From the MetroWeekly:<p>Are you now, or have you ever been, a homosexual? Or do you prefer the more modern appellation, gay? <p>Most likely, the latter. While gays and lesbians have adopted and discarded many names over the years -- "uranian " becomes a historical footnote, while "queer " undergoes a progressive retrofitting -- most homosexuals have come to agree that one of the last things they want to be called is "homosexual. " <p>So when Rick Rosendall of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) submitted a letter to the Washington Times criticizing another writer’s linking of male homosexuality to pedophilia, he definitely meant to use the word "gay. " <p>"I simply treat ‘gay’ as a synonym for homosexual, " Rosendall says. "[H]omosexual just sounds clinical, and the more common usage for a long time has been ‘gay.’ " <p>But when his letter appeared in the January 8 Times, "gay " had been changed to "homosexual. " When he protested that the change fundamentally altered his meaning, letters editor Matthew Rarey responded in e-mail, "Per The Times' policy against Orwellian abuse of the English language, the euphemism ‘gay’ is not used to describe the homosexual lifestyle. " <p>Further down ....<p>"I think objecting to the term ‘gay’ is bizarre, " (gay writer Andrew) Sullivan says. "It's not a fad. It's been around for years and years. The key is linguistic honesty and simplicity. " <p>Most large papers have changed their style guides to allow the use of "gay " in place or along with "homosexual. " The Associated Press Stylebook accepts the use of "gay " as a "popular synonym for both male and female homosexuals. " The Washington Post further delineates the usage in its style guide, encouraging the use of "gay " in many situations. <p>"Gay is generally preferred to homosexual, " says the Post guide. "Homosexual should be reserved for a clinical or biological context. Be wary of using homosexual as a noun. In certain contexts, it can be seen as a slur. " <p>*** And "gay" is never used as a slur? This whole thing seems like an argument absolutely nobody can win.
|