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Gay
Gay
is a term that has come to refer to individuals who exhibit not only a
same-sex orientation and sexual preference (e.g., men who have sex with
men), but also embrace a lifestyle based upon that orientation. In other
words, gays have "come out of the closet" or are overt, as
opposed to being covert homosexuals or claim heterosexual identity but
have sex or desire sex with members of their own gender. Gay is
sometimes distinguished from homosexual in emphasizing the cultural,
social and identity aspects of homosexuality. Although in recent years
the term gay increasingly has come to be used to refer to both same-sex
oriented males and females, it generally refers to the former. Indeed,
many lesbian organizations reject the term gay as a self-designation,
restricting it to males, although this view may be less common among
younger lesbian women. Historically, the term gay stems from the Old
Provencal word "gai," meaning high spirited and mirthful.
Beginning in the seventeenth century, the term referred to the behavior
of a playboy or dashing man about town. By the 19th century, the term
had come to also refer to a woman of allegedly loose morals. The term
gay did not attain prominence as a self-selected term for openly
homosexual individuals until the late 1950s and early 1960s. It became
increasingly common in this usage by the 1970s and was established in
general usage by gays and non-gay individuals alike by the 1980s.
Gay men have established
a distinctive subculture. Whereas the gay subculture in the United
States and elsewhere has been in existence for some time, the AIDS
epidemic that began in the early 1980s has particularly propelled it
into the limelight. In recent years, this subculture has come under
increased scrutiny by both the general public and scholars in the social
sciences and humanities. Indeed, gay scholars are among the leading
figures in an interdisciplinary field now referred to as Gay Studies.
This field of research and cultural commentary often takes on a social
constructivist perspective, which is sometimes referred to as
"queer theory". Intentional use of terms like
"queer" or "faggot" within the gay subculture
reflects an effort to assert self-acceptance and deny the derision and
rejection suffered by homosexuals in mainstream or "straight"
society. Gay Pride marches are an expression of the effort among gays to
affirm (both to themselves and to non-gays) their right to be gay and
their pride and acceptance of their sexual orientation and various
subcultural "scenes" (i.e., diverse recreational and lifestyle
subgroups). While scholars, many of them gay, have given increased
attention to the white gay subculture, the gay subculture among persons
of color has received comparatively little attention.
The gay community
consists of numerous social and cultural institutions, including social
and political clubs, community centers, businesses, book stores,
publications and other media, cafes, bars, other recreation and vacation
institutions, social support and therapy groups, an extensive health
education and service structure, and geographically-bounded
neighborhoods. It also includes social networks and groups, as well as
families or married couples. Because of their stigmatized sexual
orientation, gays and lesbians often choose to socialize with each other
in a variety of public places, such as bars and cafes.
Due to strong patterns of
homophobic or anti-gay discrimination in small cities and rural areas,
gays tend to move to and form identifiable communities in large and, to
a lesser degree, medium-sized cities. In the 12 largest U.S. cities,
studies have found that 16 percent of individuals report some level of
same-gender attraction or desire, and 9 percent report that they are gay
or bisexual, compared to 7.5 percent and 1 percent respectively in rural
areas. San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles appear to have
the largest concentrations of gays in the United States. Within these
and other urban centers, gays often choose to reside in specific
neighborhoods such as the Castro District in San Francisco, Greenwich
Village in New York, West Los Angeles, and New Town in Chicago.
Neighborhoods with a high percentage of gay residents are sometimes
referred to as "gay ghettos" or "gay-friendly".
Gays have historically
constituted a stigmatized social category in U.S. society. In most
states and cities a gay person can legally be denied housing,
employment, and public accommodations simply because of his sexual
orientation. In response, many gays have created organizations that seek
to further their rights, in much the same manner that African Americans
and other ethnic minorities did during the 1950s and 1960s and women did
during the 1970s and 1980s. The Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 in New York
City was a watershed event that qualitatively expanded the political
activism that had been growing in the gay community since the late
1950s. This event constituted a spontaneous and militant act of
resistance to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in
Greenwich Village. Gay Pride Day is celebrated in June in cities
throughout the country to commemorate the Stonewall Rebellion.
Subsequently, gay rights were codified through the passage of civil
rights ordinances in Portland, Oregon and St. Paul Minnesota in 1974, in
San Francisco in 1978, in Los Angeles and Detroit in 1979, and in New
York City in 1986. Wisconsin passed a statewide gay rights law in 1981.
In response, singer Anita Bryant and TV evangelist Jerry Falwell led
extensive homophobic campaigns which contributed to the repeal of gay
rights measures in Miami in 1977 and later in St. Paul and Wichita. Gays
have formed various national organizations including the Lambda Legal
Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and
the Names Project (which commiserates those who have died of AIDS).
Victories won by the gay movement include the growing number of
institutions and companies that provide same-sex partner health
insurance and other benfits. At the political level, many gays and
lesbians work in coalition with one another. Studies of voting patterns
have found that 3.2 percent of voters nationwide identify themselves as
gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In urban areas, this figure climbs to 8
percent.
Many gays also desire to
have their committed relationships legally recognized as same-sex
marriages. Presently, gays do not, for the most part, have the legal
right to make medical, legal, and financial decisions on behalf of their
partner should the need arise. Furthermore, they may not have access to
their partner's employee health insurance or retirement benefits. The
onset of the AIDS epidemic has prompted many gays - often in coalition
with lesbians and progressive heterosexuals - to agitate for HIV
prevention programs and improved health care and treatment options for
people living with AIDS, and to oppose discrimination against HIV
infected individuals. The gay community played a leading role in pushing
for changes in federal funding for HIV/AIDS research and services, and
in accelerating access to new therapies of HIV/AIDS.
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Sex
