GAY MARRIAGE

Gay Marriage

For a long time, homosexuality was considered a “taboo” subject for various reasons. It was thought to violate societal norms, it went against religious doctrines, and individuals simply were not comfortable with the thought of two people of the same sex engaging in relations. In modern-day reference, the term gay is associated with homosexuality. However, the term has encountered ambiguous meaning throughout time (Cameron & Kulick, 2003). A brief discussion of the historical usage of the word gay shows how the term has come to be misappropriated often within modern contexts. Because of this, homosexual individuals and communities struggle to maintain a strong identity within the midst of continual shifting connotations of the term gay within the vernacular. “Does a gay marriage have become a common part of our society?”

The word gay originates from the Old French word gai. It can be expressed as an adjective, noun, or adverb. The term is primarily used as an adjective, but in efforts to identify an individual's sexual orientation, the use of the term as a noun is relative. As an adjective, gay can be used to describe things that are pertinent to gay people, or simply the gay culture. For example, a gay club itself is not a homosexual club. Using gay as an adjective simply refers to the sexual orientation of people the club provides services to. Early on, for educational or literal references, the word gay referred to “happiness” or “flamboyance.” (Dorenkamp & Henke, 1995)

In the late 1800s, the word “gay” referred to the sexual behavior of men or women who engaged in sexual activity frequently with multiple partners; also known as promiscuity. It was not until the early 1900s that it was used in reference to homosexuality. Homosexuals referenced the term as code among themselves to avoid the stigma of being considered clinically ill by the general public. The term gay has also encountered a negative connotation among ...