Gay
From Pinkboard Wiki
Gay usually refers to a homosexual male. It sometimes includes lesbians. The phrase gay man is often used as an alternative.
History
Need to say something about when it first referred to homosexuals.
In the 1960s and 1970s gay included gay men, lesbians and transgender people. In the 1980s lesbians demanded more visibility and the term gay and lesbian or lesbian and gay became widespread.
Other Terms
There are many other terms that are used for gay men. Some of these are almost exclusively used as derogetary terms. In some groups the derogatory terms have been reclaimed, and it is permissible for a gay man to use these terms for other gay men. The terms include:
- poofter, pooftah
- fag
- pillow biter
- nancy
- pansy
- shirt lifter
- friend of Dorothy
Gary Burns eventually successfully brought a vilification case against John Laws for over comments made about Carson Kressley which included "pillow biter" and "pompous little pansy prig" during a 2004 broadcast. [1]
