Purple Dictionary

Wolfs and Cubs and Bears! Oh My! Commonly used terms in the gay community, and some not so common but sounded fun so they’re included anyway. Ever heard someone calling someone butch or femme and didn’t know what it meant? From Metrosexuals to Hasbians it’s all here..

BEAR:
A gay man that has a lot of body and/or facial hair. Bears are often considered to have “cuddly” bodies and tend to be stocky or chubby.  See also CUB, CHASER, OTTER and WOLF

BISEXUAL:
A person whose affectional and sexual orientations are to members of both sexes, either serially or simultaneously.

BUTCH and FEMME:
Terms referring to gender stereotyped roles of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine,’ respectively. The primary use of the term is in describing roles assumed by some lesbian couples. ‘Butch’ describes a woman who assumes stereotypically ‘masculine’ behavior, mannerisms, and dress. ‘Femme’ describes the woman who behaves in a stereotypically ‘feminine’ way. More broadly, the terms are sometimes used to refer to others including straights and gay men.

CHASER:
Slang term for a gay man that’s attracted to larger men and/or bears.

CLOSET, IN THE CLOSET, CLOSETED:
This term is used to describe a lesbian, gay male or bisexual individual who hides her/his affectional orientation.

COMING OUT:
The sequence of events through which individuals come to recognize their affectional orientation and disclose it to others. Since heterosexuality is taken for granted and there is generally no conscious process of discovery or disclosure for straight people, the term is applied almost exclusively to lesbians, gay males and bisexuals.

CUB:
A smaller or younger bear that is often less experienced in the bear culture.

LGB COMMUNITY/ SCENE:
The social, emotional, and political network within which LGB people create and maintain contact with each other, affording opportunities for the sort of interaction and mutual support that are provided for straight people by mainstream institutions.

DADDY:
1.) An older gay man who often seeks younger men.
2.) Dominating or aggressive gay man with experience.

DIVA:
A gay man, drag queen or woman that presents themselves as a strong-willed, confident and sometimes arrogant person. A diva is considered an icon to be admired for their beauty and pose.

DRAG:
Being ‘in drag’ involves dressing in clothing usually prescribed for the other sex; beyond this, one also mimics the make-up, hair-styles, and mannerisms of the other sex. Drag queens are men who appear in public in drag, often performing in drag shows. They may or may not be gay.

FAG HAG:
A woman drawn to a gay man’s company.

FAMILY:
A member of the homosexual community; implies that you gain support from the clusters of gay people around you. Also considered an extension of the nuclear family.

FRIEND OF DOROTHY OR SISTER OF DOROTHY:
A code word for a gay person, originating from The Wizard of Oz.

GAY:
The term is applied to a person who is emotionally and sexually attracted to members of the same sex.
Traditionally, ‘gay’ has been a generic term used to refer to both women and men. However, it has also been used to refer to men only (as the word ‘man’ has been used to refer to all humankind and specifically to men). Due to the fact that this generic use makes women invisible, the current preference in much of the LGB community is for the term ‘gay’ to refer to men and ‘lesbian; to refer to women. This usage is advocated by the American Psychological association.

GAYDAR:
1.) A word formed from the root words gay and raydar. The ability of one homosexual person to distinguish other homosexuals or bisexuals from heterosexuals.

2.) A sixth sense or intuition that is based upon the observation of physical and personality traits to make an inference about another’s sexual preference.

HASBIAN:
A lesbian who has chosen a heterosexual lifestyle.

HETEROSEXISM:
The belief that heterosexual identity and behaviour are normal and legitimate, whereas any other affectional or sexual orientation is deviant, perverse, abnormal. Institutionalized heterosexism occurs where social institutions assume the legitimacy of heterosexuality and support it with public policies, rituals and resources while ignoring, demeaning, or even punishing other sexual orientations.

HETEROSEXUAL:
From the Greek hetero, meaning other. The term refers to an affectional and sexual orientation towards members of the other sex.

HOMOPHOBIA:
Technically, it means irrational fear of homosexuality. The term has come to refer to an aversion to and prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people, the traits that characterize them, their sexual practices, lifestyles and beliefs.

HOMOSEXUAL:
From the Greek homo, meaning same. This is a clinical and diagnostically term for a person whose affectional and sexual orientation is towards members of the same sex.

The term is disliked among many LGB people and their supporters for two reasons: (1) it is a clinical term, long used to label LGB identity as a medical or psychological disorder; and (2) it emphasizes the sexual aspect of LGB experience, thereby disregarding the multi-faceted nature of LGB identity.

LGB:
A shorthand term for lesbian/ gay/ bisexual. Lesbigay is often used in a similar manner. Occasionally, LGBT or GLBT is used to include transgender people.

LESBIAN:
A woman who is emotionally and sexually attracted to other women. The term comes from the Greek Island of Lesbos, where the poetess, Sappho, established a community of women in the seventh century BC. Much of Sappho’s poetry spoke of love between women.

MANSCAPING:
The act of grooming, shaving or trimming hair on the male body. Derived from the word landscaping.

METROSEXUAL:
A straight man perceived to have the style, culture and personal grooming practices usually associated with gay men.

OUT/ OUT OF THE CLOSET:
The state of being aware of and open about one’s affectional and sexual orientation. Coming out is a continual process rather than a single event, and people can be out in varying degrees.

OTTER:
A skinny or thin bear.

PARTNER:
Common gay term used to describe a gay man’s or lesbian’s lover.

PRIDE:
A feeling of strength and unity among gay and bisexual men and women.

QUEEN:
A man who dresses in female attire.
A man having feminine qualities.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:
One’s sexual orientation is defined by the sex of the people to whom one is emotionally and sexually attracted. While emphasizing the sexual component of interpersonal relationships, in reality any sexual orientation involves a wide range of feelings, behaviours, experiences and commitments.

STRAIGHT:
A slang term historically referring to people who are generally conventional in their behaviour, conforming to cultural norms. Its most frequent current use is in the context of sexual orientation, where it refers to a heterosexual identity.

STROMO:
A gay man with the style and demeanor typically associated with heterosexual or straight men.

TRANSSEXUAL/ TRANSGENDER(ED):
In most sources, these terms are nearly interchangeable, with both terms referring to individuals who express a feeling of being ‘stuck in the wrong body’. ‘Transgender’ is a more recent term, reflecting a movement to the use of ‘gender’ rather than ‘sex’ in most common discourse.

Besides all the different explanations to the terminologies, more importantly, is the different dimension transsexual/ transgendered people represent from sexual orientation. A transsexual/ transgendered person is not gay although this may be a possibility. Transsexual/ transgendered people have different issues than have LGB people.

TRANSVESTITE:
A person who dresses in clothing generally deemed appropriate for the other sex and who derives sexual gratification from this practice. Some sources refer to cross-dressing as transvestitism, but most reserve the term for people who are conventional in other areas of their lives and who engage in cross-dressing in well-defined circumstances. Most commonly, transvestites in this latter sense are heterosexual, often married with children.

TWINK:
Common term for a young or young looking gay man.

WOLF:
A more aggresive otter.

YESTERGAY:
A gay man who has chosen a heterosexual lifestyle.