, in concert with the development of the often activist academic treatment of sexuality in queer studies, have led to changes in social acceptance and in the media portrayal of homosexuality. The legalization of same-sex marriage and non-gender-specific civil unions is one of the major goals of gay rights activism.
History
Main article:History of HomosexualityWhen discussing the history of homosexuality, one must first understand that the term "homosexuality" and its associated meanings are a product of 19th century psychology as well as the years of post-Stonewall gay liberation. Throughout most of written history, homosexual relations usually took the form of pederasty, that is, they were characterized by a marked age difference and the fixed assignment of sexual roles. Passive anal sex was thought of as unmanly, and adult men who enjoyed being penetrated were ridiculed. Another paradigm would be the two-spirits of America or the arivanna of the Indian sub-continent in which partners of the same biological sex but different social genders would be common.
The earliest documents concerning homosexual, pederastic relationships come from Ancient Greece. However, Kenneth J. Dover has claimed that such relationships did not replace marriage between man and woman, but occurred before and beside it. It would be unusual for a man to have a mature male mate (though some did, such as Alexander the Great and Agathon in Plato's Symposium); a greater number of men would be the erastes (lover) to a young eromenos (loved one). In this relationship it was considered improper for the eromenos to feel desire, as that would not be masculine. Driven by desire and admiration, the erastes would devote himself unselfishly to providing all the education his eromenos required to thrive in society. In recent times, the research by Dover has been questioned in light of massive evidence of love poetry which suggests a more emotional connection than earlier researchers liked to acknowledge.
The sexual orientation of pre-modern figures is a topic of controversy. It may be accepted, for example, that the sex lives of historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Plato, Hadrian, Virgil, or Christopher Marlowe included or were centred upon relationships with people of their own gender. Terms such as homosexual or bisexual might be applied to them in that sense. But many regard this as risking the anachronistic introduction of a social construction of sexuality that was foreign to their time. For example, their society might have focussed upon the sexual role one took in these encounters, namely active, passive, both or neither, as a key social marker.
It could be noted, on the other hand, that when the evidence is that a particular historical figure's sex life focussed exclusively on people of an opposite gender, describing them as heterosexual rarely evokes such controversy.
See List of famous gay, lesbian, or bisexual people.
During the last decades, in part due to their history of shared oppression, homosexuals in the West have developed a shared culture, although not all homosexuals participate in it, and many homosexual men and women specifically decline to do so. (See gay pride.)
Related topics
See also: sexual behavior, anthropological classification of homosexuality, queer, famous gay lesbian or bisexual people, Wikipedians/Queer, religion and homosexuality, homosexuality and morality, homophobia, homosexuality and psychology, reparative therapy, homosexuality and medical science, gay rights, list of gay-related topics, history of homosexuality, List of actors who have played homosexuals, Homosexuality in China.
External links and references
- Encyclopedia of gay,lesbian, bisexual, transgender & queer culture
- Exodus International
- GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network
- Human Rights Campaign
- International Lesbian and Gay Association
- Lambda Legal Defense Fund
- National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
- Kenneth J. Dover, Greek Homosexuality, 1979, Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd., London, ISBN 0674362616 (o.p. hardcover), ISBN 0674362705 (pbk.).
- Alfred C. Kinsey, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 1948, ISBN 0721654452 (o.p.), ISBN 0253334128 (reprint).
- Alfred C. Kinsey, Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, 1953, ISBN 0721654509 (o.p.), ISBN 0671786156 (o.p. pbk.), ISBN 025333411X (reprint).
Footnote
[1]: Survey responses are often conditioned by the desire not to express opinions or supply information which the respondent suspects society and perhaps the questioner may not approve of. Revealing one's sexual orientation may well fall into this category, so affecting the accuracy of some surveys and under-estimating the actual scale of homosexuality. A similar phenomenon affects survey data on minority religions, on personal views on controversial matters such as abortion, and on degrees of political support for a political party. (Classic examples of this are not 'admitting' support in surveys in the late 1990s for the British Conservative Party, or controversial parties like the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, etc. with such parties getting a higher vote in the privacy of a ballot box than reported in surveys.) Regarding the NORC data, one must accept the limitations. Researchers, in the original data in the early 1990s, reported that approximately 40% of adult males indicated that they had never masturbated. This research has been criticised because the original design sampling techniques were not followed, and depended upon direct self report regarding masturbation and same sex behaviors.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Homosexuality."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
John Gay (1685-1732) was an English poet and dramatist. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera (1728), set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names.
Biography
Gay was born in Barnstaple, England and was educated at the town's grammar school. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a silk mercer in London, but being weary, according to Samuel Johnson, "of either the restraint or the servility of his occupation," he soon returned to Barnstaple, where he spent some time with his uncle, the Rev. John Hanmer, the Nonconformist minister of the town. He then returned to London.
The dedication of his Rural Sports (1713) to Alexander Pope was the beginning of a lasting friendship. In 1714, Gay wrote The Shepherd's Week, a series of six pastorals drawn from English rustic life. Pope had urged him to undertake this task in order to ridicule the Arcadian pastorals of Ambrose Philips, who had been praised by The Guardian, to the neglect of Pope's claims as the first pastoral writer of the age and the true English Theocritus. Gay's pastorals completely achieved this goal, but his ludicrous pictures of the English country lads and their loves were found to be entertaining on their own account.
Gay had just been appointed secretary to the British ambassador to the court of Hanover through the influence of Jonathan Swift when the death of Queen Anne three months later put an end to all his hopes of official employment.
In 1715, probably with some help from Pope, he produced What d'ye call it?, a dramatic skit on contemporary tragedy, with special reference to Thomas Otway's Venice Preserved. It left the public so ignorant of its real meaning that Lewis Theobald and Benjamin Griffin published a Complete Key to what d'ye call it to explain it. In 1716 appeared his Trivia, or the Art of Walking the Streets of London, a poem in three books, for which he acknowledged having received several hints from Swift. It contains graphic and humorous descriptions of the London of that period. In January 1717 he produced the comedy of Three Hours after Marriage, which was grossly indecent without being amusing, and was a complete failure. He had assistance from Pope and John Arbuthnot, but they allowed it to be assumed that Gay was the sole author.
Gay had numerous patrons, and in 1720 he published Poems on Several Occasions by subscription, taking in £1000 or more. In that year James Craggs, the secretary of state, presented him with some South Sea stock. Gay, disregarding the advice of Pope and other of his friends, invested all of his money in South Sea stock, and, holding on to the end of the South Sea Bubble, he lost everything. The shock is said to have made him dangerously ill. His friends did not fail him at this juncture. He had patrons in William Pulteney, afterwards earl of Bath, in the third earl of Burlington, who constantly entertained him at Chiswick or at Burlington House, and in the third earl of Queensberry. He was a frequent visitor with Pope, and received unvarying kindness from William Congreve and Arbuthnot. In 1727 he wrote for Prince William, afterwards duke of Cumberland, his famous Fifty-one Fables in Verse, for which he naturally hoped to gain some preferment, although he has much to say in them of the servility of courtiers and the vanity of court honours. He was offered the situation of gentleman-usher to the Princess Louisa, who was still a child. He refused this offer, which all his friends seem to have regarded, for no very obvious reason, as an indignity. He had never rendered any special services to the court.
He certainly did nothing to conciliate the favour of the government by his next production, The Beggar's Opera, a lyrical drama produced on the January 29, 1728 by John Rich, in which Sir Robert Walpole was caricatured. This famous piece, which was said to have made "Rich gay and Gay rich," was an innovation in many respects. Under cover of the thieves and highwaymen who figured in it was disguised a satire on society, for Gay made it plain that in describing the moral code of his characters he had in mind the corruptions of the governing class. Part of the success of the Beggars' Opera may have been due to the acting of Lavinia Fenton, afterwards duchess of Bolton, in the part of Polly Peachum. The play ran for sixty-two nights, though the representations, four of which were "benefits of the author. Swift is said to have suggested the subject, and Pope and Arbuthnot were constantly consulted while the work was in progress, but Gay must be regarded as the sole author.
He wrote a sequel, Folly, the presentation of which was forbidden by the lord chamberlain, no doubt through the influence of Walpole. This act of "oppression" caused no loss to Gay. It proved an excellent advertisement for Folly, which was published by subscription in 1729, and brought its author several thousand pounds. The duchess of Queensberry was dismissed from court for enlisting subscribers in the palace. The duke of Queensberry gave Gay a home, and the duchess continued her affectionate patronage until Gay's death, which took place on December 4, 1732. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. The epitaph on his tomb is by Pope, and is followed by Gay's own mocking couplet:
- Life is a jest, and all things show it,
- I thought so once, and now I know it.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "John Gay."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| GALOP | English | Gay London Policing Group | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: GaySynonyms: brave (adj), braw (adj), cheery (adj), festal (adj), festive (adj), gala(a) (adj), homophile(a) (adj), jocund (adj), jolly (adj), jovial (adj), merry (adj), mirthful (adj), queer (adj), sunny (adj), homo (n), homosexual (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Beauty | Flower, flow'ret gay, wildflower; rose, lily, anemone, asphodel, buttercup, crane's bill, daffodil, tulip, tiger lily, day lily, begonia, marigold, geranium, lily of the valley, |
Cheerfulness | Adjective: cheerful; happy; cheery, cheerly; of good cheer, smiling; blithe; in spirits, in good spirits; breezy, bully, chipper; in high spirits, in high feather; happy as the day is long, happy as a king; gay as a lark; allegro; debonair; light, lightsome, light hearted; buoyant, debonnaire, bright, free and easy, airy; janty, jaunty, canty; hedonic; riant; sprightly, sprightful; spry; spirited, spiritful; lively, animated, vivacious; brisk as a bee; sparkling, sportive; full of play, full of spirit; all alive. |
Fashion | Noun: fashion, style, ton, bon ton, society; good society, polite society; monde; drawing-room, civilized life, civilization, town, beau monde, high life, court; world; fashionable world, gay world; Vanity Fair; show; (ostentation). |
Impurity | Unchaste, light, wanton, licentious, debauched, dissolute; of loose character, of easy virtue; frail, gay, riggish, incontinent, meretricious, rakish, gallant, dissipated; no better than she should be; on the town, on the streets, on the pave, on the loose. |
Libertine | Noun: libertine; voluptuary; a; rake, debauchee, loose fish, rip, rakehell, fast man; intrigant, gallant, seducer, fornicator, lecher, satyr, goat, whoremonger, paillard, adulterer, gay deceiver, Lothario, Don Juan, Bluebeard; chartered libertine. |
Man | Homosexual, gay, queen. |
Ornament | Smart, gay, trickly, flowery, glittering; new gilt, new spangled; fine as a Mayday queen, fine as a fivepence, fine as a carrot fresh scraped; pranked out, bedight, well-groomed. |
Ostentation | Adjective: ostentatious, showy, dashing, pretentious; janty, jaunty; grand, pompous, palatial; high-sounding; turgid; (big-sounding); gairish, garish; gaudy, gaudy as a butterfly, gaudy as a tulip; flaunting, flashing, flaming, glittering; gay; (ornate). |
Sexuality | Homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I'm gay! (Almost Famous; writing credit: Cameron Crowe) Wait a minute, so your name is Gay Focker (Meet the Parents; writing credit: Greg Glienna; Mary Ruth Clarke) He had his ass beat several times for being gay, which, he was not. Imagine: fag bashing without all the benefits (S.L.C. Punk!; writing credit: James Merendino.) I had two pigeons, bright and gay, fly for me the other day. Why is it they did go (Die Hard: With a Vengeance; writing credit: Jonathan Hensleigh) Nick, come on, admit it. You're totally and completely gay! (What Women Want; writing credit: Josh Goldsmith; Cathy Yuspa) | |
Lyrics | Why do birds sing so gay (Why Do Fools Fall In Love; performing artist: Diana Ross) I was cheerful, bright and gay (Alone Again (Naturally); performing artist: Gilbert O'Sullivan) If she say you're not, convince her say you're gay (It Wasn't Me; performing artist: Shaggy) The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"; performing artist: Tony Bennett) | |
Clever | The luxury of doing good surpasses every other personal enjoyment. (references; author: Gay) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Enola Gay and the Atomic Bombing of Japan (1995) A Gay Day (1973) U.S.A. Gay Parade (1972) Gay and Proud (1970) I Am Curious Gay (1970) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies |
| ||
Music |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The Gay Head Lighthouse on the west end of Martha's Vineyard. Gay Head was named for the multi-colored strata which presented a beautiful and cheerful sight on a clear day. In: Historical Collections ... of Every Town in Massachusetts. 1841. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | The lighthouse at Gay Head. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
 | Anthoney Gay & Byron Phelps cut wood for self help homes, Pine Ridge, SD. Credit: USDA. |  | NHOTIC 10th Anniversary, wagon train reenactment. Covered wagons and pioneers on Oregon Trail (NHOTIC Director, Gay Ernst, on horseback). Credit: John Craig. |
 | Father in his library at 84 Gay St. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | John Gay photographed by Ernest Edwards. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | Photographed circa 1936-38, in ROTC uniform, while attending Texas A&M. He became a Navy officer in 1941, after flight training. Ensign Gay served with Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) on USS Hornet (CV-8), and was the only survivor of thirty Hornet torpedo plane pilots and aircrewmen who attacked the Japanese fleet on 4 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway. Credit: NAVY. |  | Ensign George H. Gay at Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital, with a nurse and a copy of the "Honolulu Star-Bulletin" newspaper featuring accounts of the battle. He was the only survivor of the 4 June 1942 Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) TBD torpedo plane attack on the Japanese carrier force. Gay's book "Sole Survivor" indicates that the date of this photograph is probably 7 June 1942, following an operation to repair his injured left hand and a meeting with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Credit: NAVY. |
 | There used to be gay doings around the colleges in the old days if we can believe the old songs. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Senator Royal S. Copeland, right, advocate for better air in the Senate, inspecting one of the ventilating fans that supply air to the Senate Chamber with R.H. Gay, chief engineer of the Senate. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Gay power 5" by Ibon San Martin Commentary: "2003 Gay week in madrid, spain. Great time,." | "Oz Club in New Orleans" by Matt Skallerud Commentary: "Oz, gay club in New Orleans." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
John Gay | We only part to meet again. |
| Shadow owes its birth to light. | |
| From wine what sudden friendship springs! | |
| She who has never lov'd, has never liv'd. | |
| The brave love mercy, and delight to save. | |
| Sure men were born to lie, and women to believe them! | |
| An open foe may prove a curse, but a pretended friend is worse. | |
| Those who in quarrels interpose, must often wipe a bloody nose. | |
| Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy and delight to save. | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | One of those pleasant and gay youngsters who go from place to place, with their knees sticking through their trousers |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | The muddy streets were gay. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | The epidemic in the United States is currently shifting to young people, particularly those who are gay, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and out-of-school adolescents. (references) | |
Finally, new research must focus on emerging risk groups such as young people, particularly those who are gay and who are members of ethnic minority groups, and women, in whom transmission of HIV virus to their children remains a major public health problem. (references) | ||
Among gay men, the infection rate is increasing among African-American, Latino, and younger men. Injecting drug users are at increased risk because of conditions in their communities, including unavailability of sterile injecting equipment, dealer provision of infected needles, and social situations that encourage multiperson reuse of needles and other drug paraphernalia. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Yugoslavia | In July groups of young men disrupted a gay rights parade in Belgrade and attacked gay activists, injuring dozens of persons. (references) |
Dominican Republic | During the National Book Fair, a booth run by a gay and lesbian group was shut down because its safe sex materials were deemed to be "pornographic." The booth reopened after the group agreed not to distribute the safe sex literature. (references) | |
Discrimination | Mexico | The consensus among gay rights groups is that the police fail to investigate these crimes seriously. (references) |
Human Rights | Egypt | Some were arrested aboard a boat on the Nile River that allegedly served as a gay disco. (references) |
Brazil | Gay rights activists in the city of Recife compiled substantial evidence of extortion and the unlawful use of violence against transvestite prostitutes. (references) | |
Brazil | In September 2000, Jose Eduardo do Bernardes da Silva, a member of Amnesty International, and Roberto de Jesus, president of the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Pride Association, both received bombs in the mail with swastikas and the word "revenge" printed on the package. (references) | |
Minorities | Brazil | The letter said that on or around the country's September 7 Independence Day the group intended to target a number of human rights organizations, including Tortura Nunca Mais (No More Torture), Action by Christians against Torture, Amnesty International, and gay and lesbian groups. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SMITHAREEN, n. A fragment, a decomponent part, a remain. The word is used variously, but in the following verse on a noted female reformer who opposed bicycle-riding by women because it "led them to the devil" it is seen at its best: The wheels go round without a sound -- The maidens hold high revel; In sinful mood, insanely gay, True spinsters spin adown the way From duty to the devil! They laugh, they sing, and -- ting-a-ling! Their bells go all the morning; Their lanterns bright bestar the night Pedestrians a-warning. With lifted hands Miss Charlotte stands, Good-Lording and O-mying, Her rheumatism forgotten quite, Her fat with anger frying. She blocks the path that leads to wrath, Jack Satan's power defying. The wheels go round without a sound The lights burn red and blue and green. What's this that's found upon the ground? Poor Charlotte Smith's a smithareen! John William Yope |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | The Gay Mafia and the New York Times don't run Hollywood. |
Rosie O'Donnell | My brother Danny, who is gay as well, introduced me to her. He met her at a fundraiser and thought we'd hit it off, and we did. |
Rush Limbaugh | There's a reason we see the same gay rights radicals, environmental extremists, and anti-capitalists rally to the terrorist cause. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | We saw a young man murdered in Wyoming just because he was gay. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Gay" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 83.91% of the time. "Gay" is used about 1,862 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 83.91% | 1,562 | 5,272 |
| Noun (proper) | 16.04% | 299 | 16,795 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.05% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,862 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "gay" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Gay | First name Female | 12,000 | 795 |
| Gay | Last name | 15,000 | 774 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| "Gay" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "gay", "happy". | |||
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "gay". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Gae | Female | English | Gay |
| Gay | Female | English | Gay |
| Gaye | Female | English | Gay |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
| The following table summarizes names related to "Gay." | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Related Name |
| Gae | Female | English | Gay |
| Gay | Female | English | N/A |
| Gaye | Female | English | Gay |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
1. Gay, GA (town, FIPS 32384) 2. Gay, MI 3. Gay, WV |
Expressions using "gay": be gay ♦ being gay ♦ brave fine gay glorious ♦ flow'ret gay ♦ Fort Gay ♦ gay atmosphere ♦ gay beat ♦ gay bird ♦ gay dog ♦ gay lib ♦ gay liberation movement ♦ Gay Lussac's law ♦ Gay Lussac's tower ♦ gay man ♦ gay woman ♦ gay world ♦ have a gay time ♦ squander on a gay life. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "gay": gay-and-happy-to-be-gay, gay-bashed, gay-bashers, gay-bashing, gay-coloured, gay-disco, Gay-Lussac, Gay-Lussac's law, Gay-men, gay-orientated, gay-related, gay-rights, gay-sex, gay-sympathetic, gay-wings. | |
Ending with "gay": anti-gay, non-gay. | |
Containing "gay": pro-gay-lesbian. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
gay | 25,758 | gay magazine | 1,260 |
gay porn | 17,062 | gay art | 1,238 |
gay sex | 13,798 | gay black | 1,230 |
gay male porn | 6,484 | free gay sex | 1,161 |
gay man | 6,028 | gay naked man | 1,154 |
free gay picture | 5,442 | gay personals | 1,106 |
gay chat | 4,193 | gay cock | 1,099 |
free gay porn | 3,375 | gay movie | 1,078 |
gay boy | 3,324 | gay male | 1,054 |
gay picture | 3,206 | chat gay.com | 1,035 |
gay pride | 3,027 | fotos gay | 1,027 |
free gay movie | 2,206 | gay cartoon | 1,016 |
gay story | 2,101 | gay muscle | 1,010 |
gay teen | 1,969 | free gay gallery | 991 |
gay black man | 1,642 | gay sex story | 974 |
gay video | 1,580 | gay guy | 945 |
gay bear | 1,530 | gay chat room | 933 |
free gay video | 1,496 | sexo gay | 930 |
free gay | 1,370 | gay wrestling | 896 |
gay gallery | 1,279 | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "gay"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | vrolik (cheerful, merry). (various references) | |
Albanian | gazmor (cheerful, cheery, convivial, debonair, easygoing, exhilarated, genial, gladsome, gleeful, gleesome, hilarious, jaunty, jocular, jocund, jollier, jolly, jovial, joyful, joyous, light hearted, lively, merry, mirthful, perky, riant, set up, zippy), me kënaqësira, i qeshur (genial, jovial, mirthful, smiling), homoseksual (fag, faggot, fagot, fairy, homosexual, pansy). (various references) | |
Arabic | مولع بالمتع الاجتماعية, مستهتر (careless, heedless, inconsiderate, irresponsible, licentious, light minded, loiterer, pleasure-seeking, reckless, thoughtless, uninhibited, unrestrained, wanton), مرح (airiness, airy, be merry, blithe, breezy, bright, buoyancy, buoyant, cheerful, cheerfulness, cheering, chirpy, exult, facetious, festive, fresh, frisk, frisky, frolic, frolicsome, fun, gaiety, glee, gleeful, have fun, hilarious, hilarity, jaunty, jocose, jocosity, jocund, jolly, jovial, joviality, joy, joyful, joyfulness, joyous, kittenish, lark, light, lightsome, lively, make merry, merriment, merry, merry making, mirth, mirthful, perkiness, perky, playful, playfulness, playing, rejoice, rollick, romp, sportive, sprightly, sunny, vivacious, vivacity, what fun, winsome), مبتهج (alacrity, blithe, breezy, bright, buoyant, carefree, cheerful, cheery, debonair, delighted, delightful, elate, elated, exultant, glad, gleeful, happy, high-spirited, jolly, joyful, joyous, jubilant, mellow, merry, mirthful, overjoyed, palmy, rejoicing, upbeat), لوطي (homo, homosexual, invert, paederast, pansy, pederast, ponce, poof, prostitute, queer), سعيد (auspicious, blessed, blissful, blithe, carefree, felicitous, fortuitous, fortunate, glad, happy, happy go lucky, high, in high spirits, joyful, joyous, lucky, merry, pi, pollyanna, providential, thankful, unstressed, upbeat), زاه (bright, flashily, glad, glaring, radiant, shining, vivid). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | ярък (blazing, bright, clear, flaming, flashy, garish, gaudy, glaring, glowing, gutty, harsh, high-colored, high-coloured, hot, jazz, jazzy, live, loud, lucid, lurid, noisy, picturesque, refulgent, relucent, round, showy, staring, violent, vivid, zizzi), разпуснат (dissolute, fast, free, incontinent, lax, loose, profligate, raffish, rakish, self-abandoned, ungovernable, unregenerated, unsteady, wanton), радостен (cheerful, glad, gleeful, happy, jocund, joyful, joyous, lightsome, lusty, merry, mirthful), хомосексуален (homosexual, kinky), хомосексуалист (homo, homosexual, invert), весел (airy, blithe, blithesome, boisterous, bright, buoyant, canty, cheery, chirp, chirpy, colorful, colourful, coltish, convivial, daft, debonair, exhilarated, festal, gamesome, genial, gladsome, gleeful, gleesome, good humoured, good-humored, high, humorous, jaunty, jocular, jocund, joky, jolly, jovial, joyful, joyous, light, light hearted, lightsome, lively, mellow, merry, mirthful, peppy, perky, rackety, roistering, rollicking, rorty, rosy, saucy, slaphappy, sparkish, sportive, sporty, sprightly, swinging, upbeat, winsome), отдаден на светски удоволствия, безцеремонен (abrupt, blunt, brusque, offhand, offhanded, summary, unceremonious), блестящ (agleam, bright, brilliant, flaring, fulgent, garish, glistening, imperial, lambent, lucent, lucid, luminous, lustrous, oriental, pyrotechnic, refulgent, relucent, resplendent, shining, sparkling, splendent, splendid, splendiferous, superb, vivid), посещаван от хомосексуалисти, игрив (blithe, coltish, frisky, frolic, frolicsome, gamesome, jocose, kittenish, mischievous, monkeyish, pert, playful, skittish, sportful, sportive, tricksy, wanton). (various references) | |
Chinese | 春 (joyful, life, love, lust, spring, youthful), 歡樂 (gaiety, gladness, glee, happy, joyous, merriment, pleasure), 快乐 (Cheerful, joyful). (various references) | |
Czech | veselý (blithesome, bright, cheerful, chirpy, convivial, exhilarated, gleeful, happy, high-spirited, hilarious, humorous, jaunty, jocund, jolly, jovial, joyous, light hearted, lively, merry, mirthful, pleasant, rollicking, rorty, sportful, vivacious), teplouš (fag, fairy), teplý (bent, muggy, warm), rozmařilý (profligate), pestrý (bright, brightly colored, brightly coloured, chequered, colorful, colourful, fanciful, gaily coloured, gaudy, motley, multifarious, pied, varied, variegated), lesbický (lesbian), lesbièka, homosexuální (homosexual, queer), homosexuál (homosexual, invert), bezstarostný (carefree, careless, cavalier, easy, easygoing, free from care, happy go lucky, jaunty, laid back, light hearted, light-headed, reckless, slaphappy, unconcerned), živý (active, airy, alive, animated, bright, brisk, chirpy, clear, exhilarating, heated, high-spirited, lifelike, live, lively, living, mercurial, perky, pleasant, quick, racy, sprightly, vivacious, vivid). (various references) | |
Danish | munter (cheerful, merry), alvorlig (cheerful, earnest, merry, serious, staid). (various references) | |
Dutch | goedgeluimd (merry), goedgehumeurd (merry). (various references) | |
Esperanto | gejo (homosexual), gaja (cheerful, merry), bonhumora (merry). (various references) | |
Faeroese | kátur (adroit, agile, airy-fairy, alert, brisk, cheerful, frolic, frolicsome, keen, merry, petulant). (various references) | |
Farsi | سرکیف (Jolly), سردماغ (Mood), خوشحال (Bouncy, Glad, Happy, Jolly, Merry, Sprightly, Wanton), خوش (Blissful, Blithe, Buxom, Good, Happy, Jocund, Merry, Sweet), شوخ (Blithe, Jester, Jocose, Jocular, Jocularity, Joker, Mower, Quizzical, Waggish, Witty). (various references) | |
Finnish | iloinen (cheerful, delighted, merry, pleased). (various references) | |
French | gai, joyeux. (various references) | |
Frisian | homofyl (homosexual). (various references) | |
German | vergnügt (amuses, blithe, cheerful, cheerfully, cheerily, enjoyable, gleeful, happily, happy, hilarious, jolly, merrily, merry, pleasant), schwul (camp, gayly, homosexual, limp-wristed, poofy, queer), lustig (amusing, blithe, cheerful, cheerfully, cheery, droll, frolicsome, funny, happy, hilarious, humorous, jocular, jocularly, jocund, jocundly, jolly, jovial, lazy, merry, pert, sportive), heiter (alacritous, amusing, blithe, bright, brightly, buoyant, buoyantly, carefree, cheerful, cheerfully, cheery, clear, fair, fine, funny, gayly, genially, glad, happily, happy, humorous, humorously, jocund, jovial, jovially, lighthearted, mellow, merry, mirthful, mirthfully, sanguine, serene, sunny, tranquil, untroubled), homosexuell (homosexual), fröhlich (blithe, blithesome, bright, brightly, cheerful, cheerfully, cheerily, festive, gladly, gladsome, gleeful, happily, happy, jauntily, jaunty, jocund, jolly, jovial, jovially, joyous, lighthearted, liltingly, merrily, merry, mirthful, mirthfully, upbeat). ( |
