Why Bisexual, Gay or Lesbian instead of Homosexual?”
In every society, language is a reflection of accepted and expected cultural values and beliefs. The term “homosexual” was devised to describe “sick”, “ill”, or “deviant” people who had relationships with the same gender. Today, there is a large body of research that contradicts the assumption that lesbians and gay men are psychologically disturbed due to their sexual orientation. In studies comparing lesbians and gay men to heterosexuals, both groups consistently score in the normal range on psychological tests. Given that research did not support this assumption of deviance, in 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders. Considering that the term homosexual has this negative historical definition, rejecting it and the deviance implied has been essential for lesbians and gay men. The labels lesbian, gay and bisexual are words that were created within and for the group to name their experience more accurately.
