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"Gay" vs "lesbian" - thoughts?

Discussion in 'Sexual Orientation' started by Fen, May 19, 2016.

  1. Fen

    Fen
    Regular Member

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    Location:
    North Carolina, USA
    Gender:
    Female
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Some people
    I'm a female mostly interested in other females, and I've found I prefer referring to myself or being referred to as gay over lesbian. It just feels more natural and more like me. I don't have any problems with the word lesbian or anyone who identifies with it, of course, it just doesn't seem right for me. If I say "I'm a lesbian" it seems uncomfortable and strange, but if I say "I'm gay" I'm completely comfortable with that and it doesn't seem weird at all, so I've been using it as a label instead.

    I'm not exactly looking for advice, just curious to hear if any of you have similar experiences with this or what your opinions are on the subject.
     
  2. idcidc

    Regular Member

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    I think gay is the more suitable word,but it can be a little confusing if used for both cis males/females and trans females/males.I think that's the reason we use the term lesbian.
     
  3. Eolwen

    Regular Member

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    Location:
    Wavre
    Gender:
    Androgyne
    Sexual Orientation:
    Lesbian
    I also prefer the word "gay" over "lesbian", although I'm not sure why. I think people are more used to hearing "gay", so they react differently... And "gay" just sounds nicer I think XD
     
  4. Emily Janina

    Emily Janina Guest

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    I'm not keen on lesbian at all. I think it has a lot to with it being longer, the sound of your voice meandering a lot when you say it, the bilabial plosive in the middle, sounding clinical and the fact that it's a noun rather than an adjective like 'gay' (e.g. a tall, smart gay woman vs a tall, smart lesbian).

    I like queer. Because of the 'weee' sound and because it almost spells 'queen' :icon_bigg
     
  5. WhiteRose29

    Regular Member

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    It might seem weird but I don't like the way lesbian sounds (even if it is the proper term), so I usually refer to homosexual women as gay.