Gay's Anatomy

An insider's look at gay culture and identity.

by Joe Kort

Joe Kort, LMSW, is a psychotherapist and author of books on gay male development, gay male couples including Gay Affirmative Therapy for the Straight Clinician:The Essential Guide. He is a gay and lesbian studies adjunct professor at Wayne State University.

October 12, 2008, Gender

Comments on "The Terms "Homosexual" and the "N-word""

The Terms "Homosexual" and the "N-word"

By Joe Kort on October 12, 2008 in Gay's Anatomy

Over the years, other minority groups have changed how they want to be referred to in an attempt to change how they're treated. For example, African-Americans went from being called "Negro" and "colored" to "black" and "people of color" and finally to the current politically correct term African-American. Today, the word queer, once a pejorative term, is often used in a positive way. Dozens of books and articles are published with queer in their titles, and the term has come into common, affirmative usage by lesbians and gays as well. Read More

Merle Dean Shamblin Gay Trucker

Submitted by Merle Shamblin on November 4, 2008 - 8:48am.

Hello my name is Merle Dean Shamblin and I would like to be your new friend. I sure could use somebody to chat with. I am a 47 year old long haul truck driver who currently lives in Duncan Oklahoma. Dec 8th 1960 I was born in Fairview Oklahoma. Moved to Caddo and Washita counties where I attended school at Colony Hydro and Weatherford. My parents Malvin and Wanda Shamblin were cotton and peanut farmers. Dad died in 99 from lung cancer. Graduated from SWOSU with a business degree. My two sisters are LaDonna Hubert and Malva Burrahm. Dennis is my brother. I have been a truck driver for 14 years and have driven 2 million paid miles. I have received many safe driving awards over the years. I am single and have never been married. I have a wide range of interests and am pretty much an open book. Currently I drive a 2006 Freightliner for a major carrier. I dont go to Canada very often. I dont have a dedicated route so I run the entire lower 48. I enjoy reading cinema music sports travel etc. I am gay and versatile.

Completely disagree with you

Submitted by Roland on January 5, 2009 - 4:08am.

Fag is like the N-word. (I think Dyke is in that category too.)

Homosexual is just a scientifically designative word, and non-offensive to me.

Sodomite (or catamite) is definitely a religious pejorative term.

I personally don't care for Queer either.
Queer implies wierd or abnormal.

I don't like Gay as it implies the stereotype of an effeminate and/or flambuoyant type of guy, but that's a holdover from the 60s/70s and it seems to be becoming more genericized. Not my favorite word, but as times are changing I can live with it, at least until we get something nicer sounding.

I always thought "Bent" was fine.

delete my posts please

Submitted by Merle Dean Shamblin on January 14, 2009 - 2:52pm.

please remove my posts from your website.

Power lies in the Choice to Be inoffendable

Submitted by Bill g. on March 19, 2009 - 8:54am.

I am Black. When growing up in Alabama in the 1940's, a white man living just behind where I grew up often used the term Nigra's to describe my people. He meant no harm. How do I know? Because Southerners rarely stress the last syllable in the names of people, places of things. They call Louisville LOOIE-vl, for example. So they would never say KNEE-GROW. the KNEE would become NI and the grow would become gra. This sounded like nigger (I refuse to call this the N - word) and northerners in particular often took offense. But I have always thought that offense should be measured by the intent of the speaker. And where that intent could not be readily discerned, then power accrues to he who refuses to be offended.The Words Negro and Black mean the exact same thing and yet many Blacks "choose" to be offended by the use of the word Negro. So when you say that Homosexual is offensive, I become just as perplexed as when confronted with the anti-Negro mongers. Homosexual has always intended to be an inoffensive label for people whose gender is obvious but whose sexual choices are within that gender. it seems to label without commentary. Likewise the word Negro, it labels without meritorious commentary. If we refuse to let words provoke us and rely instead on intent, we might one day be able to sing the in the words of that old negro spiritual, free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we're free at last.