What is the male equivalent of Lesbian?
There are many terms describing a person who has a sexual preference for members of the same gender. The most clinical of these is homosexual. Other terms include queer and gay, but all of these terms are applied to both men and women indiscriminately.
Lesbian, as far as I can tell, is the only term that is used to describe a person of a gender having a sexual preference for a member of the same gender used exclusively for the female gender.
I have searched around and the closest I have come to an answer is “male gay” or “gay man,” neither of which is sufficient in my mind.
Is there a male equivalent word describing having a same-gender sexual preference, such as lesbian is for women?
meaning word-choice expressions terminology
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
|
show 5 more comments
There are many terms describing a person who has a sexual preference for members of the same gender. The most clinical of these is homosexual. Other terms include queer and gay, but all of these terms are applied to both men and women indiscriminately.
Lesbian, as far as I can tell, is the only term that is used to describe a person of a gender having a sexual preference for a member of the same gender used exclusively for the female gender.
I have searched around and the closest I have come to an answer is “male gay” or “gay man,” neither of which is sufficient in my mind.
Is there a male equivalent word describing having a same-gender sexual preference, such as lesbian is for women?
meaning word-choice expressions terminology
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
1
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
1
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
1
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02
|
show 5 more comments
There are many terms describing a person who has a sexual preference for members of the same gender. The most clinical of these is homosexual. Other terms include queer and gay, but all of these terms are applied to both men and women indiscriminately.
Lesbian, as far as I can tell, is the only term that is used to describe a person of a gender having a sexual preference for a member of the same gender used exclusively for the female gender.
I have searched around and the closest I have come to an answer is “male gay” or “gay man,” neither of which is sufficient in my mind.
Is there a male equivalent word describing having a same-gender sexual preference, such as lesbian is for women?
meaning word-choice expressions terminology
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
There are many terms describing a person who has a sexual preference for members of the same gender. The most clinical of these is homosexual. Other terms include queer and gay, but all of these terms are applied to both men and women indiscriminately.
Lesbian, as far as I can tell, is the only term that is used to describe a person of a gender having a sexual preference for a member of the same gender used exclusively for the female gender.
I have searched around and the closest I have come to an answer is “male gay” or “gay man,” neither of which is sufficient in my mind.
Is there a male equivalent word describing having a same-gender sexual preference, such as lesbian is for women?
meaning word-choice expressions terminology
meaning word-choice expressions terminology
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
edited Jul 26 '18 at 21:30
ShadowyIce
606
606
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
asked Jul 26 '18 at 21:00
Richard Parnaby-KingRichard Parnaby-King
1074
1074
What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
1
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
1
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
1
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02
|
show 5 more comments
What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
1
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
1
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
1
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02
What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
1
1
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
1
1
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
1
1
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02
|
show 5 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Gay can be inclusive of males and females, or it can apply to males only. (If the word gay always included both sexes, then there would be no need for the L in LGBT.)
However, unlike lesbian, you normally would use gay as an adjective and not as a noun. If you are only talking about men, you might specify gay men to be specific about meaning. If you also discuss women using the word lesbian, it would probably be clear from context that the adjective gay refers only to men. But since you would generally need a noun to go with gay, you might default to gay men anyway and the problem is solved.
But you might want to use a more specific noun, for example to discuss gay men in Canada. If it's clear that gay refers only to males since lesbians are mentioned separately then gay Canadians should suffice. If lesbians aren't mentioned at all and you want specifically to refer to males, then you'd have to say something like gay Canadian men.
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
add a comment |
Uuh...the simplest answer is: There isn't one.
A woman can say: "I am a lesbian".
A man cannot say: "I am a gay".
Both may be a "gay" person, but it seems only women have a gender specific name/noun for them.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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2 Answers
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Gay can be inclusive of males and females, or it can apply to males only. (If the word gay always included both sexes, then there would be no need for the L in LGBT.)
However, unlike lesbian, you normally would use gay as an adjective and not as a noun. If you are only talking about men, you might specify gay men to be specific about meaning. If you also discuss women using the word lesbian, it would probably be clear from context that the adjective gay refers only to men. But since you would generally need a noun to go with gay, you might default to gay men anyway and the problem is solved.
But you might want to use a more specific noun, for example to discuss gay men in Canada. If it's clear that gay refers only to males since lesbians are mentioned separately then gay Canadians should suffice. If lesbians aren't mentioned at all and you want specifically to refer to males, then you'd have to say something like gay Canadian men.
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
add a comment |
Gay can be inclusive of males and females, or it can apply to males only. (If the word gay always included both sexes, then there would be no need for the L in LGBT.)
However, unlike lesbian, you normally would use gay as an adjective and not as a noun. If you are only talking about men, you might specify gay men to be specific about meaning. If you also discuss women using the word lesbian, it would probably be clear from context that the adjective gay refers only to men. But since you would generally need a noun to go with gay, you might default to gay men anyway and the problem is solved.
But you might want to use a more specific noun, for example to discuss gay men in Canada. If it's clear that gay refers only to males since lesbians are mentioned separately then gay Canadians should suffice. If lesbians aren't mentioned at all and you want specifically to refer to males, then you'd have to say something like gay Canadian men.
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
add a comment |
Gay can be inclusive of males and females, or it can apply to males only. (If the word gay always included both sexes, then there would be no need for the L in LGBT.)
However, unlike lesbian, you normally would use gay as an adjective and not as a noun. If you are only talking about men, you might specify gay men to be specific about meaning. If you also discuss women using the word lesbian, it would probably be clear from context that the adjective gay refers only to men. But since you would generally need a noun to go with gay, you might default to gay men anyway and the problem is solved.
But you might want to use a more specific noun, for example to discuss gay men in Canada. If it's clear that gay refers only to males since lesbians are mentioned separately then gay Canadians should suffice. If lesbians aren't mentioned at all and you want specifically to refer to males, then you'd have to say something like gay Canadian men.
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
Gay can be inclusive of males and females, or it can apply to males only. (If the word gay always included both sexes, then there would be no need for the L in LGBT.)
However, unlike lesbian, you normally would use gay as an adjective and not as a noun. If you are only talking about men, you might specify gay men to be specific about meaning. If you also discuss women using the word lesbian, it would probably be clear from context that the adjective gay refers only to men. But since you would generally need a noun to go with gay, you might default to gay men anyway and the problem is solved.
But you might want to use a more specific noun, for example to discuss gay men in Canada. If it's clear that gay refers only to males since lesbians are mentioned separately then gay Canadians should suffice. If lesbians aren't mentioned at all and you want specifically to refer to males, then you'd have to say something like gay Canadian men.
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
answered Jul 26 '18 at 21:56
TalmageTalmage
3095
3095
add a comment |
add a comment |
Uuh...the simplest answer is: There isn't one.
A woman can say: "I am a lesbian".
A man cannot say: "I am a gay".
Both may be a "gay" person, but it seems only women have a gender specific name/noun for them.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Uuh...the simplest answer is: There isn't one.
A woman can say: "I am a lesbian".
A man cannot say: "I am a gay".
Both may be a "gay" person, but it seems only women have a gender specific name/noun for them.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Uuh...the simplest answer is: There isn't one.
A woman can say: "I am a lesbian".
A man cannot say: "I am a gay".
Both may be a "gay" person, but it seems only women have a gender specific name/noun for them.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Uuh...the simplest answer is: There isn't one.
A woman can say: "I am a lesbian".
A man cannot say: "I am a gay".
Both may be a "gay" person, but it seems only women have a gender specific name/noun for them.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 4 mins ago
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
answered 14 mins ago
J tothe tJ tothe t
11
11
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
J tothe t is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
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What's wrong with gay man?
– Lambie
Jul 26 '18 at 21:19
1
How appropriate that the word "closest" is mistyped as "closets" :)
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:21
@Mari-LouA The OP may not get that...but I had a chuckle.
– Cascabel
Jul 26 '18 at 21:23
1
Related: “Homosexual” or “Gay and Lesbian”? and Does “gay” necessarily mean male homosexual? and What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"?
– Mari-Lou A
Jul 26 '18 at 21:59
1
@Cascabel I've already voted to close. Your comment was addressed to me, however.
– Bread
Jul 27 '18 at 21:02