What is the difference between gay and lesbian?

joezhou300

Gay is the sexual relationship between two men and lesbian is the sexual relationship between two women. Dec 30 04, 4:44 PM

Buck540

The proper term is "homosexual". Female homosexuals are refered to as "lesbians", male homosexuals are refered to as "gay", however female homosexual can also be called "gay". Dec 30 04, 5:06 PM

gmackematix

It seems that "gay" is a unisex word, while "lesbian" relates exclusively to women. Is there a word that refers exclusively to gay men? Dec 31 04, 7:22 AM

Flynn_17

I can't think of one that isn't insulting. Lesbian does of course come from the island where Lesbians were first found, Lesbos. All the men were banished to Mykonos, which is now a massive resort for Gay men. Dec 31 04, 11:05 AM

Baloo55th

Lesbos wasn't where they were first found, it was where one of the most famous ones lived. Sappho was a female poet who was alleged to be that way inclined although non-female-gay people have cast grave doubts on that. Queer is used in some gay circles to refer to gay men, but if outsiders use it it is regarded as insulting. Dec 31 04, 2:33 PM

gmackematix

So logically, "mykonian" should be the male equivalent of lesbian? For some reason, I gather people from Lesbos are known as Lesbosians. Jan 02 05, 2:51 AM