The word GAY through 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". [1] While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 19th century, that meaning became increasingly common by the midth century. [2] In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun. 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 origin of the word ‘Gay’ in its Homosexual context
Because even mentioning someone was a homosexual was so offensive at the time in England, people who were thought to be gay were referred to as “sporty” with girls and “artistic” for boys. Bringing Up Baby in was the first film to use the word gay to mean homosexual. 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 history of the word “gay”
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. Gay
The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Homosexual’ 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. Karl Maria Kertbeny, a Hungarian writer and bookseller born in , is credited with coining the terms "homosexual" and "heterosexual. Kertbeny's work aimed at challenging oppressive sodomy laws in Germany, particularly Paragraph , which criminalized homosexual acts. 
A History of 'Gay' and Other Queerwords
University of Louisville Use of the word “gay” in a homosexual context may date to as long ago as Paris in the late 16th century, when homosexuals were reportedly called ‘gai,” but there are a couple of other intriguing and perhaps more provable theories. The first asserts that the word derives from the late Victorian era. 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.
Kertbeny Coins the Terms "Homosexual" and "Heterosexual"
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. .
When did "gay" become associated with homosexuality?
Gay, as a word, is likely to be an intrinsic term in most readers’ vocabularies. 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. 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. . 
How ‘Gay’ Came to Mean ‘Homosexual’
1 Etymonline has an interesting entry on the etymology of the word, gay, with the sense homosexual: The association with (male) homosexuality likely got a boost from the term gay cat, used as far back as in American English for "young hobo," one who is new on the road, also one who sometimes does jobs. .