The origin of the word ‘Gay’ in its Homosexual context
Bringing Up Baby in was the first film to use the word gay to mean homosexual. Cary Grant, in one scene, ended up having to wear a lady’s feathery robe. When another character asks about why he is wearing that, he responds an ad-libbed line “Because I just went gay”. However, around the early parts of the 17th century, the word began to be associated with immorality. Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women ironically enough , often prostitutes. 
Gay History
Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant "carefree", "cheerful', or "bright and showy". The first asserts that the word derives from the late Victorian era. At the time, East London was home to a great many male and female prostitutes.
How did “gay” come to mean “homosexual”?
In the s the term was used to refer to female prostitutes; to “gay it” meant “to copulate.” By the word “geycat,” meaning a homosexual boy, had found its way into print, giving a clue as to the direction things were starting to go. For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to mean happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s. At that time the meaning of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. The word GAY through history
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Where did the word ‘homosexual’ originate? It’s a surprisingly recent coinage, and dates from the second half of the nineteenth century, with a Victorian poet and critic being the first person to use the word in English. Let’s take a closer look at the etymology of ‘homosexual’, and learn. Its use has developed throughout the twentieth century to become a general description of, and reference to, all aspects of modern homosexual culture in the Western world. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, its initial meaning as recorded c. The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Homosexual’ – Interesting
This line (ad-libbed by Grant) can be interpreted to mean that he was behaving in a happy-go-lucky or lighthearted way but is accepted by many as the first use of gay to mean homosexual in a mainstream movie. Today, gay is a socially acceptable term for homosexual people. However, around the early parts of the 17th century, the word began to be associated with immorality. Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women ironically enough , often prostitutes. When did "gay" become associated with homosexuality?
Closed 13 years ago. Possible Duplicate: Gay (homosexual) and gay (happy) I'm curious if there's a definitive moment where the word "gay" started being applied to homosexuals. Was it a specific coining, or just a general linguistic movement, and when. . 
The history of the word “gay”
A history of early words used to label homosexuals, leading up to the use of the word 'gay', first in Midwest America in the mid-twentieth century. .
How ‘Gay’ Came to Mean ‘Homosexual’
The phrase ‘I am gay’ can, even now, still be the most intimidating three words for a young man to have to say to his family; not many people are going to come out spurting ‘I am homosexual’ at the dinner table. Gay in the 12th century But the word ‘gay’ itself has a long and interesting history through the English language. .