# How Do You Say "GAY" In Spanish? And Other Languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906 "2013-02-20T21:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/21 "2013-02-21T09:33:11Z")
There is no non-offensive term for gay in tagalog, to be say “gay” in a non-offensive way you say “gay” in english, the two words for gay in Tagalog are “bakla” and “bading”, neither of which is without a negative connotation, bakla is probably more negative sounding than bading though. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/22 "2013-02-21T09:55:47Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > The s-word? It rhymes with Missy…My gay friends get offended by it. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/23 "2013-02-21T11:05:31Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > It rhymes with Missy…My gay friends get offended by it. Oh, I liked suckcocker better. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/24 "2013-02-21T11:17:27Z")
Urdu: _Gandhu_. Literally “ass guy”. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/25 "2013-02-21T11:36:54Z")
Italian: Gay. There’s also “omosessuale”, but younger people usually use the English word. In Dutch we still use “homo” - it’s not considered offensive. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/26 "2013-02-21T11:38:58Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > .Italian is usually _gay_; there’s also _finocchio_ “fennel,” but I’m not sure how derogatory that is. Finocchio is definitely derogatory. It’s not off the scale offensive, but it’s not neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/27 "2013-02-21T11:58:39Z")
He who lives by the s-word dies by the s-word. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/28 "2013-02-21T12:55:05Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > The word “gai” (meaning “happy” in French originally) seems to be gaining popularity among French speakers to mean the same as the English “gay” (homosexual.) That’s certainly true in Montreal (the location of EmilyG). “Gai” and “gaie” seem to be the words for gays and lesbians. There is a restaurant around town owned by a Lesbian. His is actually from the isle of Lesbos. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/29 "2013-02-21T13:53:40Z")
In Norwegian, I guess the least derogatory term is “skeiv”, which translates to “bent” or “askew”, _i.e._ not straight. It’s (IME) gender-neutral and I’ve never heard it used in a derogatory manner. The more conventional terms are “homo” and “lesbisk” (self-explanatory) which are rather neutral and which I’ve heard used rather frequently by gays and lesbians. “Homse” used to be derogatory when I was a kid, but IME it’s been more or less reclaimed by the LGBT community and lost quite a bit of the negative connotations. Terms like “soper” (literally, “sweeper”, not in the soccer-related meaning) or “skinkerytter” (ham-rider) for gays or “flatbanker” (lit. “flat-hammerer”) for lesbians are still considered offensive. Except “skinkerytter” I have absolutely no idea about the etymology of those words. How is it in Swedish, by the way? Is “bög” still offensive? I have the impression that it’s been reclaimed by the LBGT community like “homse” in Norwegian. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/30 "2013-02-21T14:03:27Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > he walks down the other side of the road Funny that you have that one in Spanish. In Norwegian we may very well say “he drives in the opposite lane” if we want to be euphemistic. ETA: We get a double entendre that way: “Lane” is “fil” in Norwegian, and we use “homofil” and “heterofil” more often than “homoseksuell” or “heteroseksuell”🆒 ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/31 "2013-02-21T14:13:23Z")
In Angola, gay men are called “veado” which is the Portuguese word for deer. Other words like “Bambi” and “gazela” are also used. Gay women are called “fufa” or “sapatona” the later word translates to “big shoes.” I call them people. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/32 "2013-02-21T20:38:31Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > That’s certainly true in Montreal (the location of EmilyG). “Gai” and “gaie” seem to be the words for gays and lesbians. > > There is a restaurant around town owned by a Lesbian. His is actually from the isle of Lesbos. Wouldn’t that make him a Lesbosian? At least that’s what Trivial Pursuit said it was. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/33 "2013-02-21T21:26:57Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > In Norwegian, I guess the least derogatory term is “skeiv”, which translates to “bent” or “askew”, _i.e._ not straight. “Bent” (not straight) was or maybe still is used in England more than “gay.” ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/34 "2013-02-22T02:48:18Z")
In Turkish, the only slang word I know for gay is _parlak_, which means “bright”. Not sure how offensive it’s considered today. ---
**Author:** ![grama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@grama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grama)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/35 "2013-02-22T03:16:06Z")
In Chile we just say gay, it’s the only non-derogatory word besides homosexual, and I just checked out of curiosity, it is in the RAE dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/36 "2013-02-22T03:41:15Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In Spanish from Spain, nowadays, the polite word is _gay_, and it has been around long enough to be pronounced as if it really was a Spanish word (_gái_ vs the original English pronunciation, which would be _géi_ in Spanish phonics). Same in Panama; I’ve seen it used in newspapers. It’s also used/understood by the Colombians I know. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/37 "2013-02-22T09:55:24Z")
Same pattern in Slovenian (and probably other Slavic languages). No other non-offensive terms but homoseksualec/ka, gej and lezbijka. If you want offensive ones … Then I can sure find a couple of original expressions. Well behaved gossiping matrons would of course rather said something like “look, there goes that chap that likes boys” or something. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/38 "2013-02-22T10:03:28Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Urdu: _Gandhu_. Literally “ass guy”. I’ve always heard “hijra”? I’m assuming it’s offensive, but is it more or less offensive than “ass guy”? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/39 "2013-02-22T10:31:32Z")
Gay and _homosexual_ are the polite terms (for a gay man) in Puerto Rico, the ones you see used by the media and government. _Pato_ and _loca_ are two slightly offensive terms (or at least, less offensive compared to other terms) that one may hear around the street. But offensiveness being relative, as intent and context can be more important. Then there is also that song, _Pluma gay_, a parody of a Romanian song _Dragostea din tei_, which uses one of the more offensive terms, yet it is an anti-homophobic song (in all its flaming glory). ---
**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906/40 "2013-02-22T22:46:47Z")
I think “the s-word”(fuck how I hate the trend of using the first letter for “bad words”) is swish. I liked William S. Burroughs take on it, essentialy at the time he wrote _Queer_ there were two common words - this from my memory of his introduction - queer and queen. He emphatically said he was a queer but not a queen. I’m not sure how offensive either is but I’ve found the distinction useful as I use them both. I _know_ _maricon_ is, at least in some Spanish speaking countries, means gay but I don’t know the level of offensiveness the word brings with it. A co-worker from El Salvador told me that in most Spanish speaking countries _cabrone_ is kind of the equivalent of _buddy_ but never say it to a Columbian and if a Columbian uses the word toward you prepare to scrap - unless the speaker has bedroom eyes. I learned tapette from a franco-phone friend of mine when I was in grade 9. He didn’t say it was offensive but 25 years ago what did straight 14 year-olds care about such things. He said it meant “flyswatter”. Sorry, I guess this whole post is kind of contra-OP as most of the terms I’ve mentioned seem to be offensive to some degree. Then again; find any term that does offend at least some of the people described. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-gay-in-spanish-and-other-languages/650906.md?page=3)