1967-1975: John Waters, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, David Bowie and Glam Rock, Midnight Cowboy (early, gritty New York gay subculture), Elton John, ABBA.
1976-1986: The peak gay culture era. Many survivors of the aforementioned era, along with gay institutions like disco, new romantic/crossdressing/androgynous style new wave and post-punk, Tales of the City, the peak of the gay clubbing/sex/bathouse scene, the Pet Shop Boys, Boy George, etc., Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The Village People, Alan Hollinghurst's The Swimming Pool Library. Gays grow unprecedently in visibility and expression.
1987-1995: AIDS era gay culture-the despondency of Tori Amos, the rise of drag queens like RuPaul and Lady Bunny as C-list celebrities, Angels in America, rise of techno music as main gay soundtrack.

You could also add certain fashion design houses/movements, TV series' like 'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy', 'Queer As Folk', 'The L-Word' (those these may vary in authenticity), Kylie Minogue, k.d. Lang, Ani DiFranco, groups like the Indigo Girls, Ellen DeGeneres.etc.

You could also add certain fashion design houses/movements, TV series' like 'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy', 'Queer As Folk', 'The L-Word' (those these may vary in authenticity), Kylie Minogue, k.d. Lang, Ani DiFranco, groups like the Indigo Girls, Ellen DeGeneres.etc.


"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is made for straight women, not gay men, and I personally sort of find it offensive. I suppose I was focusing too much on the gay male as opposed to the lesbian aspect, which would include all the things that you mentioned.

"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is made for straight women, not gay men, and I personally sort of find it offensive. I suppose I was focusing too much on the gay male as opposed to the lesbian aspect, which would include all the things that you mentioned.


Yeah, Queer Eye's audience is pretty mainstream - I know alot of straight men as well who were fans of the show, the L-Word also appeals to men for obvious reasons (even though once they start watching it they'll probably be get bored soon enough)...and I do realise Ellen DeGeneres is not the name of a musical group, lol.

One thing I've noticed nowadays is that no one insults people with the word "Gay" or "Fag" anymore.  They don't say that's "gay" as a insult or reference to homosexuality. Instead at least where I live it's  you're "brokeback" or that was "brokeback".  So that had major infulence thus far.

One thing I've noticed nowadays is that no one insults people with the word "Gay" or "Fag" anymore.  They don't say that's "gay" as a insult or reference to homosexuality. Instead at least where I live it's  you're "brokeback" or that was "brokeback".  So that had major infulence thus far.


Just a question for gay people here. Do you find it offensive how many young people use 'gay' meaning something bad? Like, that was such a 'gay' movie, that band is sooo 'gay'?

Just a question for gay people here. Do you find it offensive how many young people use 'gay' meaning something bad? Like, that was such a 'gay' movie, that band is sooo 'gay'?


Yeah...I find it pretty offensive.

Yeah...I find it pretty offensive.



I never use it in that context. That would be just gay. ;-)

No, I know, I ask because I find it pretty annoying as well, and I'm not even gay...

One thing I've noticed nowadays is that no one insults people with the word "Gay" or "Fag" anymore.  They don't say that's "gay" as a insult or reference to homosexuality. Instead at least where I live it's  you're "brokeback" or that was "brokeback".   So that had major infulence thus far.


Oh yes they do. Those words are not downplayed. It must be where you live.

Oh yes they do. Those words are not downplayed. It must be where you live.


I still consider the "f" word as insulting as the "n" word...and both of them are used far too often. As an atrocious senior prank, somebody removed the letters from a display stating "Sport a Winning Attitude" to make "Spot a N*g"...people of Gen Y take them too lightly, because they think they don't mean anything. But let's get back on topic, children!

I would love to find out why people hate gays, i mean there not gay,
so why must they pick on the one who are.
its like every one must in other people lives I for one hate it. In my school theres a few gays,
and bi people who get picked on by a lot of people, as for me there all my true friends,
and by far the sweetest people i have meat at my school.
i also cant understand why some one who hate true love, i.e the the churches and all.
and as for all the true punks of NJ i can say we all stand for  ANTI-RACIST,ANTI-SEXIST
,ANTI-HOMOPHOBIC,ANTI-COP, and ANTI-BREEDING but PRO-CHOICE.

I never use it in that context. That would be just gay. ;-)

No, I know, I ask because I find it pretty annoying as well, and I'm not even gay...


Let me re-phrase that:

I never use it in that context. That would be just heterosexual.

"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is made for straight women, not gay men, and I personally sort of find it offensive. I suppose I was focusing too much on the gay male as opposed to the lesbian aspect, which would include all the things that you mentioned.


Being a straight guy I wondered about that myself.  "Queer Eye" seemed to focus more on the "Queer" part and the stereotype that all homosexual men are somehow fashionistas.

Similarly with "Will and Grace" it seems that the homosexual stereotypes are more focused on than showing homosexuals as otherwise "normal appearing" people living mundane lives like the rest of us instead of as "flamers".

Would seem that the "cause" would be served better of the homosexual couple next door in a TV Show, Fred and Barney, simply came over for dinner and got involved in other hijinz without the double-entendres and references to their fashion sense and feathered boas.

Of course to be fair you have straights portrayed like priaptic automatons too.  :-\\

Being a straight guy I wondered about that myself.  "Queer Eye" seemed to focus more on the "Queer" part and the stereotype that all homosexual men are somehow fashionistas.

Similarly with "Will and Grace" it seems that the homosexual stereotypes are more focused on than showing homosexuals as otherwise "normal appearing" people living mundane lives like the rest of us instead of as "flamers".

Would seem that the "cause" would be served better of the homosexual couple next door in a TV Show, Fred and Barney, simply came over for dinner and got involved in other hijinz without the double-entendres and references to their fashion sense and feathered boas.

Of course to be fair you have straights portrayed like priaptic automatons too.  :-\\


Yeah, they are not elements of true "gay culture" like, say, the B-52s or Pink Flamingos or Pedro Almodovar movies. Or even Desperate Housewives. True "gay culture" is either initially produced by gays for a primarily gay audience or adopted by gays. What QEFTSG signals is the disturbing, offensive adoption of gay stereotypes as currency for gay men and as the only way straights pretend to accept us.

1967-1975: John Waters, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, David Bowie and Glam Rock, Midnight Cowboy (early, gritty New York gay subculture), Elton John, ABBA.
1976-1986: The peak gay culture era. Many survivors of the aforementioned era, along with gay institutions like disco, new romantic/crossdressing/androgynous style new wave and post-punk, Tales of the City, the peak of the gay clubbing/sex/bathouse scene, the Pet Shop Boys, Boy George, etc., Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The Village People, Alan Hollinghurst's The Swimming Pool Library. Gays grow unprecedently in visibility and expression.
1987-1995: AIDS era gay culture-the despondency of Tori Amos, the rise of drag queens like RuPaul and Lady Bunny as C-list celebrities, Angels in America, rise of techno music as main gay soundtrack.


You also need to mention the early 1960's gay culture with figures such as Paul Lynde and Liberace.

Everybody knew their "proclivity" but it was unmentioned and yet they were accepted as great performers.

You also need to mention the early 1960's gay culture with figures such as Paul Lynde and Liberace.

Everybody knew their "proclivity" but it was unmentioned and yet they were accepted as great performers.


On a similar but unrelated note, bi-sexuality was more common (in both males and females) than we would believe in Hollywood, other celebrity circles in the early years of Hollywood. Such famous film celebs as Marlene Dietrich, James Dean, Marlon Brando had documented relationships which may have harmed their reputation during the era, but it was seen as a normal thing in Hollywood. Even then, in some circles sexual orientation/proclivity was something of a non-issue.

The defining event for gay rights were the Stonewall Riots in 1969. You cannot even mention the gay rights movement without paying homage to Stonewall

This is from Wikipedia, to understand the movement it is pretty much imperative to read the story behind it.

The Stonewall riots, which as a whole are often called the Stonewall Rebellion, were a series of violent conflicts between gay men and women and police officers in New York City. The first night of rioting began on Friday night-Saturday morning, June 27-28, 1969 not long after 1:20 a.m., when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. "Stonewall," as the raids are often referred to, is generally considered a turning point for the modern gay rights movement worldwide, as it is one of the first times in modern history a significant body of gay people resisted arrest.


/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots

The defining event for gay rights were the Stonewall Riots in 1969. You cannot even mention the gay rights movement without paying homage to Stonewall

This is from Wikipedia, to understand the movement it is pretty much imperative to read the story behind it.

The Stonewall riots, which as a whole are often called the Stonewall Rebellion, were a series of violent conflicts between gay men and women and police officers in New York City. The first night of rioting began on Friday night-Saturday morning, June 27-28, 1969 not long after 1:20 a.m., when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. "Stonewall," as the raids are often referred to, is generally considered a turning point for the modern gay rights movement worldwide, as it is one of the first times in modern history a significant body of gay people resisted arrest.


/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots


Yeah, the Stonewall Riots were the birth of modern gay culture. It's no coincidence the popularization and celebration of the Andy Warhol culture seemed to start almost immediately afterwards. Also, Judy Garland, the biggest gay icon of the mid-20th century, had her funeral the day of Stonewall. The death of Judy Garland symbolized the end of the "nice old nellies" and the beginning of the overt gay culture of the '70s.