Word gay meaning

Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ

Definitions were drafted in collaboration with other U.S.-based LGBTQ collective organizations and leaders. See acknowledgements section.

Additional terms and definitions about gender identity and gender expression, transgender people, and nonbinary people are available in the Transgender Glossary.

Are we missing a term or is a definition outdated? Email press@glaad.org

*NOTE: Question people what terms they use to describe their sexual orientation, gender persona and gender statement before assigning them a label. Outside of acronyms, these terms should only be capitalized when used at the beginning of a sentence.

LGBTQ
Acronym for lesbian, male lover, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media use the acronym. In settings offering support for youth, it can also stand for questioning. LGBT and LGBTQ+ are also used, with the + added in recognition of all non-straight, non-cisgender identities. (See Transgender Glossary ) Both are acceptable, as are other versions of this acronym. The term “gay community” should be avoided, as it does not accuratel

Origin and history of gay

gay(adj.)

late 14c., "full of joy, merry; light-hearted, carefree;" also "wanton, lewd, lascivious" (late 12c. as a surname, Philippus de Gay), from Old French gai "joyful, happy; pleasant, agreeably charming; forward, pert; light-colored" (12c.; compare Senior Spanish gayo, Portuguese gaio, Italian gajo, probably French loan-words). The ultimate beginning is disputed; perhaps from Frankish *gahi (related to Old High German wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists accept this.

The definition "stately and beautiful; splendid and showily dressed" is from early 14c. Of things, "sumptuous, showy, wealthy, ornate," mid-14c. of colors, etc., "shining, glittering, gleaming, bright, vivid," late 14c.; of persons, "dressed up, decked out in finery," also late 14c. In the English of Yorkshire and Scotland formerly it could mean "moderately, rather, considerable" (1796; compare the sense development in pretty (adj.)).

The word gay by the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity — a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immor

by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer

Do you know what the word gay really means?

The word gay dates assist to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” sense “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Antique High German “gahi,” sense impulsive.

For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to indicate happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the 1600s.

At that time the interpretation of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might possess 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 1890s, the word “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.

This latter use suggests that the younger guy was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the first times that gay was used implying a queer relationship.

In 1951, gay appeared in the

What Does "Gay" Mean?

There is not one right answer

Many educators are unsure how to respond when a student asks you what does lgbtq+ mean. It is better to experiment to answer than to respond with silence or evade the question.

Practice diverse responses with colleagues, just as you practice other things that you yearn to learn. Figure out what you feel comfortable saying.

Responses will vary by age and developmental stage of the student. Your comfort in answering these questions will put a welcoming tone in your class and school community.

Keep it simple

An acknowledge can be as simple as: “‘Gay’ means two people of the equal gender who passion each other – two women or two men.” Endeavor to answer the question honestly without overloading a trainee with information. Throughout elementary school a student’s ability to understand what “gay” means and what your explanation means may increase with development.

Focus on affection and relationships

A discussion with elementary-age students about the meanings of “gay” or “lesbian” is a discussion about cherish and relationships. You can just clarify that people romance each other in different ways. Some women love and want to be partners

Today I found out how ‘gay’ came to express ‘homosexual’.

The word “gay” seems to have its origins around the 12th century in England, derived from the Old French synonyms ‘gai’, which in shift was probably derived from a Germanic word, though that isn’t completely known. The word’s original essence meant something to the effect of “joyful”, “carefree”, “full of mirth”, or “bright and showy”.

However, around the early parts of the 17th century, the word began to be associated with immorality. By the mid 17th century, according to an Oxford dictionary definition at the time, the meaning of the word had changed to mean “addicted to pleasures and dissipations. Often euphemistically: Of loose and immoral life”. This is an extension of one of the original meanings of “carefree”, meaning more or less uninhibited.

Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women (ironically enough), often prostitutes. Also at this day, the phrase “gay it” meant to