# Staight = not gay

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staight-not-gay/413549>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 29, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staight-not-gay/413549 "2007-07-29T00:46:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staight-not-gay/413549/21 "2007-07-29T21:51:36Z")

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[QUOTE=AHunter3]  
As recently as 1977 “straight” still had the alternative meanings of:

• part of the “establishment”, aka “square”, not “hip”, not “countercultural”

• not a stoner; doesn’t smoke marijuana, doesn’t drop LSD

• not currently at this specific moment stoned, drunk, or tripping; sober  
See for instance Hole, “Credit in the Straight World”. I don’t think Courtney Love meant the world of breeders had just issued her a Visa card.  
[/QUOTE]

Besides the fact that the Hole album was released in 1994, what’s your point? Of course, straight indicates the straight world generally and not just straight as not gay. It’s had that meaning for decades and keeps it to this day. Has anybody disputed this? Not in this thread, certainly.

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**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staight-not-gay/413549/22 "2007-07-29T22:14:21Z")

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[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.]  
Yes. I only included that because it is what made me wonder about the question. I could have phrased it better.  
[/QUOTE]

Sorry- I understood your question, but was responding to others’ interpretation of the lyrics. I should have phrased my response to make this clearer.

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staight-not-gay/413549/23 "2007-07-29T22:52:06Z")

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[QUOTE=AHunter3]  
As recently as 1977 “straight” still had the alternative meanings of:

• part of the “establishment”, aka “square”, not “hip”, not “countercultural”

• not a stoner; doesn’t smoke marijuana, doesn’t drop LSD

• not currently at this specific moment stoned, drunk, or tripping; sober  
See for instance Hole, “Credit in the Straight World”. I don’t think Courtney Love meant the world of breeders had just issued her a Visa card.  
[/QUOTE]

I’d have to imagine that the same still exists today, as all meaning is in context. If someone told me they were “straight” out of the blue, the last thing I would imagine is they were professing not to be gay, unless for some reason he normally exhibited characteristics that are associated with gaydom.

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