LGBTQIA+ Slurs and Slang

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

Term	Contextual note	Time/region	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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
bathroom queen	Gay slang expression for people who frequent public toilets looking for sexual encounters.	USA, UK	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
bog queen	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).
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 However, it is outdated, because the euphemistic reluctance to normalise terms such as "gay" or "lesbian" suggests that LGBTQ+ people should not be openly talked about.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
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 - https://homosaurus.org/v3/homoit0000120?from_q=assigned+gender
Miss Beard
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	A young gay man, or someone new to the gay community.	1930s-, USA	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
bronc
buftie	Scots slur meaning "homosexual man."	UK	Dictionary of the Scots Language - dsl.ac.uk
bufty
butterfly	Gay community slang for an effeminate man. No longer in general use.	1960s-1970s	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
butterfly boy			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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.	USA, 1930s-1970s	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
	No longer in use, but would be considered offensive.		Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
Charlie Ronce	British rhyming slang for “ponce,” in the sense of "pimp."	UK	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
Charley
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.	20th Century-, Europe, USA	GenderMinorities.com – Trans 101: glossary of trans words and how to use them
	*reminder - "tranny" is extremely offensive - avoid speaking aloud*
cornhole	American rural slang to indicate anal sex, or a gay man. Generally considered offensive.	1920s-, USA	Oxford English Dictionary.
cornholer	Should not be confused with the game of the same name, which involves throwing beanbags into a hole in a wooden platform.
curry queen	A gay man who is attracted to Indian men. Offensive, racist overtones.	1990s-, USA	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
drag family	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
drag mother
house of
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.	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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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.	21st century, online	Wikipedia – List of LGBT Slang Terms
	If necessary to refer to this in description, use "speculations about transness" or "discussion about pre-/early-transition experience."		https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/30/18286436/the-matrix-wachowskis-trans-experience-redpill
faggot	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.	(as a slur) 1940s-, US, later UK	Oxford English Dictionary
fagot			Moscas de Colores
faggotry	Not to be confused with other meanings:
faggoty	"Fag" is also British English slang for a cigarette. Widely used in this way in the UK, inoffensive.
fag	"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.
fagg	"Faggot" is also used in the UK Midlands to indicate a regional cuisine - a type of meatball. Inoffensive in this context, though rare.
faggy	"Fagged" or "fagged out" were historically (18th-20th century) used to mean tired or exhausted.
fagged	If used in these alternative contexts, consider including further explanation or quotation marks in description, to make this clear.
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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
fag stag	A heterosexual man who enjoys the company of gay men. Rare.	1990s-	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
fairy lady	Some sources cite this term to mean a feminine lesbian, others to mean a bisexual person of any gender.	1920s-?	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
	Mostly appeared originally in 1920s-onwards in informal dictionaries of slang, which were not always reliable. Cannot corroborate from other sources.		Moscas de Colores
flame	"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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
flamer			Moscas de Colores
flaming
flip-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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
flip flop			Moscas de Colores
flower	Various flowers are used to refer to feminine gay men, though "pansy" is probably the most common.	1890s-	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
daisy	Associates gay men with misogynistic ideas of femininity; implies weakness, unthreateneaning appearance, cowardliness.
pansy	Offensive, usually used as an intentional slur.		Moscas de Colores
water-lily
tulip
flute	Outdated slang for fellatio, or someone performing fellatio.	1900s-	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
fluter			Moscas de Colores
flute-player
foop	Rare slang for a gay man.	1890s	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
forty-one	“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.	Texas, USA; Mexico	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
forty one
41
friend of dorothy	Coded slang for gay. Referring to gay icon Judy Garland's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.	UK, USA, 1970s-	Moscas de Colores
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
frit	Rare slang for a gay man.	UK, USA, 1970s	Moscas de Colores
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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.	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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gay cat	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.	1900s-1950s, USA	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
gaycat			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gay lord	Slur for a gay man.	1970s-, UK, USA	Oxford English Dictionary
gaylord			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gentleman of the back door	18th-century slang for a gay man. Only found in popular slang dictionaries of the period - little corroborating evidence that this was actually used.	18th Century, UK	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
			Norena Shopland, A Practical Guide to searching LGBTQIA historical records (Routledge 2021
ginger	Cockney rhyming slang for "queer."	20th Century-, UK	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
ginger beer
Brighton Pier
ginger beer
jere
gear
King Lear
girl	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.	1910s-	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gonsel	Slang used by incarcerated and unhoused communities in the US to denote a young gay man or boy.	20th Century, USA	Moscas de Colores
gunsel			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gunshel
gunsil
gump	Slang used by incarcerated men in the US to denote a person in the "passive" role in gay sex.	1980s-, USA	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
gym rat	A sports enthusiast; usually one who frequents gyms and training grounds; often used of young gay men obsessed with body building.	1970s-, USA, Scotland	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
gym bunny			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
muscle mary
Harry Hoofter	Cockney rhyming slang - slur for gay men (rhyming with "poofter" or "poof").	20th Century-	Wikipedia – List of LGBT Slang Terms
iron hoofter
iron hoof
iron
woolie woofter
wooly
hip-hitter	1970s term for "top" gay man.	1970s, USA	Moscas de Colores
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
homo	Shortened form of "homosexual." Often derogatory. Always use the full term in description.	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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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 - https://greensdictofslang.com/
Nancy	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.		Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
Nancy boy
Nance	All are offensive and should not be reproduced in description unless necessary.		Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
Mary
Mary-Ann	See 3.1.1 LGBTQIA+ Communities and History, "Molly" for a historically-specific usage of this name.
Molly
Nelly
prushon	Slang used by unhoused communities in the US to denote a young gay man who travels with an older companion.	1890s-1980s	Moscas de Colores
			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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.	(as slang for gay) 19th Century-	Oxford English Dictionary
punker	"Punk rock" emerged as a musical and political movement in the 1970s.
rough trade	Slang for a man who identifies as straight, but sometimes has sex with queer men (usually as a "top").	1960s-	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
			Claire Hayward, "Queer Terminology: LGBTQ Histories and the Semantics of Sexuality." https://notchesblog.com/2016/06/09/queer-terminology-lgbtq-histories-and-the-semantics-of-sexuality/
stoke	Cockney rhyming slang for gay, rhyming with "bent."	1980s-, UK	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
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	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.	1960s-	Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
swinging both ways
swish	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.	1930s-, US	Mosca de Colores – Gay Dictionary
swisher			Green's Dictionary of Slang - https://greensdictofslang.com/
swishy
switch	LGBTQ+ community slang for someone who "switches" between the "giving" and "receiving" during sex. See also "top" and "bottom."	20th Century-	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 - https://www.montclair.edu/lgbtq-center/lgbtq-resources/terminology/