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From: brower@fortune.UUCP (Richard Brower)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: gay?? really??
Message-ID: <3988@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Aug-84 19:10:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: fortune.3988
Posted: Mon Aug 13 19:10:24 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Aug-84 02:37:51 EDT
References: <50600001@convex.UUCP>
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 29

> The word "gay" has been appropiated by the homosexual community.  Prior
> to that, it was often used with its old meaning: having or showing a
> joyous mood.  I object to the corruption of this word by the homosexual
> movement.  Why is "gay" (in the old sense of the word) about homosexuality?
> 
> Marv Graham

Well, actually, we were tired of all the 'straight' people using 'queer'
(we are not so strange), faggot (derived from the bundling of 'gay' men
into the bonfires used to burn witches to make a "foul enough flame"),
sissy (although some of us have mannerisms that fit stereotypical 'feminine'
roles, many of us do not), and other terms that do not describe us.  Since
the only term left is 'homosexual', which many people feel sounds too
clinical (back to queer?), we took a word which many felt to describe us
better... boy, do I know how to party and be 'gay'.

Of interest may be the fact that nobody knows how long this term (i.e.
gay) has been used.  It was completely accepted and encouraged by the
gays I met upon first coming out (~1970).  At that time, however, we
were the silent minority (although getting vocal quickly) and it was,
therefore, less known in the world at large.  One reason it was used
then was so that gay people could talk to each other in straight
environments, with 'gay' as a code word.  Since it did not mean homo-
sexual to straight people, we could use it without getting our heads
beaten in.  Unfortunately, it does not provide that level of protection
anymore.

Richard Brower		Fortune Systems
{ihnp4,ucbvax!amd,hpda,sri-unix,harpo}!fortune!brower