WH Qs about Gays

Warning: Some material in the following context may be offensive to some readers.

Same-sex sexual practices in human sexual behavior are sexual activities involving two or more individuals of the same sex. If one or more partners involved does not identify as homosexual they may use the term same-sex or same-gender sex.

In certain situations, like incarceration or prep schools or other sex-segregated environments, may often lead people who ordinarily would not to seek sex with others of their own gender.

In other cases, some people may experiment or explore their sexuality with same (and/or different) gender sexual activity before defining their sexual identity. Health campaigns and officials often seek to target self-identified "straight" or bisexual "Men who have Sex with Men" or "Men who like Sex with Men" (MSM) as opposed to self-identified "gay" or homosexual men.

The word gay has had a sexual meaning since at least the nineteenth century (and possibly earlier) -- in Victorian England, female and male prostitutes were called "gay" (because they dressed gaily). Eventually, "gay boys" (renters) became used as a term for any male homosexual. In the United States, the term may have arisen from the hobo community: a young hobo, a "gay cat" or "geycat", often had to befriend an older more experienced hobo for education and survival. Such a relationship was implicitly sexual, hence the term "gay cat" came to mean "a young homosexual."

The term can be used exclusively or inclusively. The exclusive meaning refers only to men who prefer sexual or romantic relationships with other men. The inclusive meaning refers to both men and women who prefer sexual or romantic relationships with their own sex (though there is some disagreement about this, hence the term "lesbians and gay men"). Whether bisexuals are included in either of those meanings is a matter of debate.

Many situations, like public high school and cultural factors, such as anti-gay bias and harassment, heterosexism and heteronormativity, may cause or encourage people who ordinarily would not have sexual relationships with people of a different gender to do so, but once gay people are away from such situations, they will usually return to same-sex sexual activity. In other cases, people may experiment with different (and/or same) sex sexual activity before settling on a sexual identity, if ever.

While many common different-sex sexual activities are also common same-sex sexual activities, the former includes oral sex, vaginal sex. Though often associated with gay men, anal sex is a common different-sex sexual practice. The anus is "tighter" than the vagina and thus may be preferable to the male during penetration; additionally, many people enjoy flouting cultural sexual taboos. Anal sex is not advisable as birth control as it is still possible, though unlikely, for semen to enter the vagina. Rap and hip hop culture is known for frequent statements such as Sir Mix Alot's, "I like big butts, and I can not lie," and artists such as Slick Rick have made explicit their preference for anal sex. This, and gangsta rap's frequent anti-gay bias, was satirized in South Park when obviously gay Big Gay Al sang appropriately gay lyrics to Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up".

Among some sectors of African-American homosexual sub-culture (called "men on the DL" or "down-low", same-sex sexual behavior is sometimes viewed as solely for physical pleasure. Men on the "down-low" may engage in regular (though often covert) sex acts with other men while continuing sexual and romantic relationships with women. These men often shun the more commonly-known " gay " as a term applying to stereotypically flamboyant and effeminate men of European ancestry; a group from which some may wish to distance themselves.

Some sociologists and researchers in queer studies have suggested that this mostly African-American subculture may have come about because of stronger stigmas against same-sex behavior in African-American communities, and, due to more widespread poverty, greater dependence on possibly homophobic family networks for support.

Same-sex civil marriages currently are legally recognized nationwide only in the Netherlands and Belgium. Following provincial court rulings, the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec have also legalized same-sex marriage. The Canadian federal government (working with the Supreme Court of Canada) is currently in the process of trying to create new legislation that could legalize same-sex marriage nationally. The Swedish federal government is similarly preparing legislation to legalize same-sex marriage across the country. Several local government bodies in the United States are performing same-sex marriages, on various degrees of legal footing. Same-sex marriage will become legal in the US state of Massachusetts.

Recently, the term "same-sex marriage" has been displacing "gay marriage", the term being perceived as less value-laden for the union of two partners of the same sex and also being more inclusive of bisexuals.