In my high school and college years (mid to late '50's) they were usually called "queers". I used that term myself, but it didn't mean that I hated them. I didn't hate them back then and I don't now, I simply saw them as who they really are and I still do. My dictionary defines the word "queer" as " "Deviating from the expected or normal; strange:" Isn't that still an accurate description of them and their sexual practices whether back then or today?
They have flipped the meaning upside down until it applies to people who are NOT sodomites. Look at any and all TV shows with a sodomite character, and notice how "normal" and "well adjusted" he or she is.
Any and all people, especially if they're older, who are portrayed as "straight" are Archy Bunker jackasses and narrow-minded goofuses . . . in other words, "Deviating from the expected or normal; strange"