english class Essay

Submitted By rubens14
Words: 685
Pages: 3

English 1101
26 November 2013

Homosexuality is one of the most controversial topics in our society. It is a subject that sparks controversy, rage and many debates among the American people. Today, there are many people who support the practice of this activity. Arguing that all individual have the rights to be free and love whoever they want. On the other hand, there others who believe that this practice should be banned from our society. They argue that homosexuality is unnatural and a great sin against God. The people who practice homosexuality are often referred to as “gays”. The meaning of this word has been changing during the years. 70 years ago, if you called somebody “gay”, they wouldn't be offended. This may confuse many people today, but the reason of this occurrence is because the word "gay" actually has many meanings. First, it can mean carefree, happy or showy. On the other hand, it can mean a homosexual. Lastly, people use the word "gay" as a negative slang term, to mean uncool, bad or boring. First, back in the 70’s the word gay wasn’t a big issue, because the senses of gay meaning either carefree, happy or showy. People used to call “gay” to someone who were so happy or tried to be showy. Some of the words “gay” meanings referred to a woman who was a prostitute or a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women. The word “gay” also was used to describe different situations. For example, back in the days one may describe a sunny summers day as “gay,” or perhaps, the vibrant coloring of a flower as also being “gay” both examples of a positive way.
Second, one of the modern definitions of “gay” refers to homosexuality, to describe the attraction of one person to another of the same gender, whether it is a male or female. This meaning is probably the one we are most familiar with. Homosexuals are often referred to as gays or lesbians. These words have become synonyms of homosexuality. Often used as a form of insult, the word “gay” has become very familiar among the homosexual community in the 20th century. The media, social beliefs and many other factors are responsible for this association. There are records of the term "gey cat" being used to refer to homosexual men and boys in the "underground" community as early as the 1910s, but "gay" didn't come to be a widely recognized as synonymous with "homosexual" until the 1950s or 1960s
Finally, the word gay is also use to describe a boring situation, activity or pastime. When someone goes to a party, movie or a club and his friend ask him of how was it, he might use the word “gay” as