Men who love men are called "gay" or "homosexual". Some people still understand gay as a swear word.

Gay means being a man who likes men - and thus the same sex. Unfortunately, many people still see the word as a swear word. This becomes particularly clear when straight people refer to each other as "gay".

It is different when gays call each other "gay". As a rule, this is not a judgement, but merely a statement.

Gay people are an important part of the LGBTQ community. For decades they have been fighting, together with other queers, for their rights and equal rights with heterosexuals within society.

Especially in the 1980s, when Aids When HIV became an increasingly topical issue, however, this proved to be a particular challenge. At that time, HIV infection was often associated with gays and their lifestyle. It was often forgotten that unprotected intercourse between heterosexuals could also lead to the transmission of diseases and was therefore also dangerous.

A special sign, of the LGBTQ community (and therefore also of all gays) is the Rainbow flag. Like hardly any other symbol, it stands for diversity in society, love and tolerance.

Unfortunately, being gay is still a punishable offence in some countries of the world. Accordingly, many gay men do not have the opportunity to live out their feelings in everyday life and have to "enjoy" their love for each other in secret. In this country, gays are still confronted with many prejudices. Nevertheless, much has changed over the course of time. Today, homosexual people receive a lot of support and counselling from public agencies and thus have the chance to come out before and after their Coming Out even better orientation.