Is the term 'homosexual' offensive?

[Eleutheromaniac]

I attended an LGBTQA meeting at my school. They told me that (sometimes?) the term 'homosexual' is offensive to the LGBTQ community because it implies a biological defect. I don't think that the average person knows this, and I was wondering what the position really is.

[Quail]

That's interesting, though I haven't heard of anyone finding it particularly offensive here (except in the context of the slur "homo" or whatever) but I am also not very involved with the LGBT community. I don't have a problem with using it to describe my attraction to women though, because I thought it just literally meant "attracted to the same sex." Feel free to correct me though.

[tallguy]

I attended an LGBTQA meeting at my school. They told me that (sometimes?) the term 'homosexual' is offensive to the LGBTQ community because it implies a biological defect. I don't think that the average person knows this, and I was wondering what the position really is.

No it does not imply a biological deficit. That's complete bollocks.

"Homo" simply means to be the same. Like the word homophone which means words who have the same sound.

For example:

Homonym
Homogeneous
Homozygous
Homosexual
Cohomology
Bonhomous

The opposite of the root "homo" is "hetero", meaning different.

Homosexuality is simply a technical, morally neutral word used to literally describe a sexual preference for others who are biologically of the same sex as opposed to others who are biologically of a different sex. Nothing more, nothing less. If, however, in the minds of bigots, the word "homosexual" has negative connotations, this is due to the power differentials abroad in society and not due to the word itself. In other words, it does not rain because the ground gets wet. The causal arrow runs in the opposite direction. Consequently, it doesn't matter what games are played with words. As long as those power differentials exist, the connotations of words will follow.

[Rugged Collectivist]

I'm far from an expert on Lgbtq issues, but I think, at least in some circles, that it may have picked up a negative connotation due to the fact that it's "clinical" and that most non-opponents of homosexuality have ditched it in favor of gay. For example, I remember reading an article a few months back where an Olympic athlete's last name (gay) was changed to homosexual in another article on a Christian site because they had a filter that automatically changed the word gay into homosexual.

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[Five Year Plan]

To the OP, I can tell you that the term is generally not used to refer to a person's identity. E.g., "Talk to that homosexual over there." When used in that fashion, it does have the connotation of clinical labeling reminiscent of the 1950s. Same-sex-oriented men and women tend to prefer the labels "gay," "lesbian," or "queer," to describe themselves. (Transgender isn't a sexual orientation, but a gender orientation, so the identity language there is a distinct issue.) Where "homosexual" is less awkwardly and more acceptably used is to refer in a more abstract sense to a behavior: "He has had a couple of homosexual encounters in his life."

[Prometeo liberado]

I always hated "queer". Sounds so offensive.

[Eleutheromaniac]

I always hated "queer". Sounds so offensive.

But don't people use that for identification too? I mean, it's in "LGBTQ."

[synthesis]

It seems like if you're using it to refer to an individual you should only use it as an adjective. But that's the case for a lot of terms for social categories.

[sosolo]

But don't people use that for identification too? I mean, it's in "LGBTQ."

Older gay folks like myself (well, I'm 37, but whatever) don't seem as comfortable with the term queer. Something about it bothers me. But for the people who identify as queer, that's cool. Whatever you're comfortable with.

One thing that does piss me off is when other gay people use the words f*g and f*gg*t. I know that members of an oppressed group are "allowed" to use the slurs against them, but I just don't think ANYONE should say such things. It just keeps those words and ideas in use. It also bothers me when members of other groups use the slurs against themselves among each other. Lets throw these words into the dustbin and leave them there.

--sosolo

[PhoenixAsh]

Queer as an identity is a reappropriation of a slur. As an identity it can encompass more than just non-binary and LGBT identities and preferences.

[Eleutheromaniac]

Queer as an identity is a reappropriation of a slur. As an identity it can encompass more than just non-binary and LGBT identities and preferences.

So should we embrace the reappropriation and diminish the harmful effects of the term? Or should we forgo the term in general for its (I'm assuming) long history as a negative?

[PhoenixAsh]

So should we embrace the reappropriation and diminish the harmful effects of the term? Or should we forgo the term in general for its (I'm assuming) long history as a negative?

This depends on who you talk to.

But I follow these steps: "I don't label. I try not to assume (which is way harder and happens more unconscious than you think). When (and only when) it is relevant I will ask. If it doesn't come up then it doesn't come up. However somebody wants to be addressed and labelled...that's what would be the most appropriate.

[Leftsolidarity]

So should we embrace the reappropriation and diminish the harmful effects of the term? Or should we forgo the term in general for its (I'm assuming) long history as a negative?

That's been an ongoing debated within the LGBTQ community for a long time I believe. Personally, I identify as queer and if you want my take on the word check out my short blog post on it.

For the original question, unless it's being purposefully used as a slur like others have given examples of I don't think there's another wrong with using "homosexual".

[Prometeo liberado]

But don't people use that for identification too? I mean, it's in "LGBTQ."
Yes it is used, still uncomfortable with it.

[d3crypt]

I think its a perfectly acceptable term to use. However it annoys me when people call me homosexual because i am a pansexual and homosexual is not an accurate description of me. I think the term queer is also perfectly okay as long as it is not used in an insulting way. However "faggot" is a disgusting word which has no place being said by anyone. The practice of referring to LGBT people as "faggot" dates back to gays being burned at the stake long ago. I don't like us being referred to as things to be burned.

[d3crypt]

I always hated "queer". Sounds so offensive.

I disagree, i like calling myself queer, it is a broad term for the entire LGBTQA community.

[d3crypt]

But don't people use that for identification too? I mean, it's in "LGBTQ."

The "Q" in LGBTQ stands for questioning, as in someone who is unsure of their sexuality and is still questioning and deciding who they are. It does not mean queer.

[tallguy]

I think its a perfectly acceptable term to use. However it annoys me when people call me homosexual because i am a pansexual and homosexual is not an accurate description of me.....
Why are you annoyed if they have made a genuine mistake. Why not simply explain that you are pansexual and explain what that means if they honestly don't know. If, on the other hand, they have called you homosexual as a slur, then it matters little if you are annoyed since they would have found a way to slur you one way or another. In which case you can ignore them cos they are dickheads

Or, is it that a part of you feels the need to be annoyed as part of your identity? If it is, then you need to not be so bloody touchy. If not, then you are going to need to explain why you get annoyed so easily if someone makes a genuine mistake.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

I've found different answers within the LGBTQ community. Some people embrace the term 'queer', other people consider it a slur.

I've found that 'gay' is the most widely accepted term, amongst gay, lesbian AND bi-sexual people.

[Bala Perdida]

It also bothers me when members of other groups use the slurs against themselves among each other. Lets throw these words into the dustbin and leave them there.

--sosolo
Good God! "It's not racist because I'm Mexican!" "My friends are Asian so I can't be racist!" I hate when people pull that crap, regardless of their background they still offend me and my comrades! There are no excuses, just don't be offensive. If there's a misunderstanding in identity I understand, but if you're intentionally trying to be insult a group of people and get away with it you deserve to be shunned and know that behavior is intolerable and unacceptable!

[Quail]

Why are you annoyed if they have made a genuine mistake. Why not simply explain that you are pansexual and explain what that means if they honestly don't know. If, on the other hand, they have called you homosexual as a slur, then it matters little if you are annoyed since they would have found a way to slur you one way or another. In which case you can ignore them cos they are dickheads

Or, is it that a part of you feels the need to be annoyed as part of your identity? If it is, then you need to not be so bloody touchy. If not, then you are going to need to explain why you get annoyed so easily if someone makes a genuine mistake.

One possible reason is the erasure of bi/pansexuals. If you're bi/pansexual then there's a good chance people will make assumptions about your orientation based on your current relationship (for example) and that can get pretty frustrating.

[tallguy]

One possible reason is the erasure of bi/pansexuals. If you're bi/pansexual then there's a good chance people will make assumptions about your orientation based on your current relationship (for example) and that can get pretty frustrating.Well, yeah, I guess there is something to that. However, of the three gay (male) friends/acquaintances I have, two of them will simply not accept the notion of bisexuality as an authentic sexual identity and, instead, assert that such people are really gay but are not prepared to fully admit it. Which, frankly, I find pretty silly as everything I know about sexuality from my degree suggests a far greater fluidity to it than that. The above is anecdotal, I know, but does at least potentially suggest that the ghettoising of sexual identities may be at least partially due to sexual identity myths perpetuated by a section of the gay demographic as well as a section of the heterosexual one.

[Psycho P and the Freight Train]

I don't think being called homosexual is offensive, but it does kind of annoy me in certain cases. I'd MUCH rather be called gay. Saying "homosexual" just sounds awkward to me, I don't know why. It just reminds me of bigoted upper-middle class people in the 50's or something, like "oh, the homosexuals are at it again." I don't know, I really don't like being oversensitive to words but it just kind of weirds me out is all.

Also, after getting involved with the gay scene, I was actually shocked that people referred to themselves as queer. I've always thought it to be offensive and I genuinely did a double-take when someone casually referred to themselves as queer. I thought, "did they really just say that?" I had always associated it nearly on the level of the word "faggot", but apparently I am in the minority on that opinion among the gay scene. If people refer to themselves as "queer" I wholeheartedly support that. But, I would actually get pretty fucking pissed if someone called me that.

[Ro Laren]

I think homosexual just seems kind of...formal or something, and sounds kind of strange in casual speech. I only really ever use it in writing. But either way, I don't see how its offensive. It seems quite neutral to me.

Embarrassingly, I'm one of those people that used to use fag and faggot all the time, and thought it was hilarious and totally fine since I'm gay.:thumbdown:

[TC]

My understanding is that homosexual and heterosexual are neutral descriptors for sexual orientations directed at people of the same sex or the opposite sex respectively.

However, gay and lesbian are not merely neutral they are very slightly *positive* in that they are terms for political and social identities (gay of course, literally means happy).

As such, a homophobic conservative person or publication will be more apt to talk about people with "homosexual attraction" or "same sex attraction" then "gay people." This is because talking about "gay and lesbian people" accepts that being gay/lesbian is part of who they are, whereas talking about "homosexual attraction" is describing what they experience or even "struggle with." However we certainly wouldn't say "same sex" is in and of itself offensive ("same sex marriage" is probably the preferred nomenclature for people supporting marriage equality).

For example: http://www.samesexattraction.org/ is a homophobic website.

[Eleutheromaniac]

My understanding is that homosexual and heterosexual are neutral descriptors for sexual orientations directed at people of the same sex or the opposite sex respectively.

The terms are too ambiguous, so I think that's where the problem lies. So I guess these "labels" (for lack of a better term) are best left as self-descriptors.


However, gay and lesbian are not merely neutral they are very slightly *positive* in that they are terms for political and social identities (gay of course, literally means happy).

True. I tend to prefer these terms, which seems to be the norm.


As such, a homophobic conservative person or publication will be more apt to talk about people with "homosexual attraction" or "same sex attraction" then "gay people." This is because talking about "gay and lesbian people" accepts that being gay/lesbian is part of who they are, whereas talking about "homosexual attraction" is describing what they experience or even "struggle with." However we certainly wouldn't say "same sex" is in and of itself offensive ("same sex marriage" is probably the preferred nomenclature for people supporting marriage equality).

Good point. Maybe this is where the term homosexual becomes offensive?


For example: http://www.samesexattraction.org/ is a homophobic website.

That is disgusting.

I don't know. I guess I'm still unclear as to what to think. I'm going to do further research on the topic of sexuality.

[Eleutheromaniac]

This is probably debatable, but I think the term 'homosexual' is more of a definition and 'gay' is a trait. I mean, homosexual, as a noun, becomes a definitive term, and that's where I think it may be offensive.

"He is a homosexual" vs. "He is gay."

[The Feral Underclass]

I've found different answers within the LGBTQ community. Some people embrace the term 'queer', other people consider it a slur.

Which I think really confines the discussion on reductivist terms. The issue being that I don't think any one is denying it's a slur. Like, that's not really the point of discussion, and for gay people to make it about that kind of misses the entire point of using 'queer' from the get-go. It just reduces the whole basis of the discussion to 'but it's a slur ergo not justified.'

As for the term 'homosexual,' I don't mind it and I sometimes use it, but whether or not I find it offensive from others very much depends on who is saying it and how they are using it.

[Eleutheromaniac]

The "Q" in LGBTQ stands for questioning, as in someone who is unsure of their sexuality and is still questioning and deciding who they are. It does not mean queer.

It stands for both.

[RogueWolf]

I think some people don't like the use of the word because they don't like having a definition. In a society where all sexual orientations are accepted then there is no need for "heterosexual" or "homosexual".

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Well, yeah, I guess there is something to that. However, of the three gay (male) friends/acquaintances I have, two of them will simply not accept the notion of bisexuality as an authentic sexual identity and, instead, assert that such people are really gay but are not prepared to fully admit it.
My personal experience is that some gay men are the most anti-bi people there are. They're no better than straight people who say gay men are just confused straight men.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I think some people don't like the use of the word because they don't like having a definition. In a society where all sexual orientations are accepted then there is no need for "heterosexual" or "homosexual".
Um, even in such a society some people will still be exclusively attracted to the opposite sex or the same sex, and there will be words to describe them.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

The H word is kind of clinical, and seems to be only used outside that context by homophobes who draw it out as "hooo-mooo-sexual" (at least in the US).

[Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant']

I wouldn't have thought it was offensive (descriptive, without any judgement / negative connotations). I suppose it's up to the individual LGBTQ person what they take offense to, but for my money it's a non-offensive term in a world filled with very very offensive and derogatory terms.

[Eleutheromaniac]

The H word is kind of clinical, and seems to be only used outside that context by homophobes who draw it out as "hooo-mooo-sexual" (at least in the US).

Racists do the same with "African-Americans." It's like they're overzealous in their efforts to sound politically correct while still maintaining the aura of their self-claiming superiority.

[4thInter]

Yes, why can't they be called humans? Why can't blacks just be called humans and not blacks. Labels like minorities are all just bourgeois labels'.

[theworks]

I don't think being called homosexual is offensive, but it does kind of annoy me in certain cases. I'd MUCH rather be called gay. Saying "homosexual" just sounds awkward to me, I don't know why. It just reminds me of bigoted upper-middle class people in the 50's or something, like "oh, the homosexuals are at it again." I don't know, I really don't like being oversensitive to words but it just kind of weirds me out is all.

Also, after getting involved with the gay scene, I was actually shocked that people referred to themselves as queer. I've always thought it to be offensive and I genuinely did a double-take when someone casually referred to themselves as queer. I thought, "did they really just say that?" I had always associated it nearly on the level of the word "faggot", but apparently I am in the minority on that opinion among the gay scene. If people refer to themselves as "queer" I wholeheartedly support that. But, I would actually get pretty fucking pissed if someone called me that.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about the issue. I'm more used to "gay" than "homosexual", but I would classify "homosexual" as offensive. And to be honest, I have not heard the term queer used much, but it's not a term I would use to describe myself.

[Wuggums47]

I personally support the terms homosexual and queer because they are necessary. Sometimes homosexual is necessary when you must make a distinction between sexual and romantic attraction. For example some people may choose to identify as a biromantic homosexual, meaning they are attracted to both binary genders romantically, but only have sex with their own gender. Also queer may be very useful in defining orientation for someone who wishes to reject, or cannot fit in to traditional labels. For example if someone is non binary and they only like men, are they gay or straight? I also like how queer takes a word of hate and derives it of it's impact. If someone tries to insult me by calling me a queer, I can just respond " yeah I am, isn't it great?" I don't necessarily agree with queers usage as an umbrella term to describe all LGBTQ+ people, considering some still find the term offensive. In the future I think barely anyone will remember it's use as an offensive term though.

[iamactuallyjesus]

I always hated "queer". Sounds so offensive.
Most fags and poofters I know also hate being called a queer.

[trickster]

I can definitely see where Wuggums is coming from, and I agree that that's something that needs to be addressed. At the same time, I've found a lot of non-binary people who don't like the term homosexual, because they feel like it traps them into being defined by their sex.

But that being said, I still find the word 'homosexual' a bit offensive. 'Homosexual' was used when being gay, lesbian, or bi was considered a mental illness. To me, it sounds very clinical. Plus, it's usually those who are anti-LGBT that use the word 'homosexual' now days. Most LGBT activists and supporters use the acronym 'LGBT'. So when I hear someone use the word 'homosexual', I automatically get tense (to me, “He is gay” sounds ten times better than “he is a homosexual”).

One could argue that 'homo' simply means 'the same', but I think all of us are aware that words usually encompass more than just their dictionary definition. For example, the dictionary definition of sexism is the 'prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against on the basis of one's sex', but in a lot of circles, the word sexism implies that that's happening on a systematic level. Which is why a lot of people don't think sexism against men is a problem – there is no where in the world where men are victims of systematic sexism.

As for reclaiming, although I can definitely understand why the words 'queer' and 'f-gg-t' make people uncomfortable, I can also understand why people feel the name to reclaim them. If you're going around calling your friends f-gs, it DOES take away the sting a little when someone tries to throw that slur in your face to hurt and shock you. It makes it a lot easier to laugh it off, and say, “Yeah, I am, so what?”

I agree it's a disgusting word, and I don't use it, because I don't identify as gay. But I don't judge people who are gay who find reclamation helpful. We all respond to oppression in different ways, after all.

And as for the word queer, I use that as a part of my identity, because for me, it's the only label that fits. My sexuality is fluid, it doesn't stick within the confines of 'gay', 'lesbian', 'bisexual', or 'asexual'. It fluctuates and the word queer is the only word that seems to allow for that. And sometimes, depending on the organization, the Q in LGBTQ does stand for queer. Or it stands for questioning/queer.

In a perfect world, we would just be humans and there would be no need for 'LGBT rights' or 'feminism' or 'racial equality'. But we're not in a perfect world, people do see these differences, and people with these differences are, at best, made to feel 'othered' and at worse, discriminated against.