How, and when did the term gay start being applied to homosexuals?
Every homosexual that I personally know is anything but gay. Most are downright miserable.
What difference does it make if it is a choice or not. People choose to ACT on their desires; does anyone choose to be attracted to children? This same argument could be used to defend pedophiles. The difference is that homosexuality is politically correct, socially excepted deviance, nothing more.
"How, and when did the term gay start being applied to homosexuals?
Every homosexual that I personally know is anything but gay. Most are downright miserable."
Maybe they're just miserable around you.
;)
According to Wikipedia, the earliest available reference to "gay" clearly meaning homosexual is Noel Coward's 1929 musical, "Bitter Sweet." The origin of the term dates back to at least the 19th century; it originally referred to prostitutes of any sex, for their gay -- as in flashy -- manner of dressing.
A few generations ago, and it came into common usage with the "gay" rights upheaval in the 70s. I'm sure someone else will know more. Maybe it started with Oscar Wilde?
Interestingly, the word "homosexual" was also invented by a, well, by a German homosexual in the 1860s to denote a special community of those with same sex attractions.* Up until the word "homosexual", meaning a special identity, came into popular usage, the words "sodomite" and "pederast" were the terms, indicating not identity but behavior.
*Germany had a big "gay rights" movement starting in the late 1800s, which sort of spun off into the Nazi party. Read "The Pink Swastika" by Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams to get the rest of the story. It's online, and available at various places like Amazon.
So, what's the difference between homosexual and gay?