User:Hyacinth/Style guide
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- originally from Talk:List of famous gay, lesbian, or bisexual philosophers
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[edit] Homosexual should be avoided
Homosexual is a regrettable euphemism coined in 1869 from the Greek for "of the same" and the Latin for "sex". Not only does this word encompass the relationship my boyfriend and I have, but also the Catholic priesthood, or the Boy Scouts. The term was hacked together in a clinical environment and still carries the same negative connotations. Nor does this origin make it scientific and thus NPOV. Very few people, if any, actually identify themselves as homosexuals, and so to call living breathing folks homosexuals is insulting. Lastly, and most importantly, calling dead folks homosexuals is just as anachronistic as calling them gay, actually more so, since the use of gay to refer to same-sex romance or sexual activity actually predates homosexual. One will notice that homosexual is also the term representatives of far right groups use when speaking in public. The reason is that it causes a more visceral reaction in the general public as it carries its original connotation of perversion. Thus it is offensive and POV.
Wikipedia:Can history be truly NPOV?
[edit] Preferred terms include gay and lesbian, where appropriate
- from the Safe Schools Coalition of Washington's Glossary for school employees:
"Gay: Preferred synonym for homosexual." "Homosexual: Avoid this term; it is clinical, distancing and archaic. Sometimes appropriate in referring to behavior (although same-sex is the preferred adj.). When referring to people, as opposed to behavior, homosexual is considered derogatory and the terms gay and lesbian are preferred, at least in the Northwest." -http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG-glbt-defined.html
- from The Guardian style guide edited by David Marsh and Nikki Marshall:
"gay: synonymous with homosexual, and on the whole preferable" -http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/0,5817,184913,00.html
- from Avoiding Heterosexual Bias in Language by Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concern, American Psychological Association:
"Lesbian and gay male are preferred to the word 'homosexual' when used as an adjective referring to specific persons or groups, and lesbians and gay men are preferred terms over 'homosexuals' used as a noun when referring to specific persons or groups. The word 'homosexual' has several problems of designation. First, it may perpetuate negative stereotypes because of its historical associations with pathology and criminal behavior. Second, it is ambiguous in reference because it is often assumed to refer exclusively to men and thus renders lesbians invisible. Third, it is often unclear."
"The terms 'gay male' and 'lesbian' refer primarily to identities and to the modern culture and communities that have developed among people who share those identities. They should be distinguished from sexual behavior. Some men and women have sex with others of their own gender but do not consider themselves to be gay or lesbian. In contrast, the terms 'heterosexual' and 'bisexual' currently are used to describe identity as well as behavior."
"The terms 'gay' as an adjective and 'gay persons' as a noun have been used to refer to both males and females. However, these terms may be ambiguous in reference since readers who are used to the term 'lesbian and gay' may assume that 'gay' refers to men only. Thus it is preferable to use 'gay' or 'gay persons' only when prior reference has specified the gender composition of this term."
"Such terms as 'gay male' are preferable to 'homosexuality' or 'male homosexuality' and so are grammatical reconstructions (e.g., 'his colleagues knew he was gay' rather than 'his colleagues knew about his homosexuality'). The same is true for 'lesbian' over 'female homosexual', 'female homosexuality', or 'lesbianism.'"
"Same-gender behavior, male-male behavior, and female-female behavior are appropriate terms for specific instances of same-gender sexual behavior that people engage in regardless of their sexual orientation (e.g., a married heterosexual man who once had a same-gender sexual encounter). Likewise, it is useful that women and men not be considered 'opposites' (as in 'opposite sex') to avoid polarization, and that heterosexual women and men not be viewed as opposite to lesbians and gay men. Thus, male-female behavior is preferred to the term "opposite sex behavior" in referring to specific instances of other-gender sexual behavior that people engage in regardless of their sexual orientation."
"When referring to sexual behavior that cannot be described as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual, special care needs to be taken. Descriptions of sexual behavior among animal species should be termed 'male-male sexual behavior" or 'male-female sexual behavior' rather than 'homosexual behavior' or 'heterosexual behavior,' respectively." -http://www.apastyle.org/sexuality.html
- from the Newswatch Diversity Style Guide:
"gay: Preferable in all references as a synonym for male homosexual. Lesbian is preferred term for women. To include both, use 'gay men and lesbians. Best to use 'gay' as an adjective, not a noun, such as 'gay man,' 'gay woman,' 'gay people.' In headlines where space is an issue, gay(s) is acceptable to describe both." -http://newswatch.sfsu.edu/guide/g.html
[edit] Same-sex... and sexual minority are preferred if gay and lesbian are avoided, or where appropriate
originally from Talk:History of sexuality:
Alternately, the inclusive terms "different-sex" and "same-sex" should be used throughout. Where necessary for clarity, the terms "straight", "gay", "lesbian", "bisexual", "transgender", "queer" or more specific terms are used. "Different-sex" and "same-sex" do not carry negative nor positive connotations, are not in most cases the preferred term of any group or groups, do not imply self-identification, are not historically specific. However, care should be taken to avoid simply replacing the terms used in discussions of modern conceptions and identities with "different-sex" and "same-sex" in cases where this places aspects of these modern conceptions onto the ideally neutral terms. Examples of preferred usage include:
- Same-sex sexuality preferred over general use of homosexuality
- Different-sex sexuality preferred over general use of heterosexuality
- Person predominately sexually and romantically attracted to people of the same-sex preferred over the noun homosexual
- Person predominately sexually and romantically attracted to people of a different-sex preferred over the noun heterosexual
These are, of course, often overspecific and may often be shortened.
