Origin of "flamer"?

[Scot LaFaive]

Although I don't personally use the word, it exists in my vocabulary as only
an "overtly effeminate gay man" and not an overtly effeminate straight man,
though that wouldn't be much of a stretch.

Scot


>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Origin of "flamer"?
>Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:45:35 -0500
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Origin of "flamer"?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 9:26 AM -0600 12/14/06, Scot LaFaive wrote:
> >I know of "flamer" as a gay man
>
>more accurately = overtly effeminate gay man?  As
>far as I can tell from the sources (including
>Bruce Rodgers's _Gay Talk_ lexicon), it didn't
>pick up on orientation as such, at least within
>the gay world, but on effeminacy.  I could be
>wrong, though.
>
> >and I remember first hearing it sometime in
> >the mid-90's, though I never heard a good reason why that word was
>chosen.
> >If I had to guess I'd say it came from "flamboyant," since that's what
>it's
> >always meant to me: a man who is flamboyantly gay.
>
>Agreed.
>
>So would, say, ex-Gov. McGreevey of N.J. be a
>flamer?  Or the other members of the vast
>majority of non-flamboyantly gay gay men?  What
>of effeminate men who aren't in fact gay?
>
> >HDAS has it to 1972.
> >
> >Scot
> >
> >
> >>From: Pam Norton <pcnorton at YAHOO.COM>
> >>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >>Subject: Origin of "flamer"?
> >>Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:54:42 -0800
> >>
> >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>Poster:       Pam Norton <pcnorton at YAHOO.COM>
> >>Subject:      Origin of "flamer"?
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>Hi,
> >>    My 19 year old daughter has just informed me that there is a term
> >>"flamer," not referring to flaming on the internet, but referring to gay
> >>people. I have never heard of this, although I have heard of "flaming"
>as
> >>an adjective equivalent of "flamboyant". She swears this is "old" usage,
> >>e.g. from the '80's. I can see how this meaning would develop but does
> >>anyone know the origin (and is it from the 80's?). I can't believe I've
> >>never heard of this, so my feeling is that it's got to be something from
> >>her generation. True?
> >>
> >>Thanks,
> >>
> >>Pam Norton
> >>
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