View source for LGBTQIA+ Slurs and Slang

'''***PARTIAL DRAFT - TO BE UPDATED***'''

{{row hover highlight}}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-datatable" id="table"
!scope=col | '''Term''' 
!scope=col | '''Contextual note'''
!scope=col | Time/Region
!scope=col | '''References'''
|-
|'''ace  queen'''
|1970s term meaning “great  queen”. Prison slang for a man who wears a more “feminine” look i.e. shaved  legs, plucked eyebrows. May be described as part of incarcerated homosexual  culture. Should not be confused with the more widely-used term "ace,"  a shortening of "asexual." See "asexual."
|UK, USA, 1970s
|Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|'''alphabet people'''
|Offensive  contemporary term for LGBTQ+ people, often used by right-wing people reacting  to perceived advancements in LGBTQ+ people's rights.
|2020s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''bathroom  queenbog  queen'''
|Gay slang expression for people  who frequent public toilets looking for sexual encounters.
Synonyms: Bathsheba (composition  between bathroom and Sheba to create a name reminiscent of the Queen of  Sheba), Ghost (50s, ghost, because they wander the corridors of the  bathroom). 
|USA, UK
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|'''batting  for the other team'''
|A euphemistic  phrase indicating that someone (of any gender) is gay. This phrase is not a  slur or especially offensive, and is generally used with a note of humour.  However, it is outdated, because the euphemistic reluctance to normalise  terms such as "gay" or "lesbian" suggests that LGBTQ+  people should not be openly talked about. Risks blocking discoverability if  used instead of more direct terms.
|20th and early  21st century
|
|-
|'''bean  queen'''
|Slang used in  male homosexual communities in the USA to describe Mexican homosexuals.  Racist overtones. Also used to describe Latinx drag queens, as well as white  men who are attracted to Latino men.
|Mexico, USA
|Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|'''beardMiss  Beard'''
|Individuals who pose as the date or partner of someone they are  not in a relationship with, typically to prevent that person's sexuality from  becoming public knowledge; most commonly used to refer to a woman pretending  to be dating a gay man.
|20th Century-, Europe, USA
|Homosaurus
|-
|'''bicycle'''
|Used as slang for bisexual in  the 1960s. Also more widely used to indicate promiscuity, esp for women; this usage is considered offensive.
|1960s-, UK
|Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|'''bottom'''
|A  "bottom" is an individual who acts as the "receiving"  partner in sexual encounters. Widely used, but should be enclosed in  quotation marks and contextualised if needed in archival description.  Sometimes used as a self-descriptor within queer communities, but should be  replicated with caution. Sometimes used as a verb ("to bottom for  someone"). Offensive if applied to LGBTQ+ individuals from outwith queer  communities. See also  "top" and "switch."
|
|Homosaurus 
|-
|bronco
bronc
|A young gay man, or  someone new to the gay community.
|1930s-, USA
|Green's Dictionary of  Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''butterflybutterfly  boy'''
|Gay community slang for an effeminate man. No  longer in general use.
|1960s-1970s
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''capon'''
|Coming from a word from animal  husbandry for a castrated rooster, the word was from the 1600s applied to  castratos. During the 20th century, it was used by American gay communities  to describe a young or inexperienced gay man.
No longer in use, but would be  considered offensive.
|USA, 1930s-1970s
|Mosca de Colores  – Gay Dictionary
Green's Dictionary of Slang -  <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''Charlie  RonceCharley'''
|British  rhyming slang for “ponce,” in the sense of "pimp."
|UK
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''chaser'''
|Short for  "tranny chaser." A person who sees trans people (usually trans  women) as inherently sexual, and sexually objectifies them. As opposed to  someone who simply is predominantly attracted to trans women; a chaser does  not view trans women respectfully as people with humanity and agency, but  rather as players in a sexual fantasy.
<nowiki>*</nowiki>reminder - "tranny" is extremely offensive - avoid  speaking aloud*
|20th Century-, Europe, USA
|GenderMinorities.com – Trans 101: glossary of trans  words and how to use them
|-
|'''cornholecornholer'''
|American rural slang to indicate  anal sex, or a gay man. Generally considered offensive.
Should not be confused with the  game of the same name, which involves throwing beanbags into a hole in a  wooden platform.
|1920s-,  USA
|Oxford English Dictionary.
|-
|'''curry  queen'''
|A gay man who is attracted to  Indian men. Offensive, racist overtones.
|1990s-, USA
|Green's Dictionary of Slang -  <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''Doric  love'''
|1920s expression for gay  sex/romance referencing classical Greece, sometimes with overtones of  pederasty.
|1920s, UK
|Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|'''double-gaited'''
|Slang for "bisexual."
|1920s-, USA
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''drag familydrag motherhouse of'''
|In the  US, a group of drag queens who have been mentored by a "mother,"  also known as a "house." These groups often take on family drag  names and form close-knit communities. See also 3.1.1 LGBTQIA+ Communities and History, "chosen  family."
|20th Century-, US
|Wikipedia  - Drag Race Terminology [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_Race_terminology]
|-
|'''dyke'''
|Contested  terminology. Slur for lesbian, highly offensive if applied to a lesbian or  transmasc person externally. Term has been reclaimed by some lesbians  communities, and is sometimes used affirmingly within communities. Only use  if someone self-describes in this way, and enclose in quotation marks to  indicate this.
| rowspan="3" |1930s-, US, UK
|LGBTQ+  Terminology, Montclair State University [https://www.montclair.edu/lgbtq-center/lgbtq-resources/terminology/]
|-
|'''bulldyke'''
|"Bulldyke"  and "bulldagger" are often used to indicate butch or masculine  queer women, sometimes with overtones of toughness or aggression.
|Oxford English  Dictionary
|-
|'''bulldagger'''
|Only use these  terms if someone self-describes in this way, and enclose in quotation marks  to indicate this.
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''egg'''
|Slang  term (originating online) for a person who has not yet realised they are  transgender, has not yet come out, or is in the early stages of  transitioning. Usually used (fondly) by trans people to recognise when  aspects of someone's personality or behavior remind them of gender-related  aspects of themselves before they realized they were trans.
If necessary to refer to this in description, use  "speculations about transness" or "discussion about  pre-/early-transition experience."
|21st century, online
|Wikipedia  – List of LGBT Slang Terms
Emily St. James, ''Vox'' [https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/30/18286436/the-matrix-wachowskis-trans-experience-redpill]
|-
|'''faggotfagotfaggotryfaggotyfagfaggyfagged'''
|Extremely  offensive slur for a gay man, often used to imply someone is effeminate;  lacking power or vigour; weak, cowardly; ineffectual. Hate speech when used  about a gay man, especially in the US.
Not to be  confused with other meanings:
"Fag"  is also British English slang for a cigarette. Widely used in this way in the  UK, inoffensive.
"Faggot"  can mean a bundle of sticks or herbs, often for a fire. Historically (Middle  Ages) associated with the bundles of wood used to burn people accused of  heresy/witchcraft. Now mostly obsolete. There is speculation that the term  came to be a slur due to this association with immorality and punishment, but  there is no consensus on its origins.
"Faggot"  is also used in the UK Midlands to indicate a regional cuisine - a type of  meatball. Inoffensive in this context, though rare.
"Fagged"  or "fagged out" were historically (18th-20th century) used to mean  tired or exhausted.
If used in  these alternative contexts, consider including further explanation or  quotation marks in description, to make this clear.
|(as a slur) 1940s-, US, later UK
|Oxford  English Dictionary
Moscas de Colores
|-
|'''fag hag'''
|A woman, typically a heterosexual one, possibly  ageing, who prefers, enjoys, or seeks out the company of homosexual men. This  term is offensive to gay men and misogynistic to heterosexual women. Once  common, now rarely used within queer communities.
|1960s-
|Oxford  English Dictionary
Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''fag stag'''
|A  heterosexual man who enjoys the company of gay men. Rare.
|1990s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''fairy'''
|Slang  for homosexual man, probably derived from earlier slang use meaning a  promiscuous woman. See 3.2  Women's History. Contested term - originally offensive, but reclaimed by gay  men in the 1960s. Only use if an individual self-describes in this way.
|1890s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''fairy lady'''
|Some  sources cite this term to mean a feminine lesbian, others to mean a bisexual  person of any gender.
Mostly appeared originally in 1920s-onwards in informal  dictionaries of slang, which were not always reliable. Cannot corroborate  from other sources.
|1920s-?
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''flameflamerflaming'''
|"Flaming" can be used generally as an  intensifier or curse, but has become especially associated with feminine gay  men and campness. Often still used fondly, especially by older generations of  gay men, but offensive if applied by others. Only use if an individual  self-describes in this way, and indicate this with quotation marks.
|20th Century-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|'''flip-flopflip  flop'''
|Slang  to indicate either 1) bisexuality or 2) a person that likes to switch between  "top" and "bottom" roles during sex. Especially used by  incarcerated people in the US.
|1970s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|flower
|Various flowers  are used to refer to feminine gay men, though "pansy" is probably  the most common.
| rowspan="5" |1890s-
| rowspan="2" |Green's Dictionary of  Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|daisy
|Associates gay  men with misogynistic ideas of femininity; implies weakness, unthreateneaning  appearance, cowardliness.
|-
|pansy
|Offensive,  usually used as an intentional slur.
| rowspan="3" |Moscas de Colores
|-
|water-lily
|
|-
|tulip
|
|-
|flute
| rowspan="3" |Outdated slang for fellatio, or someone  performing fellatio.
| rowspan="3" |1900s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|fluter
| rowspan="2" |Moscas de Colores
|-
|flute-player
|-
|foop
|Rare  slang for a gay man.
|1890s
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|forty-one
| rowspan="3" |“Forty-one” is an expression used in the state  of Texas (USA) to refer to homosexual men. The origin of this expression is  found in neighboring Mexico, where the same expression is used in Spanish,  due to a scandal that occurred in 1901 in Mexico City. 41 people were  arrested at a private dance, at which almost half were cross-dressing. This  incident is known as “The Dance of the Forty-One”. It is said that in  reality, they were 42, but one of them was the son-in-law of President  Porfirio Diaz, who was allowed to escape. Those who could not afford freedom  or silence were sentenced to hard labor in the Oaxaca National Valley. So the  number 41 became a euphemism for illicit sexuality, and was avoided.
| rowspan="3" |Texas, USA; Mexico
| rowspan="3" |Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|forty  one
|-
|41
|-
| rowspan="2" |friend of dorothy
| rowspan="2" |Coded slang for gay. Referring to gay icon Judy  Garland's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
| rowspan="2" |UK, USA, 1970s-
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
| rowspan="2" |frit
| rowspan="2" |Rare slang for a gay man.
| rowspan="2" |UK, USA, 1970s
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|fruit
|Slang  for a gay man, especially for a feminine gay man. Outdated and often  offensive, because it implies someone is easily "picked," or  associates someone with its other slang meanings of "dupe,"  "victim," or someone living with mental illness.
| rowspan="2" |20th Century-
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|fruity
|There are many  variations of this term used for queer people across the 20th century and  across different regions, inlcuding bowl of fruit, fruitcake, fruit-eater,  fruitloop, and fruit-picker.
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|gay cat
| rowspan="2" |Slang used primarily in unhoused and/or criminal  communities from the first half of the twentieth century in the US. Generally  denoting a younger homosexual companion.
| rowspan="2" |1900s-1950s, USA
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|gaycat
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|gay lord
| rowspan="2" |Slur for a gay man.
| rowspan="2" |1970s-, UK, USA
|Oxford  English Dictionary
|-
|gaylord
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
| rowspan="2" |gentleman of the back door
| rowspan="2" |18th-century slang for a gay man. Only found in  popular slang dictionaries of the period - little corroborating evidence that  this was actually used.
| rowspan="2" |18th Century, UK
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|Norena Shopland, A Practical Guide to searching LGBTQIA  historical records (Routledge 2021
|-
|ginger
| rowspan="7" |Cockney rhyming slang for "queer."
| rowspan="7" |20th Century-, UK
| rowspan="7" |Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|ginger  beer
|-
|Brighton  Pier
|-
|ginger  beer
|-
|jere
|-
|gear 
|-
|King  Lear
|-
| rowspan="2" |girl
| rowspan="2" |Sometimes used as an slur for a gay man. More  often as a (now widely recognised) term of affection between gay men, though  more likely as a friendly term than as a romantic one.
| rowspan="2" |1910s-
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|giver
|Slang for the "active"  role during gay sex. The giver/taker binary is now largely acknowledged as  artificial and heteronormative.
|20th Century-, UK, USA
|Moscas de Colores
|-
|gold star
|Slang  for someone who has never had sex with someone of the opposite gender,  sometimes including bisexual people of their own gender. Most commonly used  in lesbian communities, now widely recognised as biphobic.
|20th  Century-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|gonsel
| rowspan="4" |Slang used by incarcerated and unhoused  communities in the US to denote a young gay man or boy.
| rowspan="4" |20th Century, USA
|Moscas de  Colores
|-
|gunsel
| rowspan="3" |Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|gunshel
|-
|gunsil
|-
| rowspan="2" |gump
| rowspan="2" |Slang  used by incarcerated men in the US to denote a person in the  "passive" role in gay sex.
| rowspan="2" |1980s-, USA
|Mosca de Colores  – Gay Dictionary
|-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|gym rat
| rowspan="3" |A sports enthusiast; usually one who frequents  gyms and training grounds; often used of young gay men obsessed with body  building.
| rowspan="3" |1970s-, USA, Scotland
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|gym  bunny
| rowspan="2" |Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|muscle  mary
|-
|Harry  Hoofter
| rowspan="6" |Cockney rhyming slang - slur for gay men (rhyming with  "poofter" or "poof").
| rowspan="6" |20th Century-
| rowspan="6" |Wikipedia – List of  LGBT Slang Terms
|-
|iron  hoofter
|-
|iron  hoof
|-
|iron
|-
|woolie  woofter
|-
|wooly
|-
| rowspan="2" |hip-hitter
| rowspan="2" |1970s term for "top" gay man.
| rowspan="2" |1970s, USA
|Moscas de  Colores
|-
|Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
| rowspan="2" |homo
| rowspan="2" |Shortened form of "homosexual." Often  derogatory. Always use the full term in description.
| rowspan="2" |1920s-
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|Oxford English Dictionary
|-
|jocker
|Slang  used by incarcerated and unhoused communities in the US to denote an older or  "predatory" gay man.
|1890s-,  USA
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|left-handed
|Term  used pejoratively in 1930s USA as slang for gay. Offensive to both  left-handed and gay people, as the association assumes that both are  "wrong."
|1930s,  USA
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|Nancy
| rowspan="2" |Women's  names have often been appropriated as slurs for gay men, especially for  feminine gay men and transfeminine people. "Nancy" is probably the  most common, across the 20th Century globally.
| rowspan="7" |
| rowspan="2" |Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|Nancy  boy
|-
|Nance
| rowspan="2" |All are offensive and  should not be reproduced in description unless necessary.
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|Mary
|
|-
|Mary-Ann
| rowspan="2" |See 3.1.1 LGBTQIA+  Communities and History, "Molly" for a historically-specific usage  of this name.
|
|-
|Molly
|
|-
|Nelly
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |prushon
| rowspan="2" |Slang used by unhoused communities in the US to  denote a young gay man who travels with an older companion.
| rowspan="2" |1890s-1980s
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|punk
|Originating  as a term for sex worker, in the late 19th Century, it came to indicate a gay  man, often a "bottom" or someone coerced into gay sex. Originally  used by incarcerated and unhoused communities, later as a slur for gay man in  African-American communities.
| rowspan="2" |(as slang for gay) 19th Century-
| rowspan="2" |Oxford English Dictionary
|-
|punker
|"Punk  rock" emerged as a musical and political movement in the 1970s.
|-
| rowspan="2" |rough trade
| rowspan="2" |Slang for a man who identifies as straight, but  sometimes has sex with queer men (usually as a "top").
| rowspan="2" |1960s-
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|Claire Hayward, "Queer Terminology: LGBTQ Histories and the  Semantics of Sexuality."  <nowiki>https://notchesblog.com/2016/06/09/queer-terminology-lgbtq-histories-and-the-semantics-of-sexuality/</nowiki>
|-
|stoke
| rowspan="2" |Cockney rhyming slang for gay, rhyming with  "bent."
| rowspan="2" |1980s-, UK
|Green's  Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|Stoke-on-Trent
|Moscas de  Colores
|-
|sugar daddy
|Expression of the Black  community in the 1920s, to refer to an older, wealthy partner. Over time,  this expression became used by the LGBTQIA+ community as well.
|1920s-
|Mosca de Colores  – Gay Dictionary
|-
|swings  the other way
| rowspan="2" |A euphemistic phrase indicating that someone (of any gender) is  gay or bisexual. These phrases are not a slur or especially offensive, and  are generally used with a note of humour. However, they are outdated, because  the euphemistic reluctance to normalise terms such as "gay,"  "lesbian," or "bisexual" suggests that LGBTQ+ people  should not be openly talked about. Risks blocking discoverability if used  instead of more direct terms. Not to be confused with the term "swinging"  on its own, which can indicate non-monogamous practices.
| rowspan="2" |1960s-
| rowspan="2" |Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|swinging  both ways
|-
|swish
| rowspan="3" |Slang for a feminine gay man, originating from  1930s USA. Not especially offensive, but should still be accompanied by  clearer LGBTQ+ terminology to aid discoverability.
| rowspan="3" |1930s-, US
|Mosca  de Colores – Gay Dictionary
|-
|swisher
| rowspan="2" |Green's Dictionary of Slang - <nowiki>https://greensdictofslang.com/</nowiki>
|-
|swishy
|-
|switch
|LGBTQ+  community slang for someone who "switches" between the  "giving" and "receiving" during sex. See  also "top" and "bottom."
| rowspan="2" |20th Century-
| rowspan="2" |Homosaurus
|-
|vers
|"Vers"  is short for "versatile." "Switch" is sometimes also used  in a BDSM context, to indicate someone who "switches" between the  dominant and submissive roles.
|-
|switch-hitter
|USA  slang for bisexual, originating from baseball terminology.
|20th  Century-, US
|Moscas  de Colores
|-
|top
|A  "top" is an individual who acts as the "giving" partner  in sexual encounters. Widely used, but should be enclosed in quotation marks  and contextualised if needed in archival description. Sometimes used as a  self-descriptor within queer communities, but should be replicated with  caution. Sometimes used as a verb ("to top someone"). Offensive if  applied to LGBTQ+ individuals from outwith queer communities. See also "bottom" and  "switch."
|
|Homosaurus
|-
|twink
|Slang  term widely used in gay communities to describe a young or young-looking man  with little or no facial or body hair. Can be pejorative, but can also be a  self-descriptor. Always enclose in quotation marks if necessary to use in  description, and contextualise.
|20th  Century-
|"LGBTQ+  Terminology," Montclair State University -  <nowiki>https://www.montclair.edu/lgbtq-center/lgbtq-resources/terminology/</nowiki>
|}