For the most part the meaning of the words should be clear in context. They describe sexual preferences and types, as well as particular places and activities important to homosexuals of the time.įolding these terms into the libretto of “ Speakeasy – The Adventures of John and Jane Allison in the Wonderland” was a lot of fun.
Not surprisingly, for a social group that for the most part did not conduct themselves openly in society, a lot of these terms constitute a kind of secret language available only to those “in the club”. Some of these terms are solely of their time, some have survived into the modern era, albeit often with modified meanings. Part of the fun of researching 1920’s and 1930’s Queer subculture in New York City was coming across a wide variety of specialized slang and coded terms that flourished among homosexual men and women of the time.
