For a listing of yaoi anime and manga, see List of yaoi anime and manga. For history of homosexuality in U.S. films, see History of homosexuality in American film. For gay characters in animation, see List of gay characters in animation. For gay characters in anime, see List of gay characters in anime.
People at the 2008 gay marriage rally, including a protester whose sign says "THE GAY AGENDA: 1. Equality 2. See Item 1"
Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term's use as a reference to male homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the mid-20th century.[1] In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation.[2] By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex,[3][4] although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men.[5] At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision (e.g., equivalent to rubbish or stupid) to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule (e.g., equivalent to weak, unmanly, or lame). The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized.[6][7] This page examines gay characters in fictional works as a whole, focusing on characters and tropes in cinema and fantasy.
For more information about fictional characters in other parts of the LGBTQ community, see the corresponding pages about pansexual, and non-binary and intersex characters in fiction.
^Harper, Douglas (2001–2013). "Gay". Online Etymology dictionary. Archived from the original on 19 February 2006. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^"Gay". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^"GLAAD Media Reference Guide - Terms To Avoid". GLAAD. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^"Avoiding Heterosexual Bias in Language". American Psychological Association. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2020. (Reprinted from American Psychologist, Vol 46(9), Sep 1991, 973-974 Archived 3 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine)
^"GLAAD Media Reference Guide" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^Winterman, Denise (March 18, 2008). "How 'gay' became children's insult of choice". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^"Anti-gay abuse seen to pervade U.S. schools". Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
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