A cartoon from Punch magazine from 1857 illustrating the use of 'gay' as a euphemism for being a prostitute. One woman says to the other (who looks glum), 'how long have you been gay?' The poster on the wall is for La Traviata, an opera about a courtesan. Etymology History A cartoon from Punch magazine from 1857 illustrating the use of 'gay' as a euphemism for being a prostitute. There is no corresponding word for gay men. Note that while gay applies to men and women, the term lesbian is gender-specific: it is used exclusively to describe homosexual women. Gay sometimes also refers to the culture of homosexual men and women (as in 'gay history'), to things perceived by others to be typical of gay people (as in ' gay music'), or to same-sex relationships more generally (as in 'gay marriage').
Gay is an adjective meaning 'carefree', 'happy', or 'bright and showy' however, in modern usage, gay usually refers to homosexual men or women.
