Q: Possible 1727 "queen" = male homosexual?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Conceptually related, obviously, even an adumbration, but not an ex. of the
current use.  A nickname doesn't necessarily double as a common noun .
Cf.: During the 1920s, American college men often referred casually to
attractive women as "queens."  But Queen Latifah's (stage) name (decades
later rather than centuries earlier, as is Joel's ex.) doesn't exemplify the
slang term.

The homosexual sense of "queen" is also first clearly documented in the
1920s.

JL


On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 11:13 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Q:  Possible 1727 "queen" = male homosexual?
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>
> Is the following an introduction in 1727 of the word "queen" to refer
> to "A male homosexual, typically one regarded as ostentatiously
> effeminate"?
>
> Boston Gazette, 1727 Jan 2-9, p. 1, col. 2.  [EAN]
>
> London, October 20.
> Yesterday at Guildhall, at the Sessions of Oyer and Terminer held by
> Adjournment from the Old-Baily, one Thomas Coleman and John Irons
> alias Hihon (who used to go among the Sodomites by the Name of Queen
> Irons) were severally tryed and convicted for an Assault with an
> Intent to commit Sodomy ...
>
> [The immediately following item in the BG is about the trial of a
> husband and wife for "keeping a disorderly House in entertaining
> Sodomites, and knowingly permitting them to commit the detestable Sin
> of Sodomy."]
>
> Rictor Norton, at http://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/1726news.htm,
> has from The Weekly Journal: or, The British Gazetteer, 22 October
> 1726: "[Last Monday] at Guildhall, at the Sessions of Oyer and
> Terminer held by Adjournment from the Old-Baily, one Thomas Coleman,
> and John Irons alias Hihon [according to The British Journal, William
> Coleman and John Hyons] (who used to go among the Sodomites by the
> Name of Queen Irons) were severally tryed and convicted for an
> Assault with Intent to commit Sodomy ..."
>
> See also _Who's who in gay and lesbian history: from antiquity to
> World War II_, Volume 1,  ed. Robert Aldrich, Garry Wotherspoon (2002
> [and/or 2001?]), p. 117, for "mollies" adopting feminine
> names.   [Google Books, Preview.]
>
> Joel
>
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