Since when was the term "homosexual" offensive?

[GAYtheist]

Could also be that the religious fuck-wads have been, for the past few years, been using "Homosexual" instead of "Gay" to dehumanize us to their congregations.

[AnimatedDirt]

Could also be that the religious fuck-wads have been, for the past few years, been using "Homosexual" instead of "Gay" to dehumanize us to their congregations.

Us religious f-wads would like to know.  Is it now best to use "gay" instead of "homosexual"?  And if so, where is this written as the official description from the community as a whole?

If this is so, I have no issue in using the term the community wants used.

[LegendarySandwich]

Could also be that the religious fuck-wads have been, for the past few years, been using "Homosexual" instead of "Gay" to dehumanize us to their congregations.

Us religious f-wads would like to know.  Is it now best to use "gay" instead of "homosexual"?

Yes.

And if so, where is this written as the official description from the community as a whole?

...That's what you need before you start using the term "gay" instead of "homosexual"?

If this is so, I have no issue in using the term the community wants used.

Then you should start using it.

[AnimatedDirt]

...That's what you need before you start using the term "gay" instead of "homosexual"?

No, not necessarily.  Names just seem to change so often.  I was hoping to have a decree of sorts.  Is there a main voice for the gay community?

[Whitney]

...That's what you need before you start using the term "gay" instead of "homosexual"?

No, not necessarily.  Names just seem to change so often.  I was hoping to have a decree of sorts.  Is there a main voice for the gay community?

I didn't know either; a gay friend of mine corrected me when I said homosexual.  I thought I was being pc by saying homosexual (we were discussing equality within an organization) because in normal conversations I just say gay as that has always gone over well with gay friends.  I was told that lgbt is also acceptable; though that takes longer to say.

I guess a main lgbt voice would be the Victory Fund?  I dunno; I just try to use whatever word makes people happy.  We use to be told it was pc to call black people african american and now saying black is ok again because not all black people are of African origins.  The terms used for mentally retarded people have changed over they years; I can't even keep up with whatever is pc today...I think it might be Mentally Handicap.

Basically if there is a group of people who is commonly disliked or mistreated by another group of people then there is a good chance whatever is appropriate to call that group of people is going to change over the years in an attempt to somehow overcome the bigotry.  Even with atheists there was the brights movement (though imo it was a bad idea from the start since choosing a word that makes us sound stuck up is not exactly the solution to combating those that dislike atheists)

[AnimatedDirt]

...That's what you need before you start using the term "gay" instead of "homosexual"?

No, not necessarily.  Names just seem to change so often.  I was hoping to have a decree of sorts.  Is there a main voice for the gay community?

I didn't know either; a gay friend of mine corrected me when I said homosexual.  I thought I was being pc by saying homosexual (we were discussing equality within an organization) because in normal conversations I just say gay as that has always gone over well with gay friends.  I was told that lgbt is also acceptable; though that takes longer to say.

I guess a main lgbt voice would be the Victory Fund?  I dunno; I just try to use whatever word makes people happy.  We use to be told it was pc to call black people african american and now saying black is ok again because not all black people are of African origins.  The terms used for mentally retarded people have changed over they years; I can't even keep up with whatever is pc today...I think it might be Mentally Handicap.

Basically if there is a group of people who is commonly disliked or mistreated by another group of people then there is a good chance whatever is appropriate to call that group of people is going to change over the years in an attempt to somehow overcome the bigotry.  Even with atheists there was the brights movement (though imo it was a bad idea from the start since choosing a word that makes us sound stuck up is not exactly the solution to combating those that dislike atheists)

EXACTLY!  I was going to mention the Black, African American thing.  I was recently in South Africa for 3 weeks+ and found that there, they go by 3 distinctions.  Black, Coloured, and White.  Black being the dark-skinned "Blacks" and Coloured being the lighter-skinned "Black" including other ethnicities that are not White.  So to me, for instance being from So. Cal., most of the Black and Coloured people to me here are simply referred to as Black or African American.  It was confusing to say the least, but I was corrected on a few occasions by both Black and Coloured there in Joburg.

btw, I think, last I knew, the term, Mentally Handicapped evolved to Mentally Challenged.  Even this may be out of date.

Either way, it's good to know the correct term of the day.  I really don't want to offend anyone.

[elliebean]

It isn't about PC, or what's fashionable, or even whether someone will be offended by it (there will always be some who are offended; you can't please everyone); it's about how those words are used to pigeonhole and oppress people. That's why I think the words change so often;; it's not that the people they refer to get bored with them, or just want to make it harder on everyone else, it's because the bigots who get involved in the institution and legislation of their bigotry keep finding new ways to use those words to oppress others.

And "homosexuality"... it's so impersonal, it sounds almost clinical. In fact, iirc, it was originally coined to refer to gayness as a mental disorder.

[LegendarySandwich]

It isn't about PC, or what's fashionable, or even whether someone will be offended by it (there will always be some who are offended; you can't please everyone); it's about how those words are used to pigeonhole and oppress people. That's why I think the words change so often;; it's not that the people they refer to get bored with them, or just want to make it harder on everyone else, it's because the bigots who get involved in the institution and legislation of their bigotry keep finding new ways to use those words to oppress others.

And "homosexuality"... it's so impersonal, it sounds almost clinical. In fact, iirc, it was originally coined to refer to gayness as a mental disorder.

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

[GAYtheist]

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

Bing Bing Bing Bing! We have a winner! What did he win Johnny?

[AnimatedDirt]

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

Bing Bing Bing Bing! We have a winner! What did he win Johnny?

So what you're saying here is that "we" can use the word...but "you" can't.
In other words it's much like;

Yeah. I'm not [strike:kur32kmm]gay[/strike:kur32kmm]Black, but you kind of have to cringe when [strike:kur32kmm]anti-gay Christians[/strike:kur32kmm] non-Blacks use the "N" word [strike:kur32kmm]"homosexual"[/strike:kur32kmm].

??

[LegendarySandwich]

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

Bing Bing Bing Bing! We have a winner! What did he win Johnny?

So what you're saying here is that "we" can use the word...but "you" can't.
In other words it's much like;

Yeah. I'm not [strike:1hce85l8]gay[/strike:1hce85l8]Black, but you kind of have to cringe when [strike:1hce85l8]anti-gay Christians[/strike:1hce85l8] non-Blacks use the "N" word [strike:1hce85l8]"homosexual"[/strike:1hce85l8].

??

No. It's the way they say it.

[elliebean]

No. It's the way they say it.

You can't say the "er".  

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

Bing Bing Bing Bing! We have a winner! What did he win Johnny?

So what you're saying here is that "we" can use the word...but "you" can't.

No. That's not anything like what he said.

[Kylyssa]

It seems like "homosexual" is equivalent to "Darwinist" or "evolutionist" in some ways.  

I honestly thought that homosexual and heterosexual came from the same scientific labeling convention which brought us homogeneous and heterogeneous. I have trouble adjusting to using a slang word for all occasions both formal and informal.  

I still can't bring myself to use the equivalent word for heterosexual which is "straight."

[GAYtheist]

Yeah. I'm not gay, but you kind of have to cringe when anti-gay Christians use the word "homosexual".

Bing Bing Bing Bing! We have a winner! What did he win Johnny?

So what you're saying here is that "we" can use the word...but "you" can't.
In other words it's much like;

Yeah. I'm not [strike:28394om2]gay[/strike:28394om2]Black, but you kind of have to cringe when [strike:28394om2]anti-gay Christians[/strike:28394om2] non-Blacks use the "N" word [strike:28394om2]"homosexual"[/strike:28394om2].

??

I don't know anyone who is gay, including myself, that uses "homosexual" in everyday talk about ourselves...am I the only one that's never heard it?

[AnimatedDirt]

I don't know anyone who is gay, including myself, that uses "homosexual" in everyday talk about ourselves...am I the only one that's never heard it?

In common dialogue, face to face, I can see using homosexual as too "proper" or even improper, however my amazement is in its written form, in speaking of the gay, gay is preferred.  We learn something new daily.

Homosexual Community < Gay Community
Homosexual Man/Woman < Gay Man/Woman
Homosexual sex < Gay sex

Got it.  From hence forth...  

However, in describing from a biblical perspective in debate/discussing whether "God hates gays" vs "God loves gays", I think "homosexual acts" is the best form to use as the difference in interpretation.