| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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6. Names and Labels: Social, Racial, and Ethnic Terms
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| § 34. gay |
| Gay is now standard in its use to refer to the American homosexual community and its members; in this use it is generally lowercased. Gay is distinguished from homosexual primarily by the emphasis it places on the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality as opposed to sexual practice. Many writers reserve gay for homosexual men, but the word is widely used with reference to both sexes; when the intended meaning is not clear in the context, the phrase gay and lesbian should be used. Like other names of social groups that are derived from adjectives (for example, black), gay may be regarded as offensive when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as in There were two gays on the panel. In such cases you should substitute the phrase gay people for gays. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the plural to refer to the general gay community, as in Gays have united in opposition to the policy. | 1 |
| More at
lesbian. | 2 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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