Gay people slang
The Most Popular LGBTQ+ Terms in Every State &#; Gay Slang Glossary
Published on: 3/10/23
Periodt. Werk. Queen. While these terms were once used exclusively by LGBTQ+ people as a way to converse in public without outing — or endangering themselves — shows like RuPaul&#;s Drag Race (which is in its 15th season and running) are bringing LGBTQ+ vernacular into the spotlight. So much so, that even phrases like “yas, queen” and “slay” are making their way into the mainstream. With more and more people outside of the LGBTQ+ community adopting this gay slang, it’s worth mentioning where it all began — enter drag queens of color. Many of the popular terms we use today are thanks to the world of drag, which originated in Harlem, New York, at a time when drag queens slayed the runaway in spaces predominantly made up of African Americans.
So whether you self-identify as a “cub” (a younger looking “bear” a.k.a. someone who is strong, hairy, and lumberjack-esque) or a “lipstick lesbian” (an ultra-feminine lesbian), the team here at Future Method wanted to open our LGBTQ+ glossary up to
Part of the fun of researching &#;s and &#;s Queer subculture in New York City was coming across a wide variety of specialized slang and coded terms that flourished among homosexual men and women of the time. Some of these terms are solely of their second, some have survived into the modern era, albeit often with modified meanings.
Not surprisingly, for a social group that for the most part did not conduct themselves openly in society, a lot of these terms constitute a kind of secret language available only to those &#;in the club&#;. They describe sexual preferences and types, as adequately as particular places and activities important to homosexuals of the time.
Folding these terms into the libretto of &#;Speakeasy &#; The Adventures of John and Jane Allison in the Wonderland&#; was a lot of fun. For the most part the meaning of the words should be clear in context. However a little confusion can be entertaining too, as in this moment, when John Allison eavesdrops on a trio of Gay Florists and Julian Carnation:
FLORIST 1:
You can keep 42nd Street. Give me the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
List of LGBTQ+ terms
A
Abro (sexual and romantic)
A word used to describe people who verb a fluid sexual and/or quixotic orientation which changes over period, or the course of their life. They may use unlike terms to describe themselves over time.
Ace
An umbrella term used specifically to describe a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of sexual attraction. This encompasses asexual people as well as those who identify as demisexual and grey-sexual. Ace people who experience romantic attraction or occasional sexual attraction might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer in conjunction with asexual to describe the direction of their romantic or sexual attraction.
Ace and aro/ace and aro spectrum
Umbrella terms used to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying, or occasional experiences of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. People who identify under these umbrella terms may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, ace,
LGBTQIA+ Slurs and Slang
bog queen
Synonyms: Bathsheba (composition between bathroom and Sheba to construct a name reminiscent of the Queen of Sheba), Ghost (50s, ghost, because they wander the corridors of the bathroom).