- This article is about men who are gay. For any person attracted to their own gender, see Gay.
Gay men are men who are primarily or exclusively attracted to men[4] in their enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions.[6] The term gay is often associated with males but it can be used by people of any gender attracted to their own gender[7] or sex.[6]
This article is separated from the main one to focus on this specific combination of gender and sexual/romantic orientation because gay men have an extensively documented culture and history that is specific to them. For a more broad term, see Achillean.
Etymology
By the 1960s, gay men had taken to the term "gay" to refer to their own sexual identity, and by today's standards, it is the acceptable way to refer to homosexual men.[8]
Alternative names
The term "Uranian" was once used to describe gay men. It was coined by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, who used the term in this context in his collection, Forschungen über das Räthsel der mannmännlichen Liebe.[2] Uranian can be considered a problematic term for gay men because it became associated with paederastic poetry between the 1870s and 1930s, with "paederastic" meaning "relationships between adult men and pubescent or adolescent boys". This association was not Ulrichs' intention.[2]
Vincian is one of the modern proposed terms. In June 2018, the Tumblr user @bivirgil wanted to create a term and a flag for gay men that would be distinct from the umbrella term Achillean and decided to use Leonardo da Vinci for name inspiration.[9][5] The flag design included a white stripe to represent non-binary men and purple-toned blues for gender non-conforming and effeminate men.[5] Vincian has been called "an equivalent to lesbian"[note 1] for men since at least June 27th, 2021.[3]
Community
History
During the Nazi regime 1933-1945
Gay men were specifically targeted by the Nazis. At certain concentration camps, gay men had a downward-pointing pink triangle sewn onto their shirts. It was not until the 1970s that the symbol was reclaimed as a symbol of gay pride.[11]
HIV/AIDS pandemic
- Main article: HIV/AIDS pandemic
Gay subcultures
Bears
- Main article: Bear
The bear flag
One of the many long-standing gay subcultures, a bear in an LGBTQIA+ context is a large, hairy queer man who self-identifies with the 'bear' label. Being a bear combines gender expression, gender identity, and sexuality; a large, hairy straight man would not be a bear.[12] They are generally masculine-presenting men over the age of 30 whose build may include a big belly, legs, and/or butt. Bears almost always have a full beard or facial hair, and they are often associated with so-called "traditional masculinity"[13] or "rugged masculinity". However, there is a debate within the bear community regarding the acceptability of femininity;[12] they tend to be contrasted with identities such as twinks and femmes. Although bears are implicitly masculine people, being a bear is not about specific mannerisms or identities like "masc",[13] and bear identity does not indicate preferred partners or sexual roles.[12]
Twinks
- Main article: Twink
A proposed twink flag
Twink is a subcultural term referring to gay or bi men who defy traditional masculine roles, embracing traits that are generally seen as feminine.[14]
Twinks are typically associated with a few key tropes: general physical attractiveness, a slim build, and a youthful appearance that lacks facial hair and often body hair as well.[14] In his book Never Enough (2007), Joe McGinniss describes a court case in which twink was defined as "a gay slang term used to denote an attractive, boyish-looking gay man between the ages of 18 and 23, slender ectomorph and with little or no body hair, often blond, often but not necessarily Caucasian."[15]
Flag
The modern gay men's pride flag, aka the "Ocean Gay flag",[16] was posted in 2019 on the Tumblr blog gayflagblog as an update of a prior gay men flag. It features an array of green, blue, and purple shades that are representative of a wide range of gay men. This version replaced the original one that only used blue tones, as it was regarded as a stereotypical representation of the gender binary and lacked meaning for the colors used. Inspired by Gilbert Baker and the responses to the prior blue flag, the individual stripes used by gayflagblog mean:[17]
- Green: Community[17]
- Teal: Healing[17]
- Light teal/green: Joy[17]
- White: Gender non-conforming, non-binary, and trans men[17]
- Light blue: Pure love[17]
- Purple: Fortitude[17]
- Indigo: Diversity[17]
The combination of green and teal also represents nature, in defiance of the perception of love between men as "unnatural". Green also draws upon the use of green plants and flowers, specifically carnations and hyacinths. The use of white was derived from the Trans Pride Flag to explicitly represent identities that are often erased and the need to address and resolve transphobia, internalized homophobia, and toxic masculinity. The light blue leading into purple was inspired by criticism of the blue flag ("oh blue for boy? bleh") and symbolizes how gay men may or may not be stereotypical, in-between, or fluid. The purple and indigo together represent diversity in presentation, relationships, and life experience; not fitting into neat categories, "especially by those who choose to fetishize us & by non-MLM, but in reality there are so so many different ways to be a man and so many ways to be a man who loves or who is in a relationship with other men, and this needs to be emphasized".[17]
The anonymous gayflagblog blogger intends his flag to be inclusive of all gay men. He explicitly mentioned (but did not limit this to): gay men who are aromantic, asexual, questioning/unsure, non-binary, or transgender, and those whose presentation is gender non-conforming, androgynous, fem, or masc.[17] Many people who use the Vincian label have adopted this flag and the creator said "you are free to use it under any other similar terms". He noted that for someone also attracted to women, there is the Achillean flag instead; his flag is not a replacement for that.[16]
Controversy
The term homosexual
The use of the term "homosexual" to describe individuals within the gay community has sparked considerable controversy due to its perceived outdated connotations, being viewed as derogatory and offensive by many lesbian and gay individuals.[1][4]
Perceptions and discrimination
Studies at Johns Hopkins reveal that men who are in romantic relationships with men are just as likely to face domestic abuse as women in romantic relationships with men. The same factors of manipulation and control can exist, but one form of abuse not present in woman/man relationships is threatening to "out" the victim to their family, friends, and co-workers. When that occurs, the victim may not seek help because they fear that revealing their sexual orientation to others will put them in even greater danger than their partner does.[18]
Media
Comic books
- Bobby Drake (Iceman) from Marvel Comics[19]
- Jean-Paul Beaubier (Northstar) and Kyle Jinadu from Marvel Comics[20]
- Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) and Teddy Altman (Hulkling) from Marvel Comics[21]
- Christian Frost (White Bishop) from Marvel Comics[22]
- Cooper Coen (Web-Weaver) from Marvel Comics [23]
- Alan Scott (Green Lantern) from DC Comics[24]
- Andrew Pulaski (Apollo) and Midnighter from DC Comics[25]
- Jackson Hyde (Aquaman) and Ha'Wea from DC Comics[26]
- Jay Nakamura from DC Comics[27]
- Raymond Terill (The Ray) and Xenos from DC Comics[28]
Film
- Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter franchise[29]
- Simon Spier and Bram Greenfeld from Love, Simon[30]
- Chiron Harris from Moonlight[31]
Television
- Wylan Hendricks from Shadow and Bone[32]
- Oscar Martinez from The Office[33]
- Alec Lightwood from Shadowhunters[34]
- Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich from Shameless[35]
- Jude Adams Foster and Connor Stevens from The Fosters[36]
- Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson from Glee[37]
- Teddy Montgomery from 90210[38]
Music
- Darren Hayes (Savage Garden)[39]
- Elton John, British singer who spent the first decade of his career in the closet. He came out as bisexual in 1976, and then came out as gay ten years later.[40]
- George Michael, English singer[40]
Public figures
- Alan Turing, English mathematician and computer scientist, most famously known for being a key part in the decryption of German messages during World War II[40]
- Bayard Rustin, an African-American civil rights activist[40]
- Dan Savage, American author and LGBT rights activist who founded the It Gets Better Project[40]
- Edward Carpenter, Victorian scholar and philosopher[40]
- George Takei, actor and activist, most well know for his role on Star Trek. He came out as gay at the age of 68, in response to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoing a same-sex marriage bill in 2005.[41]
- Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay men to hold an elected position in the United States[40]
- Peter Tatchell, British human rights and gay rights activist[40]
- Quentin Crisp, English author and actor[40]
- Touko Laaksonen, Finnish artist who went by the pseudonym Tom of Finland and was well known for homoerotic queer art[40]
Other
- Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel)[42]
Notes
References
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