[PW] First appearance of 'gay'

[Sandra Gustafson]

See the introduction of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Makings
of the Gay Male World*,* by George Chauncey, Cassell's Dictionary of Slang
by Jonathan Green, and  Wimmin, Wimps & Wallflowers: an encyclopaedic
dictionary of gender by Phillip  H. Herbst. I read relevant passages from
each of them via  Google Books. Dictionaries would have differed, of course,
on when slang usages were included, but it appears that the term was used in
the mainstream press only as part of a title or quotation in the 1970's, e.g.
"Gay Liberation Front," and was not permitted in regular usage until the
1980's.

Sandra Gustafson
Hutchinson Public Library
Hutchinson, KS


> There was an interesting question that came through yesterday. The patron
> wanted to know when the term 'gay' in a homosexual context first appeared in
> a mainstream dictionary. We found it mentioned in OED and other sources as
> to when it was used in publications; but, we could not find a first sighting
> as a regular definition.
> Any ideas?
>
> Carol S. Fuller
> Librarian I
> Humanities, Fine Arts & Recreation
> Columbus Metropolitan Library
> cfuller at columbuslibrary.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Project Wombat
> list at project-wombat.org
> http://www.project-wombat.org/
>



-- 
Sandra