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 gatech.CSNET Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!gatech!strick From: strick@gatech.CSNET (henry strickland) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Re: Gays, deafness, and problems of Linguistics Message-ID: <1750@gatech.CSNET> Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 22:18:59 EST Article-I.D.: gatech.1750 Posted: Mon Oct 28 22:18:59 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 04:38:49 EST References: <105@emacs.UUCP> <10761@ucbvax.ARPA> Reply-To: strick@gatech.UUCP (henry strickland) Distribution: net Organization: the clouds project, school of ics, georgia tech Lines: 44 In article <10761@ucbvax.ARPA> bradr@ingres.UUCP (Brad Rubenstein) writes: >There are a bunch of signs for homosexuality, though some are >considered derogatory in certain places, and others are only >comprehensible in specific contexts (funny, english has the same >bug/feature). My source book in such matters (people in netland seem >to have a passion for references) is "Signs of Sexual Behavior: An >Introduction to Some Sex-Related Vocabulary in American Sign Language" >by James Woodward. It lists signs for "gay", "gay-male", "gay-female, >lesbian", and "queer, gay". (I'd show you what they look like, but I >don't transmit well at 9600 baud). The names given to the signs are For those of us who sign, could you describe them (as you describe the two signs below) ? >somewhat arbitrary. The one I see (and use) most frequently here in >San Francisco is the last of these, which Woodward says tends to be >derogatory back East. The sign is made by touching the thumb and index >finger (a "g" handshape) to the point of the chin. "Lesbian" is made >similarly, but with an "L" hand shape. I don't think I've ever been >misunderstood with these signs, nor do I think I've offended anyone who >wouldn't be offended by the word "gay". > >Any comments? Any Deaf folks out there have an opinion? > > Brad I've seen the above two signs on the chin used by the son of deaf parents in Atlanta. I have a hearing friend from North Carolina who has worked in the National Theatre of the Deaf for several years. He was once telling a story in which he was asked (because he wore an earring) by a deaf person if he was gay ... the sign David used in this story is the handshape for "feel" (middle finger bent inside and perpendicular to the palm -- a common handshape in signs, kind of meaning "sensitive" -- it's used in signs for feel, pity, excited, lucky, sparkling (as a diamond ) -- to be fair, it can also mean empty, or absent ) -- the palm is down, above the head, with the finger just above the hair, and it's brought forward as if drawing a mohawk. Is this derrogatory? Used elsewhere? -- -- henry strickland -- the clouds project { akgua allegra hplabs inhp4 } -- school of ics / ga tech !gatech!strick -- atlanta ga 30332