INDEX:
1. gay
2. not gay
3. to tell people you are gay
4. not having told people you are gay
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ RELATIONSHIP
↑ GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND
↑ LOVE
↑ SEX
↑ PREJUDICED
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1. gay
▷ gay /geɪ/ [adjective]
sexually attracted to people of the same sex :
▪ There are very few gay men on television.
▪ The president’s record with gay rights groups has been good.
▪ Thousands of people attended the Gay Pride march in Brighton last weekend.
▪ He didn’t even realize that Elton John was gay!
gay community
▪ Kirkland is an especially popular figure in the gay community.
gay and lesbian
▪ Gay and lesbian couples should be eligible for the same health benefits as married heterosexual couples.
gays [plural noun]
▪ the debate over gays in the military
▷ lesbian /ˈlezbiən/ [countable noun]
a woman who is sexually attracted to other women :
▪ I didn’t realize I was a lesbian until I was in my twenties.
▪ Lang was the first major pop star to come out as a lesbian.
lesbian [adjective]
▪ We regularly publish a magazine that celebrates lesbian poetry and other women’s literature.
▷ homosexual /ˌhəʊməˈsekʃuəl◂, ˌhɒ-ǁˌhəʊ-/ [adjective] formal or written
sexually attracted to people of the same sex :
▪ Steve was 18 when he told his parents he was homosexual.
▪ Greek literature provides evidence for homosexual activity among both males and females.
homosexual [countable noun]
someone who is homosexual - used especially by people who disapprove of this :
▪ Most fundamentalist churches disapprove of homosexuals.
homosexuality /ˌhəʊməˌsekʃuˈælɪti, ˌhəʊməˌsekʃuˈæləti, ˌhɒ-ǁˌhəʊ-/ [uncountable noun]
the condition of being homosexual :
▪ Homosexuality may be biologically determined.
▷ bisexual /baɪˈsekʃuəl/ [adjective]
sexually attracted to both men and women :
▪ Although Tony’s married, he’s bisexual.
▪ Oberlin College has a large gay, lesbian, and bisexual student group.
▪ Woolf believed that all human beings are basically bisexual.
▷ homophobia /ˌhəʊməˈfəʊbiə, ˌhɒ-ǁˌhəʊ-/ [uncountable noun]
hatred and fear of people who are gay :
▪ There’s still a lot of homophobia in American society.
▪ Issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia were discussed.
homophobic [adjective]
▪ Rose was criticized for the racist and homophobic lyrics in several of his songs.
2. not gay
▷ heterosexual /ˌhet ə rəˈsekʃuəl◂/ [adjective]
sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex - use this especially when you are also talking about gay people :
▪ Most of the people who come to the club are heterosexual, but we do get a small number of gay men.
▪ The law applies to both heterosexual and homosexual employees.
heterosexual [countable noun]
a heterosexual person: :
▪ In Africa, most AIDS victims have been heterosexuals.
heterosexuality /ˌhet ə rəsekʃuˈælɪti, ˌhet ə rəsekʃuˈæləti/ [uncountable noun]
the condition of being heterosexual: :
▪ Lawrence assumed that heterosexuality is ‘normal’.
▷ straight /streɪt/ [adjective]
not gay - use this especially when you are comparing people who are not gay with people who are :
▪ Straight men often feel nervous in the company of gays.
▪ She’s straight but she’s got a lot of lesbian friends.
3. to tell people you are gay
▷ come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if someone who is gay comes out, they say publicly that they are gay :
▪ John came out to his family last year.
▷ out /aʊt/ [transitive verb]
if you out someone, especially a well-known person, you say publicly that they are gay when they have tried to keep this a secret :
▪ The Advocate, a national gay magazine, outed the congressman.
▪ The Air Force pilot was afraid of being outed by his ex-lover.
out [adjective]
someone who is out has told people that they are gay: :
▪ You will have the support of other men who are out.
▪ As an out lesbian, I don’t think my sexuality is any of your business.
4. not having told people you are gay
▷ be in the closet /biː ɪn ðə ˈklɒzə̇tǁˈklɑː-/ [verb phrase]
to not have told other people that you are gay :
▪ We provide help for young people who are in the closet and are too scared to come out.