Nouns

This gay couldn't care less.

 

I don't like being called "a gay", I will admit. But I'm not going to really do anything about it other than feel secretly annoyed.

 

Well, great OP.

You should teach me some grammar i guess...i can't spot the difference here? I mean i guess it's because english isn't my language and i am not even using the Latin alphabet but i am trying .

 

Yeah, it does.

 

It does bother me. Of course, it's not so much the fact that they're using adjectives as nouns (there are a good number of words that can grammatically function as both), but I specifically prefer to call myself "gay" rather than "lesbian" because the latter is more typically used as a noun. To my ears, using "gay" as a noun sounds awkward.

 

No more so than when people say I'm an American, rather than an American person. I think "bisexual" makes a perfectly appropriate noun...I likewise feel that "homosexual" and "heterosexual" make perfectly appropriate nouns.

The one I don't care for is "gays". A gay just doesn't make sense in my head, probably because the word was originally (and so remains stuck in my brain as) an adjective that had nothing to do with homosexuality...it's like talking about a round instead of a round object. I would say I have a mild objection to "Black" as well...we don't talk about pinks...although we do talk about oranges and Whites, so I don't get too upset about it.

But the rest don't bother me much.

 

I alternate "gay people" and "gays" only for convenience. It is easier to say "I am bi (adjective)" than to say "I'm a bi (noun)" but as far as plural is concerned, I would have no issue being grouped in with "bisexuals."

Grammar is a system of rules which works for us, not the other way around.

 

I don't understand what you're asking. Do people really get upset if I say something like, "That's the boys changing room." or "That girl was sitting there."?

 

Not really. I don't like it when people say "gay people" as a whole, since they're implying that I'm just like everyone in that demographic, which is not true at all. We're all really different and generalizing is not cool.

 

Gay people can fly pass it on.

 

I use it when I'm arguing/research paper and stuff like that. Other than that I just say men/boy/girl/gal/women/dude/bro/bruh.

 

You do realize though that "people" is also a generalization-- just a broader one. Categories don't mean you're all exactly alike, only with select traits in common.

 

It bothers me when people use it as a whole, like referencing me to the entire poulation of gays, cause everyone is different, but i dont do anything about it. i just sit quietly, but im really annoyed on the inside.

 

It doesn't bother me much. What does bother me is when it's used in a derogatory way, but then again, 'gay people' can be just as derogatory as 'gays' in a certain context.

 

I swear male/female are nouns and adjectives. But it doesn't bother me at all, why would it?

---------- Post added 10th Oct 2014 at 10:38 PM ----------

I think it could be used offensively, but the intent of the person saying it is more important.

 

I don't mind it, and I don't really see why anyone would. They're just referring to a part of your identity it shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable or ashamed.

I agree with this as well ^

 

In a nutshell, anything that ends in -sexual or -male is an alright noun for me, however, I vastly prefer them as adjectives.

For example, I could say "a homosexual," but I would much rather hear "a homosexual man."

Also, "lesbian" can go either way for me, but I also prefer it as an adjective.

For male/female, I go either way with no preference. I avoid using female/male outside of science essays and such or when referring to birth/biological sex. If I want to specify the gender of someone, I would say, "she's a girl" rather than "she's female."