'Homosexualism' vs. 'homosexuality', Russian gay linguistics

[Robert Fojtik]

To whom it may concern:

I was referred to this listserv by Prof. Gregory Ward in hopes of finding
some information for my undergraduate thesis in Slavic languages and
literature. I am looking at the linguistic construction of male
homosexuality in Post-Soviet Russia and I have a few questions for which I
am having trouble finding answers.

1) In English, "homosexualism" was used to describe same-sex love early in
the 20th century and at some point shifted to "homosexuality." I am curious
as to the semantic differences of the two. I suspect that that the [-ism]
suffix suggests a belief system ( e.g. Buddhism, Marxism, Liberalism) as
opposed to the [-ity] suffix which I suspect has the meaning of an innate
quality (e.g. individuality, spirituality, commonality). Does anyone know of
any literature that specifically addresses this question?

2) I have found near to nothing on the topic of Russian gay linguistics
generally. With the exception of Kozlovsky's "Argo Russkoi Gomoseksual'noi
Subkultury," I have nothing that addresses my topic. Anything would be much
appreciated.

Thank you very much!

-Rob Fojtik

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