Section 6: Understanding Gay History and Culture

6.1 An Abbreviated History of Homosexuality

What we know about same sex eroticism before the invention of writing is interpreted from art. Many artistic depictions of same sex activity have been discovered. These include:

• Cave paintings with homoerotic appreciation dated to 12,000 BC.
• Hundreds of carved phallic batons, among them a double “dildo” that appears to be for use by two females also dated to 12,000 BC.
• Rock engravings of 2 males together with erections from Sicily dated to 5,000 BC.
• A rare depiction of 2 men kissing in an Egyptian King’s tomb dated to 2,600 BC.
• In 600 BC men record the sex they have had with boys through Grecian rock carvings.
• In 570 BC, homoeroticism becomes a common theme for decorating vases.
• In 200 BC in Peru ceramic sculptures depict same sex erotic images.

We learn more about sexual relations and romantic connections of same sex couples in ancient societies once forms of writing emerge. Some early writings include:

• The world’s oldest epic (Epic of Gilgamesh) by an unknown poet, which includes a homoerotic love story (2,500 BC).
• In 700 BC in China, the oldest surviving Chinese anthology called the Shi Jing mentions an admiration for strong, handsome men.
• In 630 BC in Greece a poet writes a hymn for the marriage of two women. Around the same time in Sparta, men and women lead very separate lives and ruling class men and women are expected to have romantic relations with members of the same sex.
• In China around 500 BC the Duke Ling of Wei lavishes attention on a courtier named Mizi Xia. For thousands of years after the term Mizi Xia will be used to refer to a man who loves men.
• In 100 Plutarch’s highly influential writings in Greek describe man-boy and man-man love in the lives of famous men in Greece and Rome.
• In 720 the first surviving mention of same sex love in Japan is recorded.
• In 866, Michael III of the Byzantine empire joins in same sex union with Basil the Macedonian.
• In 1254 in Japan, a collection of stories includes several monk-boy romantic love stories, which were prevalent in Japanese Buddhism.

As societies around the world became more sophisticated laws and codes of behavior were enacted to sanction some forms of human behavior. Some punishments were severe.

• In Palestine in 450 BC the Code of Leviticus becomes part of the law of Judaism. In Leviticus 20:13 of the Bible the text states “If a man also lie with mankind as he lieth with woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they will surely be put to death”. The meaning of this text will be hotly debated for thousands of years and will be used to justify the death penalty for same-sex acts.
• In Greece in 346 BC, a prominent male citizen is prosecuted for having sex with men, indicating a bias against male-male sex acts.
• In 193 religious writings mention stoning to death as a penalty of male-male sex acts. This becomes part of the fundamental text of Judaism.
• In 249 male prostitution is outlawed in the Roman Empire but the law is largely ignored.
• In 650 sex between men becomes outlawed in the areas containing modern day Portugal and Spain.
• In 651, the Koran (fundamental text of Islam) is assembled and there are several negative references to same sex activity, but no punishment is proposed.
• China’s first law forbidding male prostitution is laid out in 1115.
• In Scandinavia, a law against sodomy is established in 1250. Spain issues a law against sodomy in 1256 and France issues laws to punish same sex sexual acts in 1260.
• In Mexico, laws punishing same sex sexuality are established in 1425. In 1475 men who have sex with men are burned alive in public squares and their property destroyed.
• A law against sodomy is passed in the colony of Virginia in 1610.
• In Ireland in 1634 an “Act for the Punishment of Buggery” is enacted.
• In Florence Italy, records reveal that 1 in 123 Florentine men would be charged with sodomy at one point in his youth.
• Russia criminalizes male-male anal contact for the first time in 1832.
• Nicaragua criminalizes same-sex acts for the first time in 1992.

Ideas to explain sex and intimacy between same sex couples have been around since 387 BC when the first recorded theory of homosexuality is proposed in Plato’s Symposium by a man named Aristophanes. As the theory goes, all humans are like Siamese twins who are separated and look for their lost half. Those who had been a male-female coupling search for a partner of the opposite sex while those who were in same sex Siamese unions search for their same sex partner. Other writings include:

• First believed scientific article on male homosexuality published in the Magazine of Experimental Psychical Studies in Germany in 1791.
• In France in 1857 Dr. Ambroise Taideau publishes influential study describing physical qualities (funnel-shaped rectum, deformed lips and small teeth) of men who have sex with men.
• Dr. Karoly Maria Kertbeny uses terms “homosexuel” and “heterosexuel” in a private letter for first time in 1868. The next year he uses the terms publicly in a letter to the Prussian minister of justice to request the decriminalization of male-male sex acts.
• Psychopathia Sexualis, an extremely influential book, promotes a medical/psychiatric theory of homosexuality in 1886 in Germany.
• In 1905 Sigmund Freud writes extensively about homosexuality and states that it is a form of arrested or deflected development, rejecting the common beliefs of the time.
• Theories about homosexuality are introduced to the masses through pop-psychology mass market publications that are available in drugstores beginning in 1930.
• In 1952 the American Psycholgical Association includes homosexuality as “sociopathic personality disturbance” in the first official list of mental disorders. In 1968 homosexuality is recategorized as a “sexual deviation” or “a non-psychotic mental disorder”. In December of 1973 the APA declares that “by itself, homosexuality does not meet the criteria for being a psychiatric disorder”.
• The Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is the worldÕs first mental health group to eliminate homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in February 1974.
• The World Health Organization officially deletes homosexuality from its list of diseases in 1993.

Along with ideas to explain homosexuality came methods to change sexual orientation. The first recorded “aversion therapy” (by shock treatment) is revealed at a meeting of the American Psychological Association in 1935.

• In 1964, the British Journal of Psychiatry reports on an aversion therapy whereby drugs that create nausea and dizziness are injected into a patient for 6 days and nights while he views pictures of nude males.
• The American Medical Association declares opposition to medical treatments to cure lesbians and gay men in 1994.

Scientific inquiry of homosexuality continues slowly through the 1800’s. In Germany in 1899, Magnus Hirschfeld begins publishing a compendium of scholarly articles and an annual comprehensive bibliography on homosexuality. Other scientific notes of interest include:

• In 1903 in Germany the first large scale sexuality study reveals that 2.2% of male respondents have had sex with men.
• In 1948, a groundbreaking report by Kinsey is published indicating that a large number of men have had same-sex relations.
• Research is presented at the APA meeting in 1954 that shows that homosexual men are as well adjusted as heterosexual men. In 1956, research is presented at the Western Psychological Association meeting indicating that gay men are more likely to have psychological problems than heterosexual men.
• Journal of Homosexuality debuts in 1974.

The renaissance slowly brought changes in the way society viewed homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism. The flourishing of scientific thought and changes in the visual and written arts helped to fuel changing attitudes. Laws reflected this change:

• In 1810 the Napoleonic code in France decriminalizes consensual sex between adults. Other European countries under French influence accept this code.
• Other governments reduced or eliminated the “punishments” in the law for same-sex acts. They include Bavaria in Germany (1813), Spain (1822), Hanover in Germany (1840), Austria (1852), England (1861), Japan (1883), Russia (1903), Switzerland (1944), and Sweden (1944)

But things didn’t always change for the better:

• Hitler’s government in Germany launches Nazi persecution of homosexuality in 1933.
• In New York City in 1939, gay bars were closed to “clean up” the city for the World’s Fair.
• In 1950, McCarthy Era ideas lead to the dismissal of alleged homosexuals from government positions.
• In 1966 the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution begins in China and over the next decade thousands of gays and lesbians are tortured, humiliated and exiled. However, in 1992 the government of China reports that same-sex acts are no longer considered an offense to social order.
• Pinochet’s regime in Chile begins arresting gays and lesbians in 1974 as part of its campaign against leftists.

Along with changing attitudes came protest and rebellion against laws punishing same sex relationships. In 1725 the first documented gay male protest takes place in London, England. Other notable protests and support for homosexuality include:

• Poem “Don Leon” (1833) reportedly by Lord Byron is one of the earliest works of protest against persecution of same-sex love.
• In Germany in 1867 Karl Heinrich Ulrichs may be first person to come out publicly in defense of homosexuality by saying same-sex love should be tolerated rather than persecuted.
• The pamphlet “Homogenic love and its place in a free society” is secretly published in England in 1895 and states homosexuals make a positive contribution to society.
• “Iolaus: An anthology of Friendship” is the first English language anthology on same-sex love from “pagan” times to present. It is published in England in 1902.
• In a famous letter to a concerned American mother, Sigmund Freud writes that her child’s homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed of.
• In 1951, Homosexual in America is published. It states that there is “no homosexual problem except that created by the heterosexual society”, which is a revolutionary idea.
• The New York League for Sexual Freedom pickets to protest the military’s anti gay and lesbian policies in 1964. This is considered by many to be the first public gay and lesbian rights demonstration in the US.
• In France in 1968 the country’s first gay liberation group, Pédéraste protests.
• In late 1969 the American Sociological Association becomes the first American professional organization to voice support of gay and lesbian civil rights.
• First public demonstration in favor of gay and lesbian rights in Portugal takes place in Oporto in 1974.
• More than 1,000 people demonstrate in Montreal against police treatment of gays and lesbians in 1977.

Continued changing ideas about sexuality and artistic expression as a result of scientific thought and technological advances opened the door for the growth of written and performing arts with gay and lesbian themes as well as those for gay and lesbians.

• In 1782 the first book to describe male same-sex cruising is published in Germany.
• Eros: The Love between Men of the Greeks is published in Switzerland in 1836 and calls for social tolerance of same-sex relationships.
• In 1895 the book Bom-Crioulo is published in Brazil about a sexual/romantic obsession of a sailor for a 15-year-old boy.
• In 1896 first successful gay periodical makes its debut in Germany.
• First pro-gay film (“Different from the others”) premiers in Berlin in 1919.
• First lesbian scenes in theatre appear in a play in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1922. The play, called God of Vengeance, moves to Broadway in 1923 and the producer, theatre owner and 12 cast members are arrested.
• In 1928, the first major novel in English with pro-lesbian theme (The Well of Loneliness) is published. It becomes a hit but sales are banned in England despite protests. The book becomes a best-seller in the US.
• The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman, a story of two lesbian school teachers, is a hit on Broadway in 1934.
• First lesbian newsletter (Vice Versa) is published in the US in 1947.
• In Japan in 1949 the first modern novel to deal openly with homosexuality (Confessions of a Mask) is published.
• The US Supreme Court rules that an issue of “ONE” magazine was not obscene in 1958. This opens way for free speech for gays and lesbians in the US.

Other notable publications specifically geared to a gay and lesbian audience include:

• Two, Canada’s first homophile magazine begins publishing in Toronto in 1964
• First lesbian magazine in UK (Arena Three) begins publishing in 1964.
• The Los Angeles Advocate (which will become the Advocate) publishes 500 copies of its first edition in August of 1967
• First gay bookstore in US opens in New York City in November of 1967
• Japan’s first magazine for gay men begins publishing in September of 1971.
• First British gay newspaper (Gay News) is founded in June 1972.
• First glossy erotic magazine that includes nude photos titled In Touch published in US in October 1973.
• Out is published for the first time in April of 1974.
• Drummer, a magazine for the S/M and leather subculture premieres in 1975.
• Brazil’s first gay publication premieres in April of 1978

As attitudes changed, people in the public eye begin to reveal their sexual orientation. André Gide, a Frenchman, is believed to be the first public figure to come out in his autobiography in 1926. Other notable public acknowledgements of homosexuality include:

• In November of 1964, Randy Wicker becomes the first openly gay person to appear on national television in the US on the Les Crane Show.
• John Ware and Christabel Poll become first Australians to publicly “come out”
• In 1964 Life magazine runs a cover story called “Homosexuality in America” which challenges current stereotypes of gays and lesbians
• In 1985 a spokesperson for Rock Hudson reveals that he is suffering from AIDS and that he is gay. This generates a great amount of public interest in the disease.
• Svend Robinson is the first Canadian MP to come out in February of 1988.
• Singer K D Lang reveals that she is a lesbian in the Advocate in 1992.
• In April of 1997, Ellen DeGeneres publicly comes out and this parallels her character coming out in the show “Ellen”. She becomes the first lead gay character of a television show

Organizations to support homosexuals and those created by homosexuals begin to appear in the late 1800’s.

• First group to advocate for civil rights for gays and lesbians (Scientific Humanitarian Committee) is organized in Germany in 1897.
• The first religious group to minister openly to gay men and lesbians is founded in Sydney, Australia in 1916.
• The Quaker Emergency Committee establishes a center to help gays and lesbians. This “readjustment center” is possibly the first social welfare agency for gays and lesbians in the US.
• Culture and Recreation Center is created in the Netherlands in 1946. It will become the largest homophile organization in the world.
• In 1950 in Sweden the predecessor to the National Federation for Sexual Equality (est. 1952) is formed.
• In 1951 in Los Angeles, early meetings of the Mattachine Society take place. It will become the first long-standing organization the US to advocate for gay rights.
• First homophile organization for women called the “Daughters of Bilitis” is formed in San Francisco. In 1960 they sponsor the first national convention on the topic of lesbianism in the US.
• Canada’s first homophile organization, called the Association for Social Knowledge, is formed in 1964 in Vancouver
• First US gay community center opens in San Francisco in 1966
• In 1966, the first officially recognized gay and lesbian American college group is formed in New York City.
• The first Canadian community center “to serve the homosexual community” opens in Vancouver on New Year’s Eve in 1966
• First homophile organization formed in Australia in 1970.
• Hungary’s first homophile organization is formed in 1987.
• Asia’s first lesbian organization for Chinese-speaking women is established in 1990

A few notes of interest about homosexuality and religion:

• In 1963 in the UK the Quakers become the first mainstream Christian church to publicly express tolerance to same-sex relationships in a publication called Towards a Quaker View of Sex
• First public same-sex union in US takes place at the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles in December of 1968
• The Unitarian Universalist Association becomes the first mainstream religious group in US to publicly recognize gay, lesbian and bisexual clergy in 1970.
• Roman Catholic Church issues statement in 1970 reminding followers that homosexuality is a moral aberration.
• Ellen Marie Barrett becomes first openly lesbian cleric of a major US religious organization in 1977.

Gays and the media

• In November of 1953, the earliest documented use of the word “homosexual” in an English-language broadcast occurs on the BBC radio program “Behind the Scenes”.
• The earliest organized gay and lesbian studies program begins in LA.
• In 1961 the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America approve a change to the production code that allows for discrete treatment of homosexual issues in movies.
• In 1961, the word “homosexual” is used for the first time in a feature film (Victim).
• In 1967, CBS Reports broadcasts the first national American program on the topic of gay men and lesbians.
• The film Boys in the Band (1970) is first major Hollywood film to look at gay life.
• First sympathetic treatment of a homosexual on US television takes place on the CBS drama Medical Center in September of 1970.
• Doonesbury is the first mainstream comic to feature a gay male character in 1976.
• World’s first lesbian and gay film festival begins in San Francisco in 1977. Two hundred people attended.
• First regularly scheduled gay-themed television program in US (Blueboy Forum) debuts on cable in 1977.
• Making Love released in 1982 and is one of the first movies to depict bisexuality and gay male romance.
• Vanessa Redgrave is nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a lesbian in The Bostonians, and The Times of Harvey Milk wins Best Documentary at 1985 Oscars.
• William Hurt is the first to win a best actor Oscar for a gay character as actor in a leading role in 1986 in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Pre-stonewall, the path to civil rights. The riots that occurred at the Stonewall bar in New York City (see next section) are believed to be the turning point for gay and lesbian civil rights. The events of the few years preceding Stonewall set the stage for change. One notable event took place in February of 1965 when a judge in San Francisco orders a jury to find four people not guilty who were arrested at a New Year’ Eve party organized by a the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. This opens up the fight for gay and lesbian civil rights.

• Beginning in 1965 many protests occur including a demonstration in front of the White House (May 29); in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia (July 4); in front of the Pentagon (July 31); in front of the State Department (Aug 28); in front of the White House (October 23); in Los Angeles to protest police raids on gay bars (Jan. 1967)
• In 1967 the New Jersey Supreme Court and The New York Supreme Court rule that bars can no longer legally refuse to serve alcohol to “known” homosexuals.
• Largest gay and lesbian rally (15,000 people) takes place in New York to commemorate the Stonewall uprising in June 1970. One thousand people march in Los Angeles on same date.

Stonewall and beyond. At 2 am on June 28th 1969 the Stonewall Inn, a tavern and dance bar that was a popular meeting place for gays in Greenwich Village in New York City, was raided by police. A riot ensued as the patrons, accompanied by people in the streets, supported those who resisted arrest. The protests continued for four days. This is the most well-documented rebellion against the poor treatment of homosexuals in America, and is considered the starting point for the gay liberation movement. More riots occur in August of 1970 in Greenwich Village, after a peaceful demonstration.

• Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance formed in the US in December of 1969. Gay Women’s Liberation Front formed in 1970.
• In March of 1972 the American Bar Association recommends to decriminalize consensual same-sex acts.
• AT&T is first major US corporation to agree to an equal opportunity policy for lesbians and gay men in August of 1974.
• First March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights takes place in October of 1979. Estimated participation of 100,000 people. The second march takes place in 1987 with more than half a million people participating. The third march takes place in April of 1993 and draws more than 1 million people with 1,500 gay and lesbian couples being “married”.
• First article on what would later be called AIDS appears in New York Times article titled “Rare Cancer Seen in Homosexuals” on July 2nd, 1981.
• First Gay Games held in San Francisco in August and September of 1982.
• German gay liberation movement begins in 1971 with the premiere of It Is Not The Homosexual That Is Perverse, But The Society In Which He Lives

The Canadian context:

• Canada’s “Stonewall” begins in Toronto on February 5, 1981, as a protest against raids on four bathhouses and arrests of over 300 people. The next day over 3,000 demonstrate downtown.
• In Canada, the House of Commons decriminalizes same-sex acts between consenting adults in August of 1969.
• In Montreal, gay bars are relocated from downtown to the Village to make the downtown more appealing for tourists for the Olympic games in 1976.
• First Canadian civil rights law protecting homosexuals is passed in Quebec in 1977.
• The Quebec Parliament becomes the first North American legislative body to authorize same-sex domestic partnership benefits in December of 1982.
• In November of 1992 the federal court lifts the country’s ban on homosexuals in the military.
• In June of 1996 civil rights protection for lesbians and gay men become law.
• The Ontario Supreme Court rules that provincial governments must register gay and lesbian marriages in July, 2002.

Information complied from: Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia, by Steve Hogan and Lee Hudson. Henry Holt and Co., New York. 1998.

6.2 A Primer On Queer Symbols

As with many communities, the gay community has several symbols that represent aspects of the community or the community itself. The following is a list of some of those symbols, their meaning and the history behind them:

Pink Triangle
The pink triangle is easily one of the more popular and widely-recognized symbols for the gay community. The pink triangle is rooted in World War II times, and reminds us of the tragedies of that era. Although homosexuals were only one of the many groups targeted for extermination by the Nazi regime, it is unfortunately the group that history often excludes. The pink triangle challenges that notion, and defies anyone to deny history.

The history of the pink triangle begins before WWII, during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Paragraph 175, a clause in German law prohibiting homosexual relations, was revised by Hitler in 1935 to include kissing, embracing, and gay fantasies as well as sexual acts. Convicted offenders-an estimated 25,000 just from 1937 to 1939-were sent to prison and then later to concentration camps. Their sentence was to be sterilized, and this was most often accomplished by castration. In 1942 Hitler’s punishment for homosexuality was extended to death.

Each prisoner in the concentration camps wore a coloured inverted triangle to designate their reason for incarceration, and hence the designation also served to form a sort of social hierarchy among the prisoners. A green triangle marked its wearer as a regular criminal; a red triangle denoted a political prisoner. Two yellow triangles overlapping to form a Star of David designated a Jewish prisoner. The pink triangle was for homosexuals. In the 1970s, gay liberation groups resurrected the pink triangle as a popular symbol for the gay rights movement. Not only is the symbol easily recognized, but it draws attention to oppression and persecution -- then and now. In the 1980s, ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) began using the pink triangle for their cause. They inverted the symbol, making it point up, to signify an active fight back rather than a passive resignation to fate. Today, for many the pink triangle represents pride, solidarity, and a promise to never allow another Holocaust to happen again.

The Black Triangle
Just as homosexual men were forced to wear pink triangles in the camps, many lesbians were forced to wear black triangles, which signified that they (like prostitutes and unmarried women of the streets) did not live according to the Nazis’ ideas of correct female behaviour.

The Rainbow Flag
The Alyson Almanac: A Treasury of Information for the Gay and Lesbian Community describes the Rainbow Flag as follows: In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colours of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly the flag took hold, offering a colourful and optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol. Today it is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. In 1989, the rainbow flag received nationwide attention after John Stout successfully sued his landlords in West Hollywood, when they prohibited him from displaying the flag from his apartment balcony. Meanwhile, Baker is still in San Francisco, and still making more flags.

Gender Symbols
Gender Symbols are common astrological signs handed down from ancient Roman times. The pointed Mars symbol represents the male and the Venus symbol with the cross represents the female. Double interlocking male symbols have been used by gay men since the 1970s. Double interlocking female symbols have often been used to denote lesbianism, but some feminists have instead used the double female symbols to represent the sisterhood of women. These same feminists would use three interlocking female symbols to denote lesbianism. Also, some lesbian feminists of the 1970’s used three interlocking female symbols to represent their rejection of male standards of monogamy.

Also in the 1970s, gay liberation movements used the male and female symbols superimposed to represent the common goals of lesbians and gay men. These days, the superimposed symbols might also denote a heterosexual aware of the differences and diversity between men and women. A transgendered person might superimpose the male and female symbols in such a way that the arrow and cross join on the same single ring.

Lambda
The lambda symbol seems to be one of the most controversial of symbols in regards to its meaning. There are several differing opinions as to why the lambda was chosen as a gay symbol and what it really means. However, most sources agree on a few things: The lambda was first chosen as a gay symbol when it was adopted in 1970 by the New York Gay Activists Alliance. It became the symbol of their growing movement of gay liberation. In 1974, the lambda was subsequently adopted by the International Gay Rights Congress held in Edinburgh, Scotland. As their symbol for lesbian and gay rights, the lambda became internationally popular.

But where history ends, speculation begins. No one seems to have a definitive answer why the lambda was originally chosen as a gay symbol. Some suggest that it is simply the Greek lower-case letter “L” for liberation. Others disagree, citing the use of lambda in physics to denote energy (the energy we have when we work in concert) or wavelength (are gays and lesbians on a different wavelength?). Lambda may also denote the synergy of the gay movement, the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The lambda also may represent scales and balance, and the constant force that keeps opposing sides from overcoming each other -- the hook at the bottom of the right leg signifies the action needed to reach and maintain balance. The ancient Greek Spartans regarded the lambda to mean unity, while the Romans considered it “the light of knowledge shed into the darkness of ignorance.” Reportedly, Ancient Greeks placed the lambda on shields of Spartan warriors, who were often paired off with younger men in battle. (There was a theory that warriors would fight more fiercely knowing that their lovers were both watching and fighting alongside them.)

Whatever the exact meaning and origin, the lambda originally embodied a fairly militant connotation. Today, the symbol generally denotes lesbians’ and gay men’s concerns together. Although the lambda was never intended to be linked to any specific gender or orientation such as other symbols may be, historically this is not so: In the early 1970’s the Los Angeles gay community created a flag with a lavender lambda on a simple white background. They hoped the flag would catch on to other cities, but their hopes were not realized because some saw the lambda as a male symbol only.

The Labrys
A double-bladed axe served as the sceptre of the goddess Demeter (or Artemis). Scythian warriors may once have used such a weapon. It appears in ancient Cretan art and is now often used as a symbol of lesbianism.

6.3 Terminology

As with any cultural group, terminology specific to that group has evolved. The following are some common terms used to express sexual diversity and their meaning. The terminology section is not here to insult your intelligence! Many of the terms below you may be familiar with already. In fact, we hope that you have a general understanding of many of them. Please don’t find this confusing. You may be surprised by some of the terms in this section. The fact is that the definitions of some of these terms are ever changing, just as queer culture in the world is ever changing.

Affectional orientation
A recent term used to refer to variations in object of emotional and sexual attraction. The term is preferred by some over “sexual orientation” because it indicates that the feelings and commitments involved are not solely (or even primarily, for some people) sexual. The term stresses the affective emotional component of attractions and relationships, including heterosexual as well as LGBTQ orientation.

Androgyny
It was once used to denote the state of having both male and female attributes. It’s current usage is to denote a form of self-presentation somewhere between that of the traditional “male” and traditional “female”.

Biological sex
The dichotomous distinction between female and male based on physiological characteristics, especially chromosomes and external genitalia.

Biphobia
Fear or hatred of those assumed to be bisexual.

Bisexual/bi
A person who has sexual and emotional relationships with, or these feelings towards, both women and men; and, no, not necessarily at the same time.

Butch
A lesbian who prefers traditionally masculine dress, style, expression, or identity. Use caution with this terms for it can still be taken offensively (mainly because often it is still used offensively.)

Camp
In LGBTQ circles, people (especially gay men) may be described as “camp” or “campy” if they behave in a manner that exaggerates gay mannerisms or stereotypes. Such exaggeration is often powerful in its ability to reveal the absurdity of gender expectations.

Closeted/in the closet
The confining state of being secretive about one’s true sexual identity.

Come out of the closet
To acknowledge oneÕs true sexual identity, either to oneself or to others. Most often used in terms of publicly coming out.

Cross-dressing
The practice of dressing in clothes traditionally assigned to the opposite gender; also called transvestitism or drag.

Drag/drag queen/drag king
Assuming both the dress and mannerisms most often associated with the opposite sex (by an individual who is not necessarily gay) often in order to perform, for purposes of emotional or sexual pleasure or simply for fun. A drag queen is a man dressing as a woman; likewise, a drag king is a woman dressing as a man.

Dyke
Once known as a derogatory term for lesbian, the word dyke was reclaimed by lesbians in the 1970’s as slang, and many lesbians now refer to themselves as dykes. Use caution.

Gay
Homosexual. The term refers to both men and women, though many gay women now prefer to call themselves LESBIAN.

Gender
Used to describe those characteristics of women and men that are socially constructed, in contrast to those that are biologically determined. People are born female or male, but learn to be girls and boys who grow into women and men. They are taught what the appropriate behaviour and attitudes, roles and activities are for them, and how they should relate to other people. These learned attributes are what make up gender identity and determine gender roles.

Heterosexism
A bias towards heterosexuality or the exclusion of homosexuality. Also, the presumption that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality. Or, prejudice, bias or discrimination based on these things.

Homophobia
Fear or hatred of those assumed to be LGBTQ and anything connected to their culture. It is when a person fears homosexuality, either in other people or within themselves; homophobia can either be mild discomfort or violent or hate speech.

Intersexed
One who is born biologically with both male and female genitalia or is biologically ambiguous.

Lipstick lesbian
A lesbian who prefers traditionally feminine dress, style, expression, or identity.

Lesbian
Preferred term for a female homosexual.

Open(ly) LGBTQ
Used in instances where the sexual orientation of the individual is relevant to the story and the individual has previously outed her/himself. As in: “The openly gay legislator voted against the measure denying civil rights to gays.”

Outing
Publicly revealing the sexual orientation of an individual who has chosen to keep that orientation a secret. Some activists, political groups and media believe outing is justified and/or newsworthy when the person involved works against the interests of lesbians and gays. Others oppose it entirely as an invasion of privacy.

Pride
“(1:) The quality or state of being proud: as (b:) a reasonable or justifiable self-respect.” - from Merriam-Webster.

Pride march
A public procession or parade of lesbians, gay, bisexuals and transgendered people to proclaim the pride, solidarity, and unity of gay people.

Queen
A GAY man who prefers traditionally feminine dress, style, expression or identity. Use caution with this term for it still can be taken offensively (because often it is still used offensively.)

Queer
Once known as a derogatory term for homosexual, “queer” was reclaimed by lesbian, gay, and bisexual activists in the 1980’s as a proud name for themselves. Queer blurs both gender and sexual orientation and is regarded as more inclusive of variance than lesbian or gay; in other words, it acts as an all inclusive or “umbrella” term for all LGBTQ individuals. It’s not OK to use “queer” as an offensive term to degrade LGBTQ people. Use some caution.

Sex
Characteristics of women and men which are biologically determined.

Sexual orientation
Sexual identification, depending on a person’s sexual relationships or affinity. Innate sexual attraction. In all instances, use this term instead of sexual preference or other misleading terminology.

Sexual identity
The identity that one chooses in order to describe their emotional and sexual feelings or self-perception, such as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.

Sexual preference
Avoid this one. It is a misleading term for the vast majority of queer individuals who will tell you that being queer is not a preference. Sexual orientation is more correct.

Sodomy
Collective term for various sexual acts (heterosexual included) deemed illegal in some states. Not synonymous with homosexuality or gay sex.

Straight
A heterosexual; a non-QUEER person.

Transgender
An umbrella term for those who blur the lines of traditional gender expression. Usually including transsexual and sometimes also including cross dressers. One who mentally and emotionally identifies as the opposite gender, often living his/her life as that gender, and may or may not choose to become a transsexual.

Transsexual
One who mentally and emotionally identifies as the gender opposite to his/her birth sex and who, by surgery or drug therapy, acquires the physical characteristics of the opposite sex. Thus the person is able to present his/her body in a way that is compliant with his/her feelings.

(Sources: Various internet sites and Janis Bohan, Ph.D. http://clem.mscd.edu/~glbtss/safezone.html)

6.4 Resource section

One of the responsibilities of an Ally is to become informed about issues relating to the LGBTQ community. Also, one of the things that Allies do is to link people up with resources. The following are some resources available at Concordia, in Montreal, on the web, and in places like bookstores.

Magazines:

• The Advocate (the Advocate magazine online is at http://www.advocate.com/)
• Out
• Fugues: A free magazine for the LGBTQ community in Montreal. Mainly in French.

Books available in the Counselling and Development lending library (Hall Building, Room 440)

• Coming Out: An Act of Love (Eichberg, R.)
• Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lesbians & Gays Talk About Their Experiences (Griffin, C. W., 1996)
• Coping When a Parent Is Gay/ (Miller, D., 1993)
• Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship (Weston, Kath, 1997)
• Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Students’ Guide to Colleges, Universities, and Grad Schools (Sherill, J; Haresty, C, NYU, ‘94)
• Growing Up Gay in a Dysfunctional Family (Isensee, R., 1991)
• Loving Someone Gay (Clark, D., 1987)
• Permanent Partners: Building Gay & Lesbian Relationships that Last (Berzon, Betty, 1990)
• Positively Gay: New Approaches to Gay and Lesbian Life (Berzon, Betty, ed., 1992)
• Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement/ (Adam, B, 1995)
• When Someone You Know Is Gay (Cohen, S., 1989.)
• Out on Holy Ground: Mediations on Gay Men’s Spirituality (Boisvert, D., 2000)
• Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out (Drucker, J., 1998)
• Stone Butch Blues. A book dealing with transexuals (L. Feinberg, 1993)
• Homophobia. How we all pay the price. (W.J. Blumenfeld,1992)

Books available in the Health Services lending library (2155 Guy St., Room 407)

• Is It a Choice?, Marcus, E. (1993)
• Now That You Know, Fairchild, B. et al (1989)
• Positively Gay , Berzon, B. (1992)
• So Your Child Is Gay, Bain, J. (2000)
• The Journey Out, Pollack, R. et al (1995)
• The Lesbian Love Companion, Hall, M.

Concordia Resources
Counselling and Development, H-440, 848-2424  ext.3545
Health Services, ER-407, 848-2424  ext.3565
Multi-faith Chaplaincy, Z-102, 848-2424 ext. 3593
Dragonroot Centre, 848-2424 ext. 7431
Concordia Queer Union, 848-7414

Useful websites:

Human Rights Campaign
Working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered human rights
www.hrc.org

Queer resources directory
Contains thousands of files about anything queer
www.qrd.org

Outproud
National coalition for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth
www.outproud.org

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
www.clga.ca

Canadian gay, lesbian, and bisexual resource directory
www.gaycanada.com

Data Lounge- on-line gay magazine
http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/index.html

Oasis- an on-line monthly magazine for queer and questioning youth
http://www.oasismag.com/

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
http://www.pflag.org

PlanetOUT.com
http://www.planetout.com/pno/splash.html

365 gay.com
http://www.365gay.com

Bisexuality resource center
http://www.biresource.org/

Comprehensive look at gay history
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/

The Heterosexism Enquirer (online Canadian paper that includes many links)
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/

Gay and lesbian education network
http://www.glsen.org/templates/index.html

Religion and homosexuality
http://www.religioustolerance.org

Montreal resources

AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM)
A support organization in the English language for people who have AIDS
2075 Plessis, Montreal
527-0928

Gai Ecoute/Gay line
Telephone support for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered people
866-0103 or 1-888-505-1010

Suicide Action Montreal
Telephone support for people who are contemplating suicide
723-4000

Bi-the-way
521-1316

Parent d’enfants gais
282-1087

Action Sante Transsexuel(le)s et Travestis
514-890-7016

Bi-Unite montreal
514-981-5797

Dire Enfin La Violance
514-528-8424

Elieure du farfadet (UQAM)
514-987-3000 ext: 5688 French and English

Gay Grec Gai
514-528-8424

Grouppo Italiano gay e lesbico di montreal
514-374-4022

Gay Line
514-866-5090 (7pm-11pm) English

Long Yang Club
Gais asiatiques & amis (English & French)
www.geocities.com/westhollywood/5644/

Project 10 (Under 25)
514-989-4585

Queer line
514-398-6822 (8pm-11pm)

Queer Mc Gill
514-398-2106

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