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Jinn · 08-23-2005, 07:23 AM

All in how you define the word:
Gay:

Quote:

http://www.state.mi.us/msp/cjic/ucr/ucr_m.htm
gay: "Of or relating to males who experience a sexual attraction toward, and responsiveness to, other males."

http://www.fas.org/news/reference/probert/PA.HTM
Gay is slang for a homosexual male.

www.womenchildrenhiv.org/wchiv
Having sexual relations with an individual of the same sex. Usually refers to male-male relations. The term lesbian is most often used for female-female sexual relationships.

www.ifsha.org/glossary.htm
(Popular Slang) for a male homosexual

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/gay
The term "gay", or "lesbian lesbian (lowercase L) is a homosexual woman. Lesbians are sexually and romantically attracted to other women. One could argue that one is not a lesbian (as a noun) but lesbian (as an adjective). This would depend on self identification, and is different for most lesbians/lesbian women.

Lesbian:

Quote:

Of or relating to females who experience a sexual attraction toward and responsiveness to other females; a homosexual female.
www.umes.edu/police/CrimeDefs.html

A female homosexual. Also used the word lesbo which is a slang term for a lesbian.
www.4sexual-pleasure.com/definitions.html

A female homosexual. The term literally means a resident of the Isle of Lesbos, a Greek island where the ancient lyric poet Sappho, whose versed celebrated love between women, lived.
http://www.number-one-adult-sexual-h...queerterms.htm

If you want to talk about gays AND lesbians, using the term "homosexual" works just fine. If "Gay" can apply to homosexual women, why would the word "Lesbian" even be neccessary? To describe a female subset of homosexuals, perhaps? There's a reason, to me.. for Gay AND LESBIAN support groups. In most social circles, I'd argue -- gay refers only to male homosexuals, and I hope the vagueness of "gay" as referring to all homosexuals does not persist.