|
The terminology of homosexuality has been a contentious issue since the emergence of LGBT social movements in the mid-19th century. The choice of terms regarding sexual orientation may imply a certain political outlook, and different terms have been preferred at different times and in different places. In English, some terms in widespread use have been ''sodomite'', ''Sapphic'', ''Uranian'', ''homophile'', ''lesbian'', ''gay'', ''two-spirit'', ''same-sex attracted'' and ''homosexual''. Some of these words are specific to women, some to men, and some can be used of either. Gay people may also be identified under the umbrella terms ''queer'' and ''LGBT''. Not all of the terms that have been used to describe same-sex sexuality are synonyms for the modern term ''homosexuality''. The word ''homosexual'' itself had different connotations for those who used it 100 years ago to what it does today; Anna Rüling, one of the first women to publicly defend gay rights, considered gay people a third gender, different from both men and women. Terms such as ''gynephilia'' and ''androphilia'' have tried to simplify the language of sexual orientation by making no claim about the individual's own gender identity. In addition to the stigma, the terminology of homosexuality has been influenced by taboos around sex in general, producing a number of euphemisms; someone may be described as "that way", "a bit funny", "on the bus", "batting for the other team", "a friend of Dorothy", or "wearing comfortable shoes" (for women), although such euphemisms are becoming less common as homosexuality becomes more visible. A variety of LGBT slang terms for various topics have been used historically and contemporarily within the LGBT community, with the most established languages (sometimes known as cants) being ''Polari'' in Britain, ''Swardspeak'' in the Philippines, ''Bahasa gay'' in Indonesia, and ''Kaliardá'' in Greece. ==Prescribed usage== The term ''homosexual'' can be used as an adjective to describe the sexual attractions and behaviors of same-sex oriented persons. Author and gay pioneer Quentin Crisp said that the term should be "homosexualist," adding that no one says "I am a sexual." Some gay people argue that the use of ''homosexual'' as a noun is offensive, arguing that homosexual people are people first, homosexual being merely an attribute of their humanity. Even if they do not consider the term offensive, some people in same-sex relationships may object to being described as ''homosexual'' because they identify as bisexual, pansexual, or another orientation.〔See bisexual erasure.〕 Indeed, some style guides recommend that the terms ''homosexual'' and ''homosexuality'' be avoided altogether, lest their use cause confusion or arouse controversy. In particular the description of individuals as ''homosexual'' may be offensive, partially because of the negative clinical association of the word stemming from its use in describing same-sex attraction as a pathological state before homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental disorders in 1973.〔GLAAD (GLAAD Media Reference Guide - Terms To Avoid )〕 The Associated Press and New York Times style guides restrict usage of the terms.〔GLAAD (GLAAD Media Reference Guide - AP & New York Times Style )〕 Same-sex oriented people seldom apply these terms to themselves, and public officials and agencies often avoid them. For instance, the Safe Schools Coalition of Washington's ''Glossary for School Employees'' advises that ''gay'' is the "preferred synonym for homosexual", and goes on to advise avoiding the term ''homosexual'' as it is "clinical, distancing and archaic": Sometimes appropriate in referring to behavior (although same-sex is the preferred adjective). When referring to people, as opposed to behavior, 'homosexual' is considered derogatory and the terms 'gay' and 'lesbian' are preferred. ''Homosexual'' places emphasis on sexuality and is to be avoided when describing a person. Gay' man'' or ''lesbian'' are the preferred nouns which stress cultural and social matters over sex.〔 The ''New Oxford American Dictionary'', says that "gay" is the preferred term. Likewise, the use of ''homosexuality'' to describe human sexual behaviors between people of the same sex may be inaccurate, although it is not perceived as being as offensive as ''homosexual''. People with a same-gender sexual orientation generally prefer the terms gay, lesbian and bisexual. The most common terms are gay (both men and women) and lesbian (women only). Other terms include same gender loving and ''same-sex-oriented.''〔 Among some sectors of homosexual sub-culture, same-gender sexual behavior is sometimes viewed as solely for physical pleasure instead of romantic. Men on the ''down-low'' (or ''DL'') may engage in covert sexual activity with other men while pursuing sexual and romantic relationships with women. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Terminology of homosexuality」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|