The term homo refers to the Greek word "homos" - in German: "gleich". If it is combined with the word addition "sexual", it describes accordingly "same sex".
Homo" is the term used to describe people who, accordingly, love a man as a man or a woman as a woman. In a sense, it is the "opposite" of heterosexual.
Not only those who are in a committed relationship with a representative of their own sex are called "homo". Those who desire the same sex in general also belong to this type of sexual orientation.
In this context, it is particularly interesting to see how the meaning or even society has changed with regard to the word "homo".
How long has homo sexuality been around?
Same-sex love has long played a role in human history. Among other things, there are drawings from antiquity, which show that men had sex with men and women with women and celebrated orgies.
The word homo or homosexuality was used in this context in Europe mainly from the 19th century. At that time, however, it was by no means assumed to be a sexual orientation, but rather a mental illness.
The official assessment did not change until 1990, when the WHO decided to remove homo sexuality from the catalog of diseases.
What does Gay Sexual mean?
The term homo sexual covers several types of sexual orientations. Homo sexual refers to people who are either gay, lesbian or bisexual.
These terms are more widespread than the broader generic term. A typical example: A gay man is more likely to say "I'm gay!" instead of "I'm homosexual!".
Interestingly, there are also many people who have sex with the same sex, but would not describe themselves as "homo". Of course, the question of one's own identification also plays an important role here. Some people only define themselves (or others) as homo when it comes to entering into a relationship. Sex with the same sex is now and then booked by them as "curiosity". For many, however, the following applies: If I am interested in sex with the same sex, I at least have homosexual tendencies.
Is "homo" a dirty word?
The word "homo" is not negative in its original meaning. Many gay men and lesbian women refer to themselves as "homo".
But: Especially in homophobic circles, "homo" is unfortunately still often used as a swear word and pejoratively. In this context, many associations repeatedly point out how important it is to educate people at an early stage and to show how hurtful it can be to be assigned a stigma because of one's sexual orientation.
Homo sexuals within the LGBTQIA+ community.
In a time when other sexual orientations and identities were not talked about too often, homo sexuals were in some ways a pillar of the LGBTQIA+ community. Even people who were not part of the scene usually knew what it meant when people talked about "gay," "lesbian," or "bisexual."
The community has grown more and more over time, including in Germany, and has already achieved many successes with regard to the rights of homosexuals. A special milestone: Thanks to marriage for all, gay couples now have the opportunity to marry and no longer have to settle for a civil partnership.
but is also often still used as an insult by people who don't get along with those who think differently