What Does It Mean To Be Gay

Meanings of Gay Gay, a word with multiple meanings: A person who is merry and happy, a person who is a homosexual, something that is lame or stupid, and a word that can be used for degrading. Over time this word has been molded and shaped into different meanings in all sorts of directions. The different meanings honestly have no similarities to each other, which makes it strange to see such a word as happy go to meaning a homosexual. It is strange to see such a word go from meaning happy to a word that can be offensive to someone who is actually homosexual. The word gay doesn’t have just one definition anymore it has three, four and maybe more in other cases. Gay’s most common meanings are happy, homosexuals, stupid, and referring to someone as gay and degrading them.
When the term gay originated in the twelfth century the meaning for it was happy, cheerful and bright.
The word gay came from the Old High German word gahi, which means agile and abrupt. The word gahi gave rise to the Middle French word gai, signifying merry and happily excited. That brings the finally product of the term to which means delighted and animated. For English writers back in the day they used it as a good adjective in describing a person and how they were acting or feeling. As for society, throughout the centuries and time the word has started to evaporate the meaning of cheerful to something completely opposite of what it used to mean. As for gay meaning happy, it seems to no longer exist; today people will rarely say “Glen is having such a gay time on his vacation in Hawaii”. If anyone were to say that, it would give off negative or confusion to the person or people they were talking to. Gay is no longer a meaning for excited anymore, for the meaning of homosexual controls the definition
now.
Homosexuals now have a word that describes both sex genders in a relationship, as being called gay. Today and over the last decade we have used the word gay towards people of the same sex being in an intimate connection of some sort. Gay people tend to be proud of the term for whom and what they are. As a kid growing up, people used the word gay in referring to those who are homosexuals. All kids these days if someone were to ask them what the word gay meant they would say homosexuals. Over time booting the word happy out and boosting the new meaning for it, makes it confusing to see where homosexuals came from the meaning happy. In comparison when thinking of a “gay” man or woman, most likely dramatic and excitement comes to mind. Seeing a homosexual the term gay fits happy and merry. Where on earth did a “gay” person come out of the term meaning joyful? As society likes to give new usage out of words the definitions start to change and become a multi-meaning word. The term gay meaning homosexual has its own nicknames for instance, fag or faggot. This can lead to degradation of one’s self esteem or confidence. This really contracts to where it can bring a negative approach to the new meaning of the word when it was first meant as a positive adjective.
“Oh my, gosh, that is so gay!” This is in reference to being either lame or stupid. Having heard this a lot myself, I can’t help but look back and recuperate what this actually really means. This meaning of gay comes from the younger generation, and has developed into a phrase to describe something that is strange and dumb. Kids use this phrase and word like candy to recall someone or something that they don’t like. This brings it back to when it actually meant happy, how can a word go from happy to stupid? Society took “gay” and points it out to the outsiders or unwanted; such as homosexuals. In offense to homosexuals, this can cause damage and hurt to someone who maybe uses the term gay for meaning lame or stupid. In comparison the meaning for gay such as stupid or dumb, it can relate to the part of a homosexual. America was raised to be a nation of religion, family and freedom. Taking part in something that our culture doesn’t bring up, such as being a homosexual, starts to turn heads and cause disruption. It tends to shift towards the influence of the term being used for lame or dumb, which relates to a homosexuals and people who were not brought up in our culture. This can and has resulted to being offensive and leans towards degrading someone who is or might be “gay”.
Using the word gay and its multiple meanings, has and can disrupt a person’s feelings whether them being a homosexual or having a loved one possibly being homosexual. As kids use the term gay as lame and stupid this can degrade a person’s self esteem and even tug on a sensitive spot. People do directly use it derogatory to those that are mentally disabled or people that are homosexual. For a word to go from meaning happy to homosexual or lame, all sounds like a downfall from the original meaning. This can take a toll on people when being called gay. It isn’t a pleasant word now as it was when it had the first definition. It surprises me to see a word go to a phrase that may even hurt a person’s self confidence. In all compare and contrast to the original meaning, a word that was to describe a way a person was acting and feeling, which leads to what it means now a homosexual and a phrase for something or someone that is lame.
Either of these meanings to the word gay truly makes sense to why it means what it means. Each meaning has a different outlook and perspective to why it has its definition. Neither of them have truly major connection, except for homosexual and the phrase of being lame. They have a way of being a degrading tool, to put someone down or maybe to bully. The true definition still remains as happy but the other meanings for gay have slowly become over powering and have made it seem as if the word gay meaning happy never existed.