Gay-
n.
- A person whose sexual orientation is to persons of the same sex.
- A man whose sexual orientation is to men: an alliance of gays and lesbians.
Usage Note: The word
gay is now standard in its use to refer to homosexuals, in large part because it is the term that most gay people prefer in referring to themselves.
Gay is distinguished from
homosexual primarily by the emphasis it places on the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality as opposed to sexual practice. Many writers reserve
gay for males, but the word is also used to refer to both sexes; when the intended meaning is not clear in the context, the phrase
gay and lesbian may be used. Like the other names of social groups derived from adjectives (for example,
Black),
gay may be regarded as offensive when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as in There were two gays on the panel; here phrasing such as
gay members should be used instead. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the plural to refer collectively either to gay men or to gay men and lesbians, so long as it is clear whether men alone or both men and women are being discussed. See Usage Note at
homosexual.
