The Word Gay Essay Example
On The Subject of the word “GAY”
As time changes so does everything else in the world, including words and their meanings. One particular term has strayed far away from its meaning and symbolizes something completely different now. The term gay has changed so much over time that few people now know its true meaning. The meaning gay has changed tremendously over time. In the past, the term gay was not used as frequently and as freely as it is used today. The term originated from the Old French and dates back to the 1600s, “Deriving ultimately from Germanic source” (Wikipedia). The word means “Joyful, carefree, bright and showy” (Wikipedia). Gay also means to be “Addicted to social pleasure and dissipations,” as a noun “of a person: homosexual” (OED). The word gay has a sexual connotation and the people usually referenced with it are carefree. In the 20th century the term gay was used for heterosexuals. When people used the term, towards heterosexuals they were usually describing sexually active people that disregarded the immorality of their actions in relationships. The heterosexuals may have multiple girlfriends or boyfriends or be affected by nymphomania. As time grew on from the early 1900s and into the late 1960s, homosexuality, was frowned upon greatly and the term gay was used to describe it since the terms “such as queer, were felt to be derogatory” (Wikipedia). People would use terms related to happy along with the word gay to signify a person being homosexual. In the 21st century, the term has grown to describe all sorts of things ranging from people to things not even closely related to the definition at all. In 1924, the earliest known gay rights organization was developed and from this point on change in the United States for the term gay began to grow. The term gay today has gained more respect than it has in the past it is no longer a derogatory term and is used in favor of the homosexual community. People use the term in many
As time changes so does everything else in the world, including words and their meanings. One particular term has strayed far away from its meaning and symbolizes something completely different now. The term gay has changed so much over time that few people now know its true meaning. The meaning gay has changed tremendously over time. In the past, the term gay was not used as frequently and as freely as it is used today. The term originated from the Old French and dates back to the 1600s, “Deriving ultimately from Germanic source” (Wikipedia). The word means “Joyful, carefree, bright and showy” (Wikipedia). Gay also means to be “Addicted to social pleasure and dissipations,” as a noun “of a person: homosexual” (OED). The word gay has a sexual connotation and the people usually referenced with it are carefree. In the 20th century the term gay was used for heterosexuals. When people used the term, towards heterosexuals they were usually describing sexually active people that disregarded the immorality of their actions in relationships. The heterosexuals may have multiple girlfriends or boyfriends or be affected by nymphomania. As time grew on from the early 1900s and into the late 1960s, homosexuality, was frowned upon greatly and the term gay was used to describe it since the terms “such as queer, were felt to be derogatory” (Wikipedia). People would use terms related to happy along with the word gay to signify a person being homosexual. In the 21st century, the term has grown to describe all sorts of things ranging from people to things not even closely related to the definition at all. In 1924, the earliest known gay rights organization was developed and from this point on change in the United States for the term gay began to grow. The term gay today has gained more respect than it has in the past it is no longer a derogatory term and is used in favor of the homosexual community. People use the term in many