What is the difference between gay, queer, and homosexual ?
541405
Gay: In modern society, gay is a word which can be used as either a noun or adjective. In noun form, it is most commonly used as a term to specifically identify men of homosexual orientation, instead of homosexuals of both genders.\n\nQueer: Queer has traditionally meant ‘strange’ or ‘unusual’, but is currently often used in reference to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities. \n\nHomosexual: The word homosexuality had acquired multiple meanings over time. In the original sense, it describes a sexual orientation characterised by lasting aesthetic attraction, romantic love, or sexual attraction exclusively for others of the same sex or gender.\n\nHomosexuality is usually contrasted with heterosexuality and bisexuality. The term gay is used predominantly to refer to homosexual males. \n\nThe adjective homosexual is also used for same-sex sexual relations between persons of the same sex who are not gay or lesbian.
421794
Gay means homosexual or happy, homosexual means you're sexually attracted to someone of the same sex, and a eunuch is a castrated man.
203890
If you are attracted to the same gender as yourself, you are a homosexual.  If you are attracted to the opposite, you are heterosexual.  If you are attracted to both, you are bisexual.  And if you are attracted to neither, you are asexual.
176156
Makes no difference at all. I've worked with some gays that I did not get along with, and some that I did. Just the same with straight people. Sexual preference has nothing to do with it. The biggest thing is whether or not they can do the job.
189857
No, those are 2 totally opposite ends of the spectrum.  What does being straight or gay have to do with being black, white, asian, or latino?
37876
being gay is a choice.
1068467
I am so sorry that people laugh at you. A homo is short for homosexual. That is a boy who likes a boy or a girl who likes a girl. Is your name short for anything? My husband told me that it can be short for dominator. I think you are very brave to ask this and please don't let people laugh and push you around. You need to speak up and tell them that you don't like it. I hope this helps.
21225
Many people may use gay as a slang term referring to someone being idiotic or stipid\n\nAnother definition is to be happy, and light-hearted\nYet another definition is having sexual orientation to persons of the same sex
201714
that is what is called bisexualtiy. you are sexually attracted to both men and women. A homosexual is attracted to people of the same gender, a heterosexual is attracted to people of the other gender, bisexuals are attracted in some degree or another to both genders.
1058569
Well, they're actually prefixes (suffixes are word endings), but homo means same or similar and hetero means different.
1149492
I agree with you on the first ones, but 'gay' and 'lesbian' are merely the sexual identities. The only reason they would be disrespectful would be the way in which they are used.
1145532
How does a straight person come to know they are straight? It is pretty much the same way. You find out who you are attracted to. A eunuch is someone who has been castrated. That is very different from being gay.
799883
Heterosexuality primarily refers to aesthetic, sexual and romantic attraction exclusively between two individuals of differing genders. It is characterised as a sexual orientation, contrasted with homosexuality and bisexuality. The concept has its roots in the 19th century tradition of personality taxonomy.\n\ncomes from the Greek word heteros, meaning "different" (for other uses, see heterozygote, heterogeneous), and the Latin for sex (that is, characteristic sex or sexual differentiation). The term "heterosexual" was coined shortly after and opposite to the word "homosexual" by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1868 and was first published in 1869. "Heterosexual" was first listed in Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary as a medical term for "morbid sexual passion for one of the opposite sex", but in 1934 in their Second Edition Unabridged it is a "manifestation of sexual passion for one of the opposite sex; normal sexuality". (Katz, 1995)\n\nHeterosexuality, like any forms of identity is very subjective. In western society, one is generally thought of as heterosexual if one derives either all, or the vast majority of their erotic and/or sexual stimulation from people of the different sex to them. In other cultures a heterosexual man may engage in homosexual intercourse provided that he keeps the role traditionally assigned to his sex during intercourse and his gender during the surrounding relationship. Also, in some cultures a heterosexually identifying man may assume any role during homosexual congress as a social action provided he maintain a relationship with a woman in his family life. Cultural allowances such as this have been historically rarer amongst women, but more recently have been tolerated more than the male equivalents largely because of its connection to some schools of feminism.\n\nDefinitions of sexuality tend to be narrower to most heterosexuals than it is to people of other sexual orientations. In most cases a potential partner's sex is determined wholly by anatomic sex at birth and genetic sex. Many heterosexuals would argue that one whose determination of a partner's sex deviates from that criterion cannot truly be heterosexual. Transgendered people and even those with many natural intersex conditions are very rarely seen as potential mates by heterosexuals, even those who consider themselves tolerant and accepting to such identities.\n\nHistory and demographics\n\nThe prevalence of exclusive heterosexuality has varied over the centuries and also from culture to culture.\nThough there have always been individuals (sometimes in a majority, sometimes in a minority) who were exclusively attracted to those of the opposite sex, heterosexuality as an identity (just like homosexuality) has developed only since the middle of the nineteenth century.\n\nThe history of heterosexuality is part of the history of sexuality. That history and science derivative of it is far from complete. Owing to complications of human politics and prejudice, coupled with the malleable nature of human behaviour, it will be some time before the history and nature of all forms of human sexual behaviour are truly known.\n\nPsychological factors relating to sexuality\nA broad array of opinion holds that much human behavior ultimately is explainable in terms of natural selection. From this point of view, the shifting social balance between heterosexual and homosexual desire has evolved as a fitter survival strategy for the species than either an exclusively heterosexual or homosexual configuration of desire.\n\nIn traditional societies individuals are often under heavy social pressure to marry and have children, irrespective of their sexual orientation. In modern society, many homosexual people who wish to have children have found a way to satisfy their nurturing instincts, either through fostering or adopting children, or through artificial or natural insemination.\n\n
453331
BISEXUAL - is when someone identifies themselves as one who is capable (and to some degree, experienced) with both men and women sexually/ romantically.\n\nBICURIOUS - is when someone is predominantly oriented toward one gender (sexually/ romantically), but questioning their own true orientation toward the other.  Usually, this implies someone who identifies themselves as straight, but for whatever reason, wants to explore their feelings toward same-gender intimate relations.  It also IMPLIES they don't have a lot of experience with same-sex experiences and wants to explore further.\n\nHope that helps!!
796836
Men who have sex with men are homosexual/gay or bisexual.  Situational or institutional homosexuality (prisoners as an example) does not indicate anything more than what it is, all that is available, and not indicative of what they are.\n\nHomosexuality exist in all cultures, but some cultures repress it more than others.  "Gay" is however a term used in most all modern societies and understood to mean exclusively homosexual or predominately homosexual.\n\nAncient Greeks are said to have practiced homosexuality as normal part of human sexuality with no stigma.  That isn't really the case, it was generally seen as situational homosexuality, and not particularly condoned, but rather tolerated in some segments of society.\n\nToday, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck,  its a duck...a big gay duck!
1080148
Gay has 4 meanings. 1.Gay- very happy. 2.Gay- Attracted to the same sex like male and male or female and female. 3.Gay-  Bright and lively; colorful.   4.Gay- Given to social pleasures.
267596
1. homosexual male\n2. homosexual female\n3. a sound of relief\n4. a beginner