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Ladies - Gay or Lesbian

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Rainbow Girl, Sep 4, 2014.

  1. Fallingdown7

    Fallingdown7 Guest

    Yeah, that's true. I guess It's because in my family 'lesbian' is used as a derogatory word, and my Mom (who supports LGBT) has always called homosexual women 'gay'. Where I come from it feels like lesbian is the new 'dyke'.
    And I guess It's because 'lesbian' also feels like a feminine word, and I hate feeling feminine xD
     
  2. stocking

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    Well if you put it this way I can see why you would hate it , I like the word though even if it' s like the new dyke ,but I remember a time when I hated the word lesbian ,and didn't get why any woman would proudly call themselves one .
     
  3. Fallingdown7

    Fallingdown7 Guest

    I use it to describe myself sometimes to be easier, but for some reason when people call me one it can be uncomfortable depending how they use it.
     
  4. stocking

    stocking Guest

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    I think it's because of the sound of the word maybe , my mom says the word lesbian in a funny say , where it made me feel ashamed to even say the word .
     
  5. Randomcloud

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    I prefer gay but I don't mind much. It only bothers me if someone calls me a "dyke" (yes, I'm aware some gay women like to call themselves that but I don't)
     
  6. Chief Beifong

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    I still find it difficult when I come out to people, straight out like that. So whenever I feel like i'm choking, I prefer saying 'i'm gay'.
     
  7. ChloeKiss

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    That's like me.. I use gay if i'm uncomfortable. But I still like the word Lesbian more. I don't know why.. like I said it seems more appealing to me in a certain way.
     
  8. black-cat

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    I think I'm actually bi, but I identify as gay, and I prefer gay to lesbian. Though, if in doubt, I just go for I like girls and boys, or just I like titties LOL (!)
     
  9. vendettaxo

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    I use both gay/lesbian generally whichever pops out first.
     
  10. Quem

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    This has everything to do with the evolution of languages.. They sometimes lead to these situations.

    Lesbian comes from Latin Lesbiana, which comes from Ancient Greek (Lésbos) (in fact Lésbosiana) - referring to Sappho of Lesbos

    I don't think I need to explain where gay comes from.

    We have clouds, but we say it's nebulous (although we say cloudy too nowadays)
     
  11. Anonymous777

    Anonymous777 Guest

    People who speak Spanish use the word lesbian (lesbiana) to refer to homosexual women.

    However, we use the word gay only to refer to homosexual men.
     
  12. Fallingdown7

    Fallingdown7 Guest

    I understand that, but It's another thing I don't FULLY understand, because Sappho herself was a bisexual woman, and wrote about love of both sexes. So if 'lesbian' were to come from the island of lesbos, it would make more sense to call bi women lesbians. It's mixed up.
     
  13. stocking

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    Oh yeah you have a good point here because Sappho really was never a homosexual woman . I remember a woman who was lesbian said, she was rejecting the word lesbian because sappho was never a homosexual woman plus, bisexual women were using the word lesbian and thought it was better suited for them and she also said now when she hears the word lesbian she just thinks bisexual woman .
    I was thinking the same thing a while back that I shouldn't call myself a lesbian because some bi women were using it but unlike her when I hear the word lesbian just think homosexual woman . I still don't know I like the word and it's meaning but if the meaning changed I would no longer use it .
     
  14. cuppycake

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    Well, I personally prefer lesbian, but I wouldn't mind being called gay. To me it's the same, so I use both words.
     
  15. ResidentTheatreKid

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    If i'm talking to a potential bully I will tell them I'm a lesbian/gay/dyke or whatever they want to call me, so they have nothing that they can bully me for. So if they walked up to me and called me a dyke it's sort of like.... isn't that what I just said?

    If it's someone I'm nervous about coming out to, I will say gay. It's easier, less chance to stutter or get too scared. If it's someone I'm confident about coming out to, I will say lesbian :slight_smile:
     
  16. Mysz

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    This could be a good poll =)

    Prefer to use gay. It also meant for a long time, 'happy' and though nowadays 'gay' is used as a synonym for homosexual, I like to call myself gay and mean it in both senses of the word.
     
  17. Fallingdown7

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    Same. Like I said, It's not a bad word and I sometimes describe myself that way, but I think I usually use gay when someone asks
     
  18. ChromeNerd

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    I prefer the word gay. The word lesbian makes me think of butch lesbians or porn. I also would rather describe myself with an adjective than a noun.
     
  19. stocking

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    I think either should be fine though I usually use lesbian .
     
  20. Quem

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    The meaning of words change.. It's more of a coincidence. Etymology gets quite complicated sometimes. :lol: