Terminology of homosexuality

Words that describe homosexuality have changed a lot since the mid-1800s. In English, some common words have included sodomite, Sapphic, Uranian or Urning, homophile, lesbian, gay, and queer. Some of these words refer especially to women, some to men, and some can be used for either. People who are gay may also be included under the umbrella term LGBT.

The word homosexual was first used in German in 1868. Scientists and scholars keep creating new words to talk about these ideas, like androphilia and gynephilia, which describe who someone is attracted to without mentioning their own identity.

Many informal words and phrases are also used within communities. Some groups have special ways of talking, almost like a secret language. For example, Polari is a jargon that has been used in the UK.

Prescribed usage

The word homosexual can describe feelings people have for others of the same gender. Some people think this word can sound cold or old-fashioned. Because of this, many people use words like gay or lesbian instead.

Today, many people choose words like gay, lesbian, or bisexual+ to talk about someone's feelings for others of the same gender. These words are seen as kinder and more respectful. Some people also use the words same gender loving or same-sex-oriented.

History

The words we use to talk about sexual orientation can show different ideas and feelings. Different words have been used at different times and in different places.

Historian and philosopher Michel Foucault said that ideas about love between people of the same gender only started to form in the 1800s. Before that, he said, words described actions, not who someone was. Some other thinkers think there are links between old and new ways of thinking about these topics.

In his Symposium, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato talked about three kinds of love. This included love between two men and love between two women. He gave reasons for why these loves existed using a made-up creation myth.

The word homosexual means "of the same sex". It comes from the Greek word homo- meaning 'same' and the Latin word sex meaning 'sex'. The word homosexual was first used in public in an 1869 German writing by Karl-Maria Kertbeny. At first, doctors and scientists used this word.

The word homophile was created to sound less medical than homosexual. It focused on love. People who supported others who loved people of the same gender used this word in the 1950s and 1960s.

Other words from the late 1800s and early 1900s include:

• Antipathic sexual instinct
• Sexual inversion
• Psychosexual hermaphroditism
• The intermediate sex
• Similisexualism, simulsexuality or similsexualism
• Intersexuality
• Catamite
• Invert
• Third sex

Recent academic terms

Some older words were used to talk about people who feel love for others of the same gender, but they are not the same as the word we use today, homosexuality. For example, Anna Rüling, an early supporter of people who love others of the same gender, thought of them as a third gender, meaning different from both men and women. Other words like gynephilia and androphilia tried to make talking about love simpler by not focusing on a person’s gender, but these words are not used much today.

The word side is sometimes used to talk about someone who does not focus on certain ways of being close, offering another way to think about these matters besides just two choices.

Jargon and slang

Many words and phrases have been used by people in the LGBT community to talk about their lives. Because of old ideas, some people used indirect ways to describe being gay, like saying someone was "that way." These indirect phrases are used less today as more people understand and accept different types of love.

The word gay has changed meaning over time. Long ago, it meant happy. Over the years, its meaning shifted, and now it is a main word that many people in the community use to describe being romantically attracted to someone of the same gender or sex. Today, gay is a positive and accepted term for many people.