Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ucbvax!ingres!bradr From: bradr@ingres.ARPA (Brad Rubenstein) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Signs for "Gay" Message-ID: <131@ingres.ARPA> Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 13:19:51 EST Article-I.D.: ingres.131 Posted: Wed Oct 30 13:19:51 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 01:35:19 EST References: <105@emacs.UUCP> <10761@ucbvax.ARPA> <1750@gatech.CSNET> Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: bradr@ingres.UUCP (Brad Rubenstein) Distribution: net Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 51 In article <1750@gatech.CSNET> strick@gatech.UUCP (henry strickland) writes: >For those of us who sign, could you describe them (as you describe >the two signs below) ? This is a bit technical. I am doing this without the Woodward text in front of me, so there might be slight variances. Trying to describe signs this way is like trying to tell someone how to tie their shoelaces. Check these out with a Deaf Gay friend to make sure it looks right (and to find out what the connotations of the sign are in your area). GAY: "tug on the ear". A gestural construction which originated (I think) in the Manhattan gay deaf community. It still seems to be an "underground" sign here in San Francisco. GAY: open-8 (as in FEEL) palm down, moving across the top of the head from front to back, or across the eyebrow. I think Woodward said that it was generally accepted. Maybe among straights. In most contexts I've seen it used, it would best be translated as "faggot" or "queen". I've never seen it refering to a gay woman. GAY: open-8 with contact on top of wrist, touch twice. I've never seen this sign before, and I remember Woodward saying it is rare. GAY-QUEER: G handshape on tip of chin. The point of contact is (unusually) both index and thumb. This makes it look different from SOUR or MISS ("to miss someone"). The gloss is Woodwards, and he reports it as derogatory, and some of you had mentioned it as such on the East Coast. I don't think it is among the gay community in SF. LESBIAN: L handshape on chin. The point of contact is (unusually) the palm-side of the bend between index and thumb. This makes it look different from LUNCH. G-A-Y: the fingerspelled version is the most likely to be understood, (I guess if your not in a hurry you could spell H-O-M-O-S-E-X-U-A-L) and apparently the least likely to offend, since you could have spelled faggot or c*cksucker if that's what you meant. Incidentally, this cannot apparently have the double meaning gay/happy, since this would surely be signed, not spelled. The above gets all sorts of disclaimers. Use the mis-information at your own risk. Brad -- Brad Rubenstein Project INGRES/BARTOK Computer Science Division ARPA: bradr@ucbingres.ARPA University of California UUCP: ucbvax!ucbingres!bradr Berkeley, CA 94720 PaBell: (415) 642-8149