THE FIRST TIME...

I found this photo on a website somewhere:



It got me to thinking about the first time I heard that word. And I recall it was in Esquire in 1965. Terry Southern wrote a satirical article entitled, Interview With A Faggot Male Nurse. The interview may have been invented. Who knows? Terry Southern was a wild and crazy guy. Here's part of it:




In the interview, after a lot of semantic backing and forthing, they settle on "gay" as the operative word.

And I remembered, that's the first time I ever heard "gay" used "that way." Because, in 1965, there was the "other way." As in this Sinatra tune...

And I feel so gay
In a melancholy way,
That it might as well be spring
It might as well be spring.

or this one...

Love is tearful or it's gay
It's a problem or it's play
It's a heartache either way
But beautiful.