Definition Essay: The Meaning Of Gay In The 21st Century

Once, a long time ago, we used the word gay to say how someone or something is bright or happy. Can you imagine someone today saying, “Those flowers look very gay” or “I had such a fun day today, I feel gay?” No, because we now use the term “gay” to refer to a male homosexual person. After many years gay changed its meaning throughout time, but its meaning is constantly changing. People now use gay as an insult or to point something out as different or the outcast, but back in the day it meant being carefree and bright. Just like a rainbow. Let's go explore the evolution of this word. Gay came around to be a word in the 12th century in England. As I stated before, the original meaning behind gay was something “joyful” or “full of mirth.” Flash forward that to five centuries later, in the 17th century, gay now has to do with being good or bad. In the Oxford dictionary during the 17th century gay meant “addicted to pleasures

For example, most people use gay as an insult to Justin Bieber. They call him gay because he used to have a voice that sounded like a girl. It made him different and the outcast and it's why people point it out and give it a negative meaning behind it. They forget that nowhere throughout history did people use in that sense. In many other ways some people use gay as a way to describe thing that they are indifferent for. For example, if two people are listening to music and one of them says “Your music style is very gay”. They could mean that they don't want to listen to it right now or at the moment, but in honestly have no feelings toward it on a general basis. In the end, gay has been used in very negative context to make fun of people or things that they don't like or disagree