Functional shift permits each of these adjectives to function as a noun as well. Homosexual describes a tendency to feel sexual desire for a member of the same sex, and a homosexual is a person with such a tendency. Homoerotic is a synonym for homosexual. Heterosexual describes the tendency to feel sexual desire for the opposite sex, and a heterosexual is a person with such a tendency. Lesbian refers to homosexual relations between women, and a lesbian is a woman so inclined. Gay means “homosexual,” specifically “homosexual tendencies in a man”; a gay is a homosexual man. All these terms are Standard English. See also GAY.
