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This document provides definitions and etymologies for some basic GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) terminology with which non-GLBT folk might not already be familiar.
Bisexual (or Bi): Having sexual and romantic feelings for members of both genders.
Buggery: A British term referring to anal intercourse. It dates back at least to the early sixteenth century, when the Buggery Act was passed, and derives from "Bulgaria," as heretics of that nation were accused of sodomitical practices. In current slang usage, primarily British, it most often refers to homosexual anal intercourse.
Coming Out (or Coming Out of the Closet): The process of identifying as a GLBT person (or family member), first to oneself and then to others.
Crossdresser: Someone who dresses in clothing usually associated with the opposite gender. This may occur episodically or frequently, and the crossdresser may be either straight or gay. An alternate term, "transvestite," is no longer favored.
Drag Queen (or Drag King): Someone (usually, though not always, a gay man or lesbian) who dresses in opposite-gender clothing specifically for performance purposes. Typically, drag queens are not otherwise crossdressers. The term "drag queen" first appeared in print in 1941. ("Drag" had been part of theater slang at least since the nineteenth century, though the popular story that it originated as an acronym for "dressed as girl" seems unlikely.)
Dyke: A pejorative term used in reference to lesbians.
ETYMOLOGY: "DYKE"
There are several theories regarding the origin of the term "dyke" as a pejorative reference to lesbians.
The word first appeared in 1710 in British newspaper stories about presumed lesbians Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who had captained a very successful pirate venture and completed several lucrative raids of the British Empire before agreeing to be interviewed. Reporters often noted their predilection for wearing men's clothing, and one editorial avoided the unpleasant connotations of crossdressing by using a French word which refers to men's clothing, "dike." Some hold that the term thus became associated with lesbianism, though there is little evidence that the term was, in fact, used in that context until the early twentieth century.
A source from 1896 lists "dyke" as slang for the vulva; the potential connection to the modern usage is obvious. Other theories involve the word "morphadike," a corruption of "hermaphrodite" in common use in the early 20th century, but the proposed link between hermaphroditity and lesbianism -- related to Sigmund Freud's insistance that homosexuality was the result of fetal hermaphroditity -- is tenuous.
Still others believe that the word originated as a corruption of the name of the ancient Celtic queen, Boudicca. The fact that the terms "bulldyker" and "bulldyking" were popularly used in reference to lesbians and lesbian sex in the subculture of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s (as in Claude McKay's 1928 novel, Home to Harlem) would seem to add credence to this theory, but again, the evidence is far from conclusive.
Faggot (or Fag): A pejorative term used in reference to gay men.
ETYMOLOGY: "FAGGOT"
A popular folk etymology has it that the the pejorative use of the word "fag" to describe gay men derives from "faggot" in the sense of a bundle of sticks, because homosexuals were burned at the stake for sodomy and faggots were used as kindling. This supposed derivation is unlikely, however, for several reasons. First, while some homosexuals were in fact burned at the stake, the preferred method of execution in England was hanging. As well, the use of the term "faggot" for gay men seems to go back only to the nineteenth century, two centuries after the last recorded execution by burning. Finally, this use appeared not in England but in the United States, where no one is known to ever have been burned at the stake for sodomy, and where the term "faggot" has never been commonly used in reference to sticks.
It is more likely that "faggot" was originally a derogatory term for street prostitutes, both female and male, because they were associated with gutters, where "faggot-ends" of meat were thrown by butchers. The term "faggot girls" for prostitutes is attested from the late nineteenth century. There were probably a number of male prostitutes at the same time refered to as "faggot boys," and it would have been a short leap from "faggot boy" referring to male prostitutes, who would have tended to serve primarily male customers, to "faggot" meaning "sodomite."
Another suggested etymology derives from the fact that cigarettes, called "fags" in Great Britain to this day, were widely considered in the 1860s and '70s to be feminine, as men stereotypically smoked pipes or cigars; thus, men considered more feminine might have been called "fags."
However it originated, the new meaning of "faggot" in English was likely reinforced by its similarity to a Yiddish slang word for a male homosexual, "faygele," which literally means "little bird."
The earliest known reference to the word in print is in Jackson and Hellyer's A Vocabulary of Criminal Slang, with Some Examples of Common Usages (1914), which listed the following example under the word "drag": "All the fagots (sissies) will be dressed in drag at the ball tonight."
Gay: In a general sense, all homosexuals, as in references to "gay rights" or "gay marriage"; more specifically, a homosexual man.
ETYMOLOGY: "GAY"
The word "gay" has had a meaning related to sexual orientation since at least the 1920s, though the origin of its use in this context is unclear. It may have begun as a "code" word; the question "Are you gay?" would have seemed innocent enough to those not in the know.
It became established in the 1960s as the term preferred by homosexual men to describe themselves, and is now the standard accepted term throughout the English-speaking world. (Many reject the term "homosexual" as an identity-label because they find it too clinical. They believe it focuses on physical acts rather than on romance or attraction, or is too reminicent of the era when homosexuality was considered a mental illness.) As a result, the centuries-old other meanings of "gay," once common in speech and literature, are now all but unknown.
Gertrude Stein's Miss Furr and Mrs. Skeene (1922) is possibly the first traceable use of the word in its modern sense, though it is not altogether clear whether she uses it to mean lesbianism or happiness. The first uncontested use of the word to refer to homosexuals is in Noel Coward's 1929 musical, "Bitter Sweet." A decade later, it was used for the first time in that context in film, in "Bringing Up Baby" (1938).
Gender Identity (or, less often, Sexual Identity): A person's internal sense of being male or female. This is not determined solely by biological sex, and may not conform to biological sex. The term comes from the Gender Identity Clinic opened at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1966, the first clinic in America to openly and publicly study transgender issues and to offer sex-reassignment surgery (SRS).
GLBT: An acronym for "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender," used as an "umbrella" term to refer to all those people whose sexual orientation or gender identity doesn't fit the "norm." An alternate acronym, LGBT, is used with roughly equal frequency. An expanded version of the acronym, GLBTQI (for "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Intersexed") is also used, though as yet with much lower frequency.
GSA: An acronym for "Gay-Straight Alliance." GSAs are groups run by high school students in their own schools, to advance the cause of tolerance and respect for all.
Hermaphrodite: See Intersexed.
Heterosexism: The belief that heterosexuality is inherently superior to homosexuality. It is very pervasive in society, and stems from a variety of sources, including religious beliefs, tradition, fear and simple lack of understanding.
Heterosexual: Having sexual and romantic feelings primarily for members of the opposite gender. The terms "heterosexual" and "homosexual" were coined by Hungarian psychologist Karl-Maria Kertbeny (Karl-Maria Benkert) in 1869.
Heterosexual Privilege: Akin to "White Privilege" and "Male Privilege," the wide variety of rights and protections which are unavailable to GLBT folk simply because of their orientation or gender identity.
Homophile: Coined in 1950, this was the self-reference of choice for homosexual activists during the 1950s and '60s. After the Stonewall riots, however, it fell out of favor, replaced in popularity by "gay" and "lesbian."
Homophobia: Misunderstanding, ignorance or fear of GLBT people. The term was coined by clinical psychologist George Weinberg in the wake of the Stonewall riots. Although the term is still widely used, it remains a subject of controversy, as many object to its connotation of irrational fear. The term "heterosexism" has been suggested as a more neutral alternative.
Homosexual: Having sexual and romantic feelings primarily for members of the same gender. The terms "heterosexual" and "homosexual" were coined by Hungarian psychologist Karl-Maria Kertbeny (Karl-Maria Benkert) in 1869.
Internalized Homophobia (or Internalized Heterosexism): The belief by GLBT persons that they are somehow inferior to those around them or that something is "wrong" with them. Even today, heterosexism is pervasive in all facets of society, and most people receive a constant stream of subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages (from friends, family, television, movies, etc.) that heterosexuality is "normal" and that anything else is "wrong." Internalization of those messages can lead to self-hatred, and can be a contributing factor to problems ranging from depression and anxiety to alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide.
Intersexed: Persons born with "ambiguous" genitalia, or with anatomy or physiology which otherwise differs from cultural and/or medical ideals of male and female. Too often, such persons are arbitrarily "assigned" a gender in infancy or early childhood through surgery and hormonal treatments, which may or may not conform to their gender identity. An alternate term for some intersexual individuals, "hermaphrodite," is no longer favored.
Lesbian: A homosexual woman.
ETYMOLOGY: "LESBIAN"
The word "lesbian" derives from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos, where the poet Sappho lived in the sixth century BC.
Sappho wrote numerous poems, many of them about female love. Most of her work, unfortunately, was lost when the Great Library at Alexandria was destroyed. Whether she was in fact a lesbian in the modern sense is unknown, as there is some dispute as to how her writings should be interpreted; like many other ancient Greeks, she may actually have been bisexual. Her name is, nonetheless, the source of the word "sapphism" as a synonym for lesbianism.
It is unclear just how long the term "lesbian" has actually been in use in reference to homosexual women, but it appeared in print in this context for the first time in 1883, in an article about the crossdressing Lucy Ann Lobdell in the Alienist and Neurologist medical journal. It became popular during the twentieth century, especially with the rise of feminism.
Mixed-Orientation Marriage: A marriage in which one spouse is straight and the other is gay, lesbian or bisexual. Such marriages are much more common than most people would suppose, as many GLBT individuals marry "properly" due to societal demands or in an effort to "hide" or to "cure" themselves. The marriages rarely survive, however, after the straight spouse learns of the other spouse's orientation.
Queer: Originally a pejorative, but now used, especially among younger individuals, as an umbrella term to refer to all GLBT folk, though not as widely as the "GLBT" acronym.
ETYMOLOGY: "QUEER"
Although the word "queer" literally means only "strange" or "unusual," it has been used since at least the late nineteenth century in specific reference to homosexuality. One of its first recorded uses in that context was in a letter written in 1894 by John Sholto Douglas, the ninth Marquess of Queensberry, to his son Lord Alfred Douglas, complaining about Alfred's relationship with Oscar Wilde.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the word "queer" was used almost exclusively as a disparaging reference to homosexuality. In the late 1980s, however, a movement began within the GLBT community to "reclaim" the term, led by Queer Nation, which popularized the slogan, "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it!"
Sexual Orientation: A person's identity as a homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual individual. Although there is still much to be learned about how sexual orientation is determined, the clear consensus of medical professionals is that it is not "chosen," and cannot be changed. An alternate term, "sexual preference," is no longer favored, as it falsely implies a voluntary decision.
Shemale (or She-Male): A derogatory term used in reference to individuals displaying female secondary sexual characteristics, but having male genitalia. Such individuals are often transsexuals in the process of transitioning from male to female.
Sodomy: Anal intercourse between two men. (The term is also used more generally to refer to any homosexual activity or even to any non-procreative sexual act.) The term dates from the eleventh century, and reflects the misconception that the "sin of Sodom" was, in fact, homosexuality. Although the term "sodomites" is still sometimes used -- primarily by religious folk who oppose GLBT civil rights -- in reference to homosexuals, it is widely seen as demeaning.
Straight: Heterosexual. The word was first used in reference to sexual orientation by gay author G.W. Henry in a 1941 book describing conversations with other gay men. He wrote that "to go straight is to cease homosexual practices and to indulge -- usually to re-indulge -- in heterosexuality." The word originally shared a kinship with the phrase "gone straight," used in reference to former drug addicts. While the word "straight" was not originally intended to refer to people who are inherently heterosexual, it has been corrupted over the years to mean exactly that.
Transgender: An inclusive term covering anyone who feels a need to express characteristics of the opposite gender, including crossdressers, the intersexed and transexuals. (Note that it is proper to refer to people as being "transgender," not "transgendered.") The term does not usually include those who dress in drag for performance purposes.
Transsexual: Someone whose gender identity does not conform to his or her biological sex. A transsexual may (but does not necessarily) have a desire to "transition" physically, via sex-reassignment surgery (SRS).
Transvestite: See Crossdresser.