Gay Men's Pride Flag

Gay men (also known as homosexual men, male homosexual or uranian) are men and male-aligned (helian) or masculine-aligned (phoebian) individuals who experience gay attraction to men/solarians and/or masculine individuals. This identity is sometimes more broadly defined as non-women attracted to non-women. However, not all non-binary individuals feel comfortable being included under gay male attraction. A non-woman attracted to non-women is also called floric. Gay men are the male counterparts to lesbians and fall under the homosexual/homoromantic and monosexual/monoromantic umbrellas. [1]

Another definition that is used commonly is men and non-binary individuals attracted to men and non-binary individuals, including all NBLM, MLNB, and NBLNB attractions. As, again, not all non-binary individuals feel comfortable being included under gay male attraction, alternate labels such as toric, viramoric, mascic, torensexual, masexual, minsexual, or uranic are sometimes used. [1]

Many proposed terms for gay men exist. They include:

• Uranian: A historical term that is sometimes used to mean gay men.

• Turian or Veldian: Named after Alan Turing. Describes both gay men and gay (NBLM) non-binary individuals.

• Floric: Named after Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci, who is the namesake of vincian. It is a term used for non-woman attracted to non-women, it includes and is sometimes used as a synonym for "gay men".

• Vincian: Coined as a synonym for achillean, but is sometimes used to mean "gay man".

• Patroclian or Patroclic: Comes from the Greek story of Patroclus, who was thought to be a romantic partner of Achilles (the origin of Achillean and Patroclean).

• Hyacinthine, Hyacinthian, Hyacinthi or Cinthean: Based on Hyacinth/Hyacinthus from Greek mythology.

• Thamyrian or Thamyri: Based on Thamyris is Greek mythology, cited as “the first man to have loved another male”.

• Carnatian: From the green carnation flower, used as a lapel in Victorian times to symbolize male homosexuality.

• Viridian: Coming from viridi the Latin word for green, a color often associated with male homosexuality. Vir also means man.

• Casian: Based on the Latin casia meaning "lavender".

• Gayan: Has the same meaning as “gay” in “gay man” just as “lesbian” has in “lesbian woman”.

• Magnian: Meant to honor Magnus Hirschfeld.

• Virsic: Being gay for men, regardless of gender.

• Virescin: Comes from the word virescent, meaning greenish. It is based off green carnations.

• Phthian: named after Phthia, city where Achilles was born. [1]

A large portion of the gay men community is exclusively sexually and/or romantically attracted to men and/or non-binary people. Gay men often have a separate community from m-spec gay men as the two variants have differing experiences, with some overlapping spaces as well. Gay men with exclusive attraction and gay men with non-exclusive attraction both face different issues. Compulsory heterosexuality tends to affect gay men with exclusive attraction. [1]