wow. I can’t even remember the word “gay” having been appropriated by homosexuals as early as the early 70.
<wow. I can’t even remember the word “gay” having been appropriated by homosexuals as early as the early 70.
There is a scene in a movie, I forget if it is ‘Philadelphia Story’ or ‘Bringing up Baby,’ with Cary Grant answering the front door in a frilly ladies’ bathroom. The person at the door comments and Grant says, “I went gay all of a sudden.” If it was in ‘Bringing up Baby’ that would be 1938.
Perhaps it wasn’t in common use, but put a man in a frilly bathrobe and I think most people would get what he meant, whether ‘gay’ was in common use or not. I remember seeing that scene and being quite surprised that gayness would even be referred to back then.
I never use that word to describe homosexuals. My sister is named Gay, and was born in 1949 when it meant happy, which it still does of course. When someone at our house says anything about someone being “gay”, my husband always responds with, “What’s wrong with being gay? I’m gay. I’m one of the happiest people you will ever meet!” We’re on a personal crusade to have that word stop being used as a term for sexual perversion.