ATTN: book readers... about gay culture

[andyroux]

does anyone know of any books that explain gay culture in america?
or even come close?

i'm looking for a friend of mine who really doesn't know anything about being gay...

a question that might be answered would include :

why do some gay men call each other "gurl" ?


and also the origins of gay terms, such as "helium heels", "troll", and "coif"


just wondering if anyone has any insights on where i might be able to find these answers....

as a gay man myself, i know the terminology, but just dont' know where it comes from ... and it's hard to explain to someone why it is that some gays say "she" when they are talking about another guy.

there are many other questions that need to be answered as well... but nothing is coming to mind at the moment...

anyway,
any thoughts are greatly appreciated...

Andyroux

 

[stryco]

Not American, Do Not Know Many Books About The Culture On Your Side Of The Atlantic, That Said, A Good Read: Celluloid Closet, Can't Remember The Author... And For Fun(fiction) Try Getting Hold Of The Armisted Maupin Books... Tales Of The City, More Tales...

 

[momp57]

I vaguely remember reading that kind of stuff when I first came out. I don't remember where I read it though. I do remember that the book "Loving Someone Gay" by Clarke was recommended and for some reason I remember the title as having an impact almost 20 years later.

Good luck!

 

[mishima75]

a lot of the gay talk you're thinking about comes from across the atlantic from polari, the gay speak developed in england during the 19th-20th centuries.

there is a dictionary of it out there. but sites like these also help
i really don't know how it crossed over - possibly via world war 1/2 sailors and the like, and then popular movies allowed guys the chance to read themselves into the language of the female stars.

 

[Spensed]

Obviously, one has to be careful with Wikipedia, but it's often a good starting point. It doesn't always get it wrong and sometime provides some useful information, links, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_slang

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_culture

 

[AsianDream]

Most human groups tend to develop their own words and phraseology. So books on this will just be documenting what has been used by various gay sub-cultures.

I personally think that the development of new words and word usage sometimes has a dark side - to exclude and identify those not "part of the group".

Though sometimes these just arise to make communication more efficient in conveying more complex ideas (eg: it is easier for car enthusiasts to just say "carb" than "the engine component that mixes gasoline and air").

One thing I've found in "Gay culture" is that it's very open - so a guy won't usually be looked down on for not knowing what a "special" gay word means - so probably not worth the expense of buying a book.

On the other hand - if you want to mix socially with a group of "MotorHeads" one hint that you don't know the difference between a "Downdraft Webber" and some other type of "Carb" will get you instantly ostracised.

 

[mishima75]

and if one asks for an andrew lloyd webber?

 

[AsianDream]

and if one asks for an andrew lloyd webber?

If They're old "Motorheads" they'll know who you mean - the young one's will just stare at you blankly.