Many non-English-speaking societies have alternate, more commonly used terms than ‘gay’, both neutral and derogatory, to refer to gay persons. Even some predominantly English-language communities use terms adapted from the vocabulary and conceptual repertoire of their historical language traditions (e.g., — North American First Nations societies using ‘two-spirited’ rather than gay/lesbian/bisexual/queer/transgendered).

By the way, if you want to send someone a fruitcake (since its so traditional,) but you suspect that they won’t eat it, here is a great solution:

http://www.inflatablefruitcake.com/

The possibility that they took the name from the fruit cake brand…hahah, that’d be really clever!

I think the meaning of “gay” might be changing again, back into something closer to this older meaning. At least in one specific context: it seems to me that when young people today say “that’s so gay,” it doesn’t exactly refer to sexuality? Or, not quite the way it did just a few years ago when people first started saying it. Now, to be clear, I’m still way uncomfortable with this usage. I’m so not even defending it. In my world, it’s a stupid, thoughtless slur. Period. But… I think a lot about words, and what people think they mean. And I swear, it seems more and more like “gay” in that particular insulting context means something like “embarrassingly overenthusiastic.” The phrase communicates the speaker’s… emotional detachment. Ennui. Which is, and maybe has been for a while now, the social currency. It’s not seemly to be too into anything. In order to keep one’s cool (pun intended), distance must be maintained.

[Note: I see where this is coming from— and I'm not exactly cool with it. The homosexual=bad thing is in there because "that's so gay" is basically the "well, jeez, if you love that band/movie/scene so much, why don't you marry it/have sex with it?!" burn, through the prism of homophobia. There's a contempt there. So... yeah. Not cool.]

What’s funny is, the “enthusiasm” meaning seems like it was maybe there all along. I look at those old ads and to me, there’s an abandon there— gay wasn’t just happy, it was kick-you-heels-up/throw-your-hands-in-the-air happy. Giddy happy. “Woooo!!” happy. That only hit me recently, and when it did, I decided it was a shame we ever lost that in the first place (not to mention gained a nasty slur), because I don’t know of another word that means exactly that. So maybe I’m just hoping, but I wonder if in 30 or 40 years (or less?), “gay” will just mean something like “deliriously enthused.” (And maybe we can lose “that’s so gay.” Here’s to hope.)