Terminology of homosexuality

The terminology of homosexuality has been a contentious issue since the emergence of homosexual social movements in the mid-19th century. As with racial terms within the United States – such as "negro", "black", "colored", and "African American" – the choice of terms regarding sexual orientation may imply a certain political outlook, and different terms have been preferred at different times and in different places. In the English language, some terms in widespread use have been "sodomite", "pederast", "Sapphic", "Uranian", "homophile", "lesbian", "gay", "queer", "LGBT", "Two-Spirit", and "same-sex attracted". Some of these words are specific to women, some to men, and some can be used of either; this too changes over time.

Not all of the terms that have been used to describe same-sex sexuality are synonyms for the modern term "homosexuality". The word "homosexual" itself had different connotations for those who used it 100 years ago to what it does today; Anna Rüling, one of the first homosexual women to publicly defend homosexual rights, considered homosexual people a third gender, different from both men and women. Terms such as "gynephilia" and "androphilia" have tried to simplify the language of sexual orientation by making no claim about the individual's own gender identity.

In addition to the stigma of social disadvantage, the terminology of homosexuality has been influenced by taboos around sex in general, producing a number of euphemisms; someone may be described as "that way", "a bit funny", "on the bus", "batting for our team", "a friend of Dorothy", or "wearing comfortable shoes" (for women), although such euphemisms are becoming less common as homosexuality becomes more visible. Within homosexual/transgender communities, complex vocabularies for a range of topics have developed (see gay slang). The most established, sometimes known as cants, include Polari in Britain, Swardspeak in the Philippines, Bahasa gay in Indonesia and Kaliardá in Greece.

Currently prescribed usage

The term "homosexual" can be used as an adjective to describe the sexual attractions and behaviors of same-sex oriented persons. Some argue that the use of "homosexual" as a noun is offensive, arguing that homosexual people are people first, homosexual being merely an attribute of their humanity. Also, some recommend that the terms "homosexual" and "homosexuality" be avoided altogether, lest their use cause confusion or arouse controversy. In particular the description of individuals as "homosexual" may be offensive, partially because of the negative clinical association of the word stemming from its use in describing same-sex attraction as a pathological state before homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental disorders in 1973. Even as late as the 1990s, the "Read code" system, used by the National Health Service in Great Britain, classed male homosexuality and lesbianism under mental disorders, as conditions E2200 and E2201 respectively, although this system has since been replaced. The use of the word "homosexual" in describing individuals and same-sex relationships may also be inaccurate, as people involved in such relationships may identify as bisexual, pansexual, or another orientation.

Same-sex oriented people seldom apply these terms to themselves, and public officials and agencies often avoid them. For instance, the Safe Schools Coalition of Washington's "Glossary for School Employees" advises that "gay" is the "preferred synonym for homosexual", [http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/glossary.pdf] and goes on to advise avoiding the term "homosexual" as it is "clinical, distancing and archaic":

:Sometimes appropriate in referring to behavior (although same-sex is the preferred adjective). When referring to people, as opposed to behavior, 'homosexual' is considered derogatory and the terms 'gay' and 'lesbian' are preferred. "Homosexual" places emphasis on sexuality and is to be avoided when describing a person. "'Gay' man" or "lesbian" are the preferred nouns which stress cultural and social matters over sex.

The "Guardian Style Guide", "Newswatch Diversity Style Guide", "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language", and the Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concern of the American Psychological Association's "Avoiding Heterosexual Bias in Language" agree that "gay" is the preferred term.

Likewise, the use of "homosexuality" to describe human sexual behaviors between people of the same sex may be inaccurate, although it is not perceived as being as offensive as "homosexual".

People with a same-gender sexual orientation generally prefer the terms gay, lesbian and bisexualFact|date=July 2008. "Lesbian" refers specifically to women; "gay" can apply to both men and women, although unqualified usage would more often be referring to men. Other terms include "same-gender-loving" and "same-sex-oriented."

Among some sectors of black homosexual sub-culture, same-gender sexual behavior is sometimes viewed as solely for physical pleasure instead of romantic. Men on the "down-low" (or "DL") may engage in regular (although often covert) sex acts with other men while pursuing sexual and romantic relationships with women.

History of homosexual terminology

Early history

Poststructuralist theorist Michel Foucault has argued that homosexual and heterosexual identities didn't emerge until the 19th century; before that time terms described practices and not identity. Foucault cites "Westphal's famous article of 1870 on 'contrary sexual sensations'" as the "date of birth" of the categorization of the homosexual (Foucault 1976).

In his "Symposium". the ancient Greek philosopher Plato described (through the character of the profane comedian Aristophanes) three sexual orientations, and provided explanations for their existence using an invented creation myth. [http://www.glbtq.com/literature/classical_myth,6.html Classical Myth] on glbtq.com] Aristophanes' fable is only one of many perspectives on love in the "Symposium", and should not be considered identical with Plato's own ideas. Most of the "Symposium"'s speeches are intended to be flawed in different ways, with the wise Socrates coming in at the end to correct their errors.

Tribadism

Although this term refers to a specific sex act between women today, in the past it was commonly used to describe female-female sexual love in general, and women who had sex with women were called Tribads or Tribades. As author Rictor Norton [http://www.infopt.demon.co.uk/social22.htm explains] :

The "tribas", lesbian, from Greek "tribein", to rub (i.e. rubbing the pudenda together, or clitoris upon pubic bone, etc.), appears in Greek and Latin satires from the late first century. The tribade was the most common (vulgar) lesbian in European texts for many centuries. ‘Tribade’ occurs in English texts from at least as early as 1601 to at least as late as the mid-nineteenth century before it became self-consciously old-fashioned – it was in current use for nearly three centuries.

"Fricatrice", a synonym for "tribade" that also refers to rubbing but has a Latin rather than a Greek root, appeared in English as early as 1605 (in Ben Jonson's "Volpone"). Its usage suggests that it was more colloquial and more pejorative than "tribade". Variants include the Latinized "confricatrice" and English "rubster". [cite book | last = Andreadis | first = Harriette | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Sappho in Early Modern England: Female Same-Sex Literary Erotics, 1550-1714 | publisher = University of Chicago Press | date = 2001 | location = | pages = 41, 49-51 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 0-22602-009-6 ]

odomy

Though "sodomy" has been used to refer to a range of homosexual and heterosexual "unnatural acts", the term "sodomite" usually refers to a homosexual male. The term is derived from the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Christian churches have referred to the "crimen sodomitae" (crime of the Sodomites) for centuries; the modern association with homosexuality can be found as early as AD 96 in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. Jerome in the early 5th century uses the forms Sodoman, in Sodomis, Sodomorum, Sodomæ, Sodomitæ (Hallam 1993). The modern German word "Sodomie" and the Norwegian "sodomi" refer to bestiality.

Lesbianism

Lesbian writer Emma Donoghue found that the term "lesbian" (with its modern meaning) was in use in the English language from at least the 17th century. A 1732 book by William King, "The Toast", uses "lesbian loves" and "tribadism" interchangeably : "she loved Women in the same Manner as Men love them; she was a Tribad".

apphism

Named after the Greek poet Sappho who lived on Lesbos Island and wrote love poems to women, this term has been in use since at least the 18th century, with the connotation of lesbian. In 1773, a London magazine described sex between women as "Sapphic passion". The adjective form "Sapphic" is still commonly used in the English language.

Molly and tommy

In 18th century England, the term "molly" was used for male homosexuals; it implied effeminacy. "Tommy", a slang term for a homosexual woman in use by 1781, may have been coined by analogy with "molly". [Andreadis, 10, 51.]

Pederasty

Today, pederasty refers specifically to the sexual orientation of an adult male towards male youths, or the cultural institutions that support such relations, as in ancient Greece. However, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the term usually referred to male homosexuality in general. A pederast was also the active partner in anal sex, whether with a male or a female partner.

Buggery

Very similar in meaning (though not derivation) to "sodomy", the term "buggery" often implies anal sex, but has been used to describe a range of "unnatural sex acts", including bestiality. Derived from the French word "Bougrerie", which in turn came from the medieval Latin term "bulgarus", meaning "Bulgarian". The association was inferred by the Roman Catholic Church, who supposed the sex lives of the "heretical" Cathars of southern France were similar to the Bogomils in Bulgaria. Cognates include the Spanish "bugarrón", the Italian "buggerone", and the German "puseran(t)", a word which survives in Eastern Europe.

Urningtum

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs invented the term "Urning" in Germany in the 1860s for a male-bodied person with a female psyche, who is sexually attracted to men and not women. He expanded this system to cover a range of sexual appetites and gender variance in both males and females.

Homosexual

The word "homosexual" translates literally as "of the same sex", being a hybrid of the Greek prefix "homo-" meaning "same" (as distinguished from the Latin root "homo" meaning "human") and the Latin root "sex" meaning "sex". In Sanskrit "homosexual" is called "somo-kaami" or "sama-kaami". In Sanskrit, the prefix "somo-" means "same" and "Kaami" means "who desires the same sex".

The first known appearance of the term "homosexual" in print is found in a 1869 German pamphlet "143 des Preussischen Strafgesetzbuchs und seine Aufrechterhaltung als 152 des Entwurfs eines Strafgesetzbuchs für den Norddeutschen Bund" ("Paragraph 143 of the Prussian Penal Code and Its Maintenance as Paragraph 152 of the Draft of a Penal Code for the North German Confederation"). The pamphlet was written by Karl-Maria Kertbeny, but published anonymously. The pamphlet advocated the repeal of Prussia's sodomy laws (Bullough et al. ed. (1996)). Kertbeny had previously used the word in a private letter written in 1868 to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. Kertbeny used "Homosexualität" in place of Ulrichs's "Urningtum"; "Homosexualisten" instead of "Urninge", and "Homosexualistinnen" instead of "Urninden".

The first known use of "homosexual" in English is in Charles Gilbert Chaddock's 1895 translation of Richard von Krafft-Ebing's "Psychopathia Sexualis", a study on sexual practices. [David Halperin, "One Hundred Years of Homosexuality", Routledge, 1990, page 15] The term was popularized by the 1906 Harden-Eulenburg Affair.

Although some early writers used the adjective "homosexual" to refer to any single-gender context (such as an all-girls' school), today the term implies a sexual aspect. The term "homosocial" is now used to describe single-sex contexts that are not specifically sexual.

Homogenic love

Used by Edward Carpenter in "Homogenic Love: and its Place in a Free Society", 1894.

Other late 19th and early 20th century sexological terms

* "Antipathic sexual instinct" (used by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in "Psychopathia Sexualis, with Special Reference to the Antipathic Sexual Instinct: A Medico-Forensic Study", 1886).
* "Sexual inversion" (used by Krafft-Ebing and also Havelock Ellis and John Addington Symonds in "Sexual Inversion", 1897. Popularised by Radclyffe Hall's use of it in her novel "The Well of Loneliness".)
* "Psychosexual hermaphroditism" (used by Krafft-Ebing and later Ellis to mean bisexuality, as opposed to complete inversion (exclusive homosexuality). Freud uses the term in "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" (1905) to refer to male homosexuality.)
* "The intermediate sex" (used by Edward Carpenter in "The Intermediate Sex", 1908)
* "Similisexualism" or "similsexualism" (used by Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson [writing as Xavier Mayne] in "The Intersexes: A History of Similisexualism as a Problem in Social Life", 1908)
* "Third gender"
* "Intersexuality" (used around 1900 as a synonym for "inversion"; the term now has a different meaning — see intersexuality)
* "Hijra"

These terms describe individuals for whom the sex of the psyche is the opposite of that of the genitals (as with Ulrich's "Urnings"). The female invert is therefore masculine and the male invert is feminine. Traits of inversion include homosexual erotic attraction, temperament, and behavior; sometimes inversion can affect career choice and even anatomic structure. Krafft-Ebing, drawing on the earlier writings of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, described male inverts with varying degrees of effeminacy, from Effemination in which a man has a distinctly feminine demeanor, to Androgyny in which a man is so effeminate that he can even has feminine bodily characteristics like rounded hips.

Homophile

Popular in the 1950s and 1960s (and still in occasional use today, particularly in writing by Anglican clergy), the term "homophile" was an attempt to avoid the clinical implications of sexual pathology found with the word "homosexual", emphasizing love (-phile) instead.

Homogenital

In the late twentieth century, this word was coined by Christian groups opposed to homosexuality.Fact|date=February 2007 In contrast to "homophile", the word focuses solely on the sexual acts which some churches believe to be sinful, side-stepping the associated issues of romantic or family love, community, and personal identity. The term's use remains confined mostly to anti-gay religious groups, but it is occasionally seen in the writings of their opponents, such as DignityUSA.

Androtrop and Gynäkotropin

From 1946 to 1966, homosexual activist Kurt Hiller published a number of poems and articles in Swiss journal "Der Kreis" ("The Circle"). In one of them he joined the ongoing debate on terminology by suggesting the terms "Androtrop" and "Gynäkotropin" for male and female homosexuals, respectively. Hiller coined these German terms from the Greek words "tropos" (turning [to] ) combined with "andro-" (male) and "gynaiko-" (female), with the addition of the German feminine ending "in". Neither term was adopted, though the first briefly gained some favor.

Gay

LGBT

Queer

lang or pejorative terms

:"See also Gay slang."Many of the following terms are considered acceptable in a casual register when used by members within LGBT communities and their allies like family and friends, but are considered pejorative or inappropriate when used in formal contexts or by outsiders. Many also imply masculinity in women (e.g. "bull dyke") or effeminacy in men (e.g. "fairy").

English

Female

* Dyke (variations: bull dyke, bull dagger (alternatively bulldagger, bulldicker,cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 201
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15] bodaggle)cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 146
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15] from 1920s black American slang.cite journal | last = Krantz | first = Susan E. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Reconsidering the Etymology of Bulldike | journal = American Speech | volume = 70 | issue = 2 | pages = 217–221 | publisher = | date = 1995 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283%28199522%2970%3A2%3C217%3ARTEOB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-T | doi = 10.2307/455819| id = | accessdate = ] cite web
title=Prisons and Prisoners
publisher=GLBTQ Encyclopedia
date=2006
url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/prisons,2.html
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bean flicker- "Likening the clitoris to a bean"cite web
title=Bean flicker
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Butch, butch-broadcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 222
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Carpet muncher (or rug muncher)cite web
title=carpet muncher
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/c/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Angry lesbian: addresses the common stereotype of homosexual women being moody and unhappy, but does not strictly denote one's sexuality (angry lesbian can describe anyone in a foul mood, which only serves as a further way of 'putting down' homosexuals, e.g. using 'gay' as a synonym for 'stupid.')
* Diesel dykecite web
title=Diesel Dyke
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/d/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Drag dykecite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 444
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Muff Divercite web
title=Muff Dive
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/m/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Kitty puncher or pussy puncher with both "kitty" and "pussy" referring to a woman's vagina and "puncher" a variation on various derogatory terms for gay men like donut puncher et alcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 440
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Lezzie/Lesbo/Leso (also lezzer/lesser) (abbreviation for lesbian)cite web
title=lezzer / lesser / lesbo
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/l/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* The Game of Flats (an 18th century English term for sex between women)cite web
last =Norton
first =Rictor
title="The Game of Flats, 1749," Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook.
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=14 April 2000, updated 30 March 2003. The reference is to A. G. Busbequius, Travels into Turkey, English translation (London, 1744). The original book, published much earlier, was invariably cited whenever lesbianism was mentioned, e.g. William Walsh's A Dialogue Concerning Women (London, 1691) and in Martin Schurig's Muliebria Historico-Medica (1729).
url =http://www.infopt.demon.co.uk/1749flat.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Todger dodger, todger meaning peniscite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/t.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]

Male

* Anal assassin (U.K) or anal astronautcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 161 included in defn of bootie-buster
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Ass Bandit or arse banditcite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/a.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Back door bandit
* Backgammon player (late 18th century Britain)cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 49
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Batty boy (alternatively botty boy)cite web
title=Botty Boy
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bendercite web
title=Bender
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bent, bentshotcite web
title=bent as a nine* pound/bob note
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15] or bendercite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/b.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bone smugglercite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 154
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15] or sausage smuggler
* Brownie king or brown pipercite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 188
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bufter or booty buffercite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 161
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bum banditcite web
title=Bum bandit
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bum boy or bum chum,cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 206
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15] also bum robbercite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 208
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Bumhole engineercite web
title=Bumhole engineer
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/b/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Butt pirate,cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 226
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15] butt rider or butt rustler
* Charlie (rhyme slang for Charlie Ronce which rhymes with "ponce")cite web
title=(a right) Charlie
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/c/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Chi chi man (Jamaica and the Caribbean) [C Gutzmore, "Casting the First Stone", Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, 2004 - Taylor & Francis, Volume 6, Number 1, April 2004 , pp. 118-134(17)] cite web
last =Allan
first =Keith
coauthors=Kate Burridge
title=Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language
publisher=Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521819601
date=2006, page 156
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=b2rCLYHjDMgC&pg=PA156&dq=%22Chi+Chi+Man%22+-blog+slang+gay&sig=d2NXMwP7lKQOWzD30sHlcNTabpE
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Chutney ferretcite web
title=Chutney ferret
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/c/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Cock jockeycite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/c.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]

* Cock knocker, cockknocker and cocknocker
* Cockpipe cosmonautcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 232
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=%22butt+pirate%22+-blog+slang+gay&source=web&ots=2wmPR2gjw2&sig=41gAs0ncWzvNGfck5HmEENRWwXQ
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Corn holer
* Donut puncher (or Doughnut puncher)
* Faggot (variation: fag) (U.S., recorded from 1914)cite web
title=fag
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/f/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Fairy (common and acceptable for part of the 20th century)cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 485
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU#PPA485,M1
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Flitcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 522
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Fruit (also fruit loop, fruit packer, butt fruit)cite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 549
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Fudge packercite web
title=Fudge packer
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/f/
accessdate=2007-10-15] and fudge nudgercite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/f.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Gentleman of the back door (late 18th century Britain)
* Harry hoofter, rhyme slang of pooftercite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/h.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Iron (hoof) or iron hoofter (rhyme slang for poof)cite web
title=Iron (hoof)
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/i/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Jobby jabber (mainly Scottish with jobby referring to excrement)cite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/j.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Knob jockeycite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/k.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Limp wristedcite web
title=Limp wristed
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/l/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Marmite minercite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/m.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Nancy or nancy boy,cite web
title=Nancy boy
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/n/
accessdate=2007-10-15] girlyboycite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 598
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU
accessdate=2007-10-15] or nelliecite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/n.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Oklahomocite web
last =Hirschhorn
first =Joel
title=Oklahomo!: (Third Stage; 50 seats; $18 top)
publisher=Variety
date=July 19, 2005
url =http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927710.html?categoryid=33&cs=1
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Pansycite web
last =Kemp
first =A.C.
title=Bad Baby Names
publisher=Slang City
date=2002-2005
url =http://www.slangcity.com/b_b_name.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Pillow bitercite web
title=Pillow biter
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/p/
accessdate=2007-10-15] or mattress muncher, referring to anal sex when one partner is face-down often into a pillow
* Poo pusher, poo pirate, or chocolate puncher with variations on eachcite web
last =Green
first =Jonathon
title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
publisher=Sterling Publishing, ISBN 0304366366
date=2006, page 281
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=my_ut0maeV4C&pg=PA440&dq=%22Donut+puncher%22+gay&sig=thPzRoHEPOezH1XHX499prJycNU
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Poop pilferer, sometimes referred to as a fanny bandit
* Poof (variations include: poofter, pouf, poove, pooftah, pooff, puff) (U.K, Australia and New Zealand)cite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/p.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Queen, princess and variationscite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/q.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15] :* Bean queen (also taco queen or Salsa queen), gay men attracted to Hispanic gay mencite web
last =Scott
first =Rebecca
title=A Brief Dictionary of Queer Slang and Culture
publisher=Rebecca Scott
date=1997
url =http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/4219/
accessdate=2007-10-15] [http://ec.gayalliance.org/articles/000427.shtml "Misadventures in Boyland"] ] [http://www.sex-lexis.com/SYNONYMS/Tijuana%20queen "Dictionary of Sexual Terms"] ] :* Chicken queen, older gay men interested in younger or younger appearing men.cite news
url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917786,00.html
title=Crossing Signals
date=September 8 1975
publisher="Time" magazine
accessdate=2007-07-16] :* Curry queen, gay men attracted to Asian gay men:* Dinge queen, gay men attracted to black gay men (offensive use of "dinge" meaning black)cite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/d.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15] :* Drag queen, gay men into fashion or cross-dressing:* Drama queen, gay men given to melodramatics:* Gym queen, gay men given to athletic developmentcite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/g.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15] :* Pissy queen, gay men perceived as fussy:* Rice queen, gay men into Asian gay men:* Rim queen, gay men into anal-oral sex:* Scat queen, gay men into coprophiliacite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/s.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Ring raiderRump Roaster
* Sausage jockey (U.K)cite web
title=Sausage jockey
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/s/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Shirt liftercite web
title=Shirt lifter
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/s/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Shit stabber
* Turd burglar
* Turner – another pejorative term, which has fallen out of use since the 1930s. There are two theories as to the origins of this slang word for homosexual: 1. Late 19th century east London slang in homosexual circles, signifying an ostensibly heterosexual young man who may be induced to experiment with homoeroticism and ultimately to "turn" (i.e., to become a fully-fledged practicing homosexual). A more discreet version of the slang pejorative "bender", signifying a homosexual male. "Turn" here signifies "turning around", or "turning one’s back" in order to receive phallic penetration.
* Twink
* Uphill gardener, referring to the logistics of anal intercoursecite web
title=uphill / upstairs gardener
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/u/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Upstairs gardner, referring to the logistics of anal intercourse
* Woolly,cite web
last =Duckworth
first =Ted
title=A Dictionary of Slang, Slanguistics
publisher=Peevish
date=1996-2007
url =http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/w.htm
accessdate=2007-10-15] woofter and woolie woofter, a character from an "Evening Standard" cartoon and rhyming slang for pooftercite web
title=Woolie woofter
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/w/
accessdate=2007-10-15]

;Both:
* Kamp/Camp
* Ginger beer (rhyme slang for queer)cite web
title=Ginger beer
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/g/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Homo (abbreviation for homosexual)cite web
title=Homo
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/h/
accessdate=2007-10-15]
* Queercite web
title=Queer
publisher=London Slang
date=24 September 2000
url =http://www.londonslang.com/db/q/
accessdate=2007-10-15]

German

;Female:
* Lesbe - As a noun, meaning "lesbian". The related adjective is "lesbisch"
* Lesbierin (obsolete)
* Sapphistin (obsolete) - referring to Sappho
* Homosexuelle - As a noun (in the nominative case), meaning "homosexual". The related adjective is "homosexuell".

;Male:
* Warmer Bruder (moderately pejorative) - meaning "warm brother"
* Schwuler - As a noun, related to the adjective "schwül" (meaning "sultry"), usually translated as "gay". The related adjective is "schwul"
* Schwuchtel (pejorative)
* Homosexueller - As a noun (in the nominative case), meaning "homosexual". The related adjective is "homosexuell".

French

;Female:
* Femme Damnée - literally, "damned woman." Not in usage today, this term is found in several works of French literature of the late 19th and early 20th century, including the poem by Charles Baudelaire
* Gouine
* Goudou, gousse
* Boutch
* Camionneuse (means "woman truck driver")

;Male:
* La jaquette (être de)
* La paroisse (être de)
* Inverti ("old")
* Pédé, or PD - a shortened form of "pédéraste"
* Pédale
* Tapette
* Lopette
* Tafiole
* Tante
* Tantouze
* Tapiole
* Tarlouze
* (grande) Folle
* Fife (Quebec)
* A voile et à vapeur (marcher) (=bisexual)

Portuguese

;Female:
* Lésbica, Gay, Safista, Amante de Sapho, Tríbade - neutral
* Sapatão, sapatona, sapata, botinão, número 43, bico largo 42 (Brazil) - huge manly shoes, manly boots
* Mulé-macho, Machona (Brazil)
* Cola-Velcro(Brazil)
* Bate-Biscoito, Bolacha
* Fufa (Portugal)
* Caminhoneira (Brazil) truck dyke
* Motolesbo, motor-lésbica (Brazil) dyke on byke
* Virago (Brazil, Portugal)

;Male:
* Gay, Amante Socrático, Homo, Alegre - neutral
* Pederasta, Paiderastes, Uranista
* Sodomita - old-fashioned
* Invertido - old-fashioned
* Paneleiro, panelas (Portugal)
* Maricas, mariquinha (mostly Portugal) - pussy, pansy; from Ancient Greek "Marikas", an Eupolis comedy
* Larilas (Portugal)
* Lele (Portugal)
* Rabeta/e, rabicó (Portugal)
* Panasca (Portugal)
* Bicha, bichete (Brazil, Portugal) - a mammal's female, fag
* Biba (Brazil)
* Boiola (mostly Brazil, Portugal) used to designate delicate little boys, young lads working in theatrical sketches and musicals in the late 19th and early 20th century
* Veado, viado, veadinho (Brazil) - deer = gay male, a twinky bottom
* Queima-rosca (Brazil) - bottom, passive role
* Efebo, efebinho, ephebus - ephebe, from Ancient Rome and Greece, a twinky, diminutive of ephebus = a twinky bottom
* Pedé, Pedê - a twinky
* Trinca-rin (Brazil)
* Mocinha (Brazil)
* Barbie de academia, bofe-Ken (Brazil) - Gym queen, gay gym rat, gay men given to athletic development
* Fruta, frutinha (Brazil) - fruit
* Baitola (Brazil)
* Bambi (Brazil) - Disney's character; a deer = gay male, a twinky bottom
* Florzinha, Violetinha, Fresquinho, Frouxinho, Almofadinha, Fadinha - pansy, sissy, fairy
* Morde-fronha (Brazil) - "pillowcase biter"
* Totalflex, Bi (Brazil) - from hybrid car, bisexual or a versatile gay person
* Boquete, boqueteiro, chupeteiro, chupador, xupa-rola / lambe-bola, lambe-saco - header, cocksucker / balllicker

panish

Most of the following words have a highly pejorative description. However, some may be used by Spanish-speaking gays as a sign of pride.

;Female:
* Arepera (Venezuela)
* Bollo (Spain)
* Bollera (Spain)
* Cachapera (Venezuela)
* Chiluda (Mexico)
* Machorra (Mexico, Spain)
* Mal-flor
* Manflora
* Marimacho (Spain)
* Pantalonuda
* Tortillera (Chile, Mexico, Spain, Argentina)
* Levi's (lebais) (Mexico);Male:
* Maricón - common usage
* Marica (Venezuela, Colombia)
* Joto (Argentina)
* Maricona (Spain)
* Reina (Spain)
* Reinona (Spain)
* Pájaro (Argentina)
* Pato (Venezuela)
* Puñal (Mexico)
* Puto (Mexico, Argentina)
* Quebrado (Argentina)
* Trolo (Argentina)
* Pargo (Venezuela)
* Parcha (Venezuela)
* Loca (syn. queer, Venezuela)
* Manflórico (Los Andes, Venezuela)
* Parguete (Venezuela)
* Raro (Venezuela)

Chinese

;Male:
* 同志 Tóng Zhì(Tong zjer) Mandarin - "comrade"
* 基佬 Gēi-lóu (Gay low) Cantonese - "gay guy(dude)"

Russian

*голубóй (goluobóy) - as an adjective, "light blue". Used as a noun it carries the meaning "gay" or "queer", and is usually described as either inoffensive or highly offensive, varying according to the intonation of one's voice and context. However, the term can be, and often is, used by Russian-speaking gays to refer to themselves as an act of reclamation, much like the term "fag" in English.

erbian

*peder - Male homosexual (from pederasty, today mostly pejorative)
*seka/sestra - Male homosexual (seka='sis', sestra=sister)
*gej - gay (the most used word, neutral)

ee also

* List of terms for gay in different languages

References

External links

* [http://de.geocities.com/gayphrases1/index.html "Gay Language Guide"] - gay slang in various languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Hungarian, Russian, Thai