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| Time for a vocabulary lesson, Ed Wood style. |
NOTE: This article continues my coverage of Ed Wood's When the Topic is Sex (BearManor Media, 2021).
The article: "There Are Different Words." Originally published in Boy Play (Gallery Press), vol. 3, no. 1, January/February 1974. Credited to "Dick Trent."
Excerpt: "We thought it might be interesting for this issue to give some of the words which are descriptive of the ways of homosexual life. Perhaps many of them will be new to most . . . and for those who are in the know, at least it can be a refresher course in this specific mode of sexual expression."
Reflections: "There Are Different Words" is the first of three sexual glossaries contained within When the Topic is Sex. Ed Wood was seemingly very interested in slang terms, so he must've enjoyed compiling these lists of definitions. As I've said before, he concludes Bloodiest Sex Crimes of History (1967) with just such a glossary. "There Are Different Words" is very similar to that one, even containing some of the same terms ("catamite" and "coitus inter digitae"). What makes this one different is that it was written for Boy Play, one of Gallery's gay-themed magazines, so all the terms in it are theoretically related to homosexuality.
In the Urban Dictionary era, when slang terms are no longer so mysterious or elusive, an article like "There Are Different Words" might seem awfully quaint and outdated. But back during Ed Wood's day, this kind of information was not so easily accessed. Think back to Glen or Glenda (1953), when Dr. Alton (Timothy Farrell) has to define the word "transvestite" for Inspector Warren (Lyle Talbot).
DR. ALTON: Let's get our stories straight. You're referring to the suicide of the transvestite.
INSPECTOR: If that's the word you men of medical science use for a man who wears woman's clothing, yes.
DR. ALTON: Yes, in cold, technical language, that's the word, as unfriendly and as vicious as it may sound. However, in actuality, it's not an unfriendly word, nor is it vicious when you know the people to whom it pertains.
Also during this era, homosexuality was not nearly so accepted as it is today. Gays were considered to be outside of mainstream American society. Slang could have been a vital way for gays to recognize each other in social situations. If you knew the meanings of certain specialized terms, you were part of the in-group and could be trusted. If you didn't, you weren't and couldn't. This isn't unique to homosexuals. Lots of subcultures do this, as do professions. Doctors have their own specialized terms, lawyers have theirs, etc., etc. Vocabulary is a way for groups to define themselves and keep others out.
John Waters' Mondo Trasho (1969) ends with a scene in which two gossipy women (Mink Stole and Mimi Lochary) use dozens of obscure slang expressions while describing the movie's hapless heroine (Mary Vivian Pearce). This was where I first heard the term "dinge queen," which also turns up in "There Are Different Words." Unlike John Waters, Ed Wood actually provides a definition: "A male homosexual who prefers a Negro as a love companion." I've transcribed the entire Mondo Trasho scene here.
Anyway, the main reason to read an article like this today is to find the craziest, weirdest, and rarest terms. I'll give you a few of my personal favorites: "almond rock," "basket shopping," "blueberry pie," "crushed fruit," "gazooney," "lavender boy," and "toilet queen." You'll probably have favorites of your own. Interestingly, Ed Wood defines "easy meat" as "one who can be led easily into a homosexual act." I don't think that was Frank Zappa intended with his 1981 song "Easy Meat."
Next: "Pain & Pleasure = Sado/Masochism" (1973)