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Revision as of 06:22, 5 April 2002 by 203.109.250.95 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The term gay has come to refer to homosexual sexual orientation, replacing its former meaning of glad or joyous. Some people don't like this change of meaning, but the word gay has had a sexual meaning since at least the nineteenth century -- in Victorian England, female prostitutes were considered to be "gay".
The word "gay" is primarily used to refer to male homosexuals, although it is sometimes used to refer to female homosexuals as well. The more common term for a female homosexual is lesbian.
Whether bisexuals should be called "gay" is a matter of debate (see bisexuality).
It has been claimed that "gay" was derived as an acronym for "Good As You", but this appears to be a retronymic urban legend.
See: lesbigay, LGB, political correctness.