Gay Man

 is a term for men and male-aligned/masculine-aligned individuals who experience queer attraction to men and/or masculine individuals.

Etymology
Gay has had many meanings over the years, usually meaning "joyful" and "happy." In the late 1600s, the term took on a sexual meaning, the "carefree" nature of the word became use to refer to individuals with unrestrained morals and prone decadence and promiscuity.

Definitions

 * a homosexual man - Vocabulary
 * At times, “gay” is used to refer to all people, regardless of sex, who have their primary sexual and or romantic attractions to people of the same sex. The term can also exclusively refer to men who are emotionally, romantically, sexually, affectionately, or relationally attracted to other men, or who identify as members of the gay community. - Montclair State University

History
By the 1960s, homosexual men have taken the term "gay man" to refer to their owns sexual identity. By today's standards, it is a more acceptable way to refer to homosexual men.

Statistics
There has been many census studies over the years, each one increasing in the percentage of queer individuals overall. In one, 1.7% of individuals in the U.S. identified as either gay or lesbian.

In the 2021-2022 GLAAD Where We Are on TV report, gay men made up 35% of characters, a decrease of five percentage points from the previous year.

Perceptions and Discrimination
Gay men were targeted by the Nazis. At certain concentration camps, gay men had a downward-pointing pink triangle sewn onto their shirts. This symbol has been reclaimed by gay men in the 1970s.

Studies at John Hopkins reveal that gay men in relationships are just as likely to face domestic violence as straight individuals. While experiencing the same factors of manipulation and control, they are also threatened with outing to their family, friends and co-workers.

Subsets

 * Bambi Gay
 * Eros Gay

Flags
In the mid-2010s, gay activist Valentin Belyaev posted his version of the gay man flag in an initiative group in VKontakte to combat homophobia against men (gayphobia). The flag consists of shades of azure and blue. The colors symbolize the diversity of the gay community and is an analog of the traditional lesbian flag.

Another gay man flag was made by Mod Hermy on the ask-pride-color-schemes Tumblr blog in 2017. The now deactivated gee-makes-flags Tumblr account posted a simplified version of the flag.

On July 10, 2019 the Tumblr blog gayflagblog proposed a flag. The top three stripes represent community, healing and joy. The bottom three stripes represent love, fortitude and diversity. The white stripe represents all trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming gay men. The green and teal represent nature, as love between men is often seen as "unnatural" in the eyes of society and religion. Gay men have historically used green flowers and plants, adding to the use of green in the flag. The blue-to-purple gradient on the bottom half of the flag symbolizes how some gay men might be stereotypical, some might not be, and some are in-between or fluid.

On August 14, 2020 Ian Blázquez tweeted two warmer versions of the gayflagblog flag. He shifted the colors to include pink and warmer greens, trying to bring together all these historical symbols.

There are various versions of the gayflagblog flag.

Another gay man flag was designed by Tumblr user Chara Violet on June 5, 2021. The pink stripe is from the twink flag and the crown in the drag flag, it stands for gender non-conformity. The peach stripe represents the bear flag and represents sexuality and sensuality. The pale yellow stripe is from both the twink and bear flags, it represents nblm and trans men. The pale azure stripe is from the achillean flag and represents strength and community. The lavender is from the drag flag and represents peace and community.