Homosexual or Gay

from JoeUser Forums

Which word do you prefer to use?  No, I didn't ask you whether you like people of that persuasion or not, or what your religion feels, which word do you prefer to use when you talk about homosexuals?

I'm watching a movie "Doing time on Maple Drive" the dad told his son who he recently found out is a homosexual that he prefers the word "homosexual", instead of "gay" because "gay is a perfectly good word that has been destroyed"!

Interesting way of putting it!  I remember when I first came to the US when a discussion started about 'gay' and I happily said, "I'm gay"...in my naivety at the time because I wasn't familiar with that terminology being used in reference to people who were homosexual here.  In Jamaica when I was growing up, 'gay' was a term for someone who was happy and giddy and dare I say bright....?!lol!

I laughed when I was told this!  Boy being ignorant can lead to some interesting revelations! 

homosexual terminology blogging
6,018 views 19 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

homosexual is the right term as is heterosexual is for straights.  

I was told once by a journalist years ago that he always uses the term homosexual  for his editorials because gay was never meant to be used for homosexuals.  They basically took this perfectly good word to describe themselves and I don't usually think of homosexuals as "gay."

When I was a kid I was an avid reader and the word gay was used throughout my reading material.  In no way did it refer to homosexuals.   So it was the same here as what you grew up with but somewhere along the way the homos took the word and destroyed it as the dad said in your movie. 

 

 

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Usually I use the word, gay.  It's faster to say then homosexual.

I don't think you can destroy a word.  Language is always changing, you just have to go along for the ride.  Words come and go and change meaning over time as people and society changes.

You may not necessarily embrace or agree with it (everyone knows how much I hate text message speak) but there's little you can do to turn the tide.  'Gay' and 'straight' are used as slang in this context...it's perfectly valid when speaking casually.  Though if you write a paper on it perhaps you'd best stick to technical terms.

~Zoo

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

"We have no gay people in Russia—there are homosexuals but they are not allowed to be gay about it. The punishment is seven years locked in prison with other men and there is a three-year waiting list for that."

 

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

 

We have no gay people in Russia—there are homosexuals but they are not allowed to be gay about it. The punishment is seven years locked in prison with other men and there is a three-year waiting list for that."
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:rofl:   :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:   good one Leauki!

Donna you left a few choices off the list didn't you? Just kidding before you get mad. :O

 

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

good one Leauki!

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Yakov Smirnoff, Russian-Jewish-American comedian.
I often quote him.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Leauki, why did you add that? I'm not criticising you...just curious.

I might attributed it to Yakov Smirnoff, a Russian born American Comedian.

Why was religion important? Again...I'm not criticising, just asking.

Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

 

Leauki, why did you add that? I'm not criticising you...just curious.

I might have attributed it to Yakov Smirnoff, a Russian born American Comedian.

Why was religion important? Again...I'm not criticising, just asking.

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But he wasn't Russian-born, he was Jewish-born. He was born IN the Soviet Union (Ukraine), but he wasn't born Russian or Ukrainian. (I used "Russian" as a shortcut to describe anything slavic in the Soviet Union. I didn't think it would matter in this case.) Most Jews in Russia and Ukraine spoke Russian (as opposed to Ukrainian). But they were not "Russians" (or Ukrainians).

I find jokes funnier when I know more about the perspective of the person telling the joke. The famous Radio-Yerevan jokes about the Soviet Union are a lot funnier because the source is (allegedly) Armenian. Similarly a view of Soviet Russia from a Jew is more fascinating than a view of Soviet Russia from a Russian.

I have no idea about Smirnoff's religion, whether he even is religious, whether he believes in G-d, whether he prays. But I do know Russians and Russian Jews. And I know that they have different perspectives on life.

He was born in Odessa, a city famous in the Soviet Union for its comedians and large Jewish community. The city was once 1/3 Jewish in the 19th century and was a bastion of Yiddish culture, Zionism, and Jewish religion. It remained very Jewish under Soviet rule as it was, if I recall correctly, just outside the Nazis' reach. And that was the situation Mr Smirnoff grew up in. It's not the same as being Russian in Moscow or Ukrainian in Kiev. It's a totally different life.

 

 

 

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

Nice Leauki. :D

 

Wow...there are a lot of gay ads floating around in this page now. :P

~Zoo

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

Where U been Zoo? :maybe:

 

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top

Oops! Sorry! I didn't mean to thread hijack there, Donna! Here. I'll post something relevant to the subject matter: |-O

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

Where U been Zoo?
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Stuck with slow as hell internet over Winter break. :(

These last two weeks, though, I've been getting back into learning mode.  I'll try and frequent JU a bit more...think I got this semester all figured out. :P

~Zoo

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top

Usually I use the word, gay. It's faster to say then homosexual.
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Yea, I am lazy too.

Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top

Which word do you prefer to use?  No, I didn't ask you whether you like people of that persuasion or not, or what your religion feels, which word do you prefer to use when you talk about homosexuals?
End of quote

I prefer 'camper than a row of tents' myself.

The word 'gay' is just a euphenism that people liked, presumably because it's non-perjorative and fairly apt in describing a stereotypical gay man and doesn't require any mention of sex, both essential requirements for new garden party words.

Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top

Yea, I am lazy too.
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:thumbsup:  

Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top

I'm not ignoring you guys. I just got back blogging, I'm a proud grandma!  I will respond to your witty and informative comments later!  Mad, me, why would I get mad...Nitro....that's a gladiator name you know! *_* :*

Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top

that's a gladiator name you know!
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Didn't know that....American or ancient Roman?

Congrats on becoming a granny, I hope everything is going smoothly. Your grandchild and I share the same place on the Chinese zodiac year of the Ox :moo:

Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top

Congrats on becoming a granny, I hope everything is going smoothly. Your grandchild and I share the same place on the Chinese zodiac year of the Ox
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Thx! My some of the people in other depts in our bldg are amazed that I even have a child old enough to have children!lol!  I'm about to brag about him on my next blog!

Didn't know that....American or ancient Roman?
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American!lol!

 

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

 

I prefer 'camper than a row of tents' myself.
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Interesting terminology!lol

The word 'gay' is just a euphenism that people liked, presumably because it's non-perjorative and fairly apt in describing a stereotypical gay man and doesn't require any mention of sex, both essential requirements for new garden party words.
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Quite stereotypical too!  I like that..."garden party words"!

Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top

Again...I'm not criticising, just asking.
End of quote

Asking questions for clarity is always a good thing!

 

I was told once by a journalist years ago that he always uses the term homosexual for his editorials because gay was never meant to be used for homosexuals. They basically took this perfectly good word to describe themselves and I don't usually think of homosexuals as "gay."
End of quote

I also think most people think only of men when they hear the word "Homosexual" and of both genders when they hear 'Gays"...to me at least!

 

I don't think you can destroy a word. Language is always changing, you just have to go along for the ride. Words come and go and change meaning over time as people and society changes.
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Only when it is not pronounced properly or used in its correct format...at least IMO!  great point though!

But he wasn't Russian-born, he was Jewish-born. He was born IN the Soviet Union (Ukraine), but he wasn't born Russian or Ukrainian
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I used to find him very funny when he was popular some years ago!

 

Wow...there are a lot of gay ads floating around in this page now
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I saw that! ^_^

 

Oops! Sorry! I didn't mean to thread hijack there,  Donna! Here. I'll post something relevant to the subject matter:
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You let that be a lesson to you mister! :D   Hijack away my friend, those hijacks can lead to some interesting roads sometimes! }:)

I'll try and frequent JU a bit more...think I got this semester all figured out.
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Nice to see ya Shaun!

Usually I use the word, gay. It's faster to say then homosexual.
Yea, I am lazy too.
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I go both ways....I mean I use either depending on what I'm talking about!