From en.wikipedia.org:
[Gay slang for a woman who associates mainly with gay men] [Italic title]
[other uses]
A _FAG HAG_ is, in gay slang, a woman who associates either mostly or
exclusively with gay and bisexual men. The phrase originated in gay male
culture in the United States and was historically an insult.[1] Some women who
associate with gay men object to being called _fag hags_ while others embrace
the term. The male counterpart, for heterosexual men who have similar
interpersonal relationships with gay and bisexual men, is _fag stag_.
** Usage
Fag hags are frequently stereotyped as outgoing women who are seeking a
substitute for heterosexual relationships, or who are secretly (or openly)
sexually attracted to gay men.[2][3] In fact, many women who identify as fag
hags are already in romantic relationships, either with straight men or with
women,<ref name="thompson"/> but seek out the alternative experience of
socializing with gay men.
** Related terms
American _fag hag_ synonyms include _fruit fly_,<ref name="j1259523"/> _queen
bee_, _homo honey_, _fruit loop_, _Goldilocks_, _flame dame_, _fairy
princess_, _gabe_ (a portmanteau of "gay" and "babe"), _Tori_ (in honor of
Tori Spelling and Tori Amos) and _fairy godmother_. Recently[date=June 2025],
_cherry fairy_ has started to catch on as well in some select social groups in
San Francisco and the East Coast.[date=June 2025]
In the case of friendships between lesbians and gay men, the term _dyke diva_
describes the gay man in the relationship. A straight man of platonic
affinity with gay men is a _fag stag_; again, the usage is rare in mainstream
sexual culture.
For men who have many lesbian friends the slang terms _dutch boy_, _lesbro_ or
_dyke tyke_ apply.[4][5]
Heterosexuals who associate with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people may be
called _fruit flies_ regardless of their sex.[6]
Fag hags, fag stags, etc. are regarded as belonging to the phenomenon of
"hagism", the attachment of a person to a group defined by sexuality, even
though they do not personally share that identity.[7]
In the Philippines, heterosexual women who develop deep friendships or almost
exclusively associate with the native _bakla_ LGBT subculture are known as
_babaeng bakla_ (literally "a woman who is a _bakla_ [gay man]"). They
stereotypically acquire the mannerisms, campy sense of humor, lingo
(swardspeak), and fashion sense of the _bakla_. They are also usually more
extroverted and socially dominant. It is commonly perceived as a positive
self-identification, and various prominent local celebrities (like Maricel
Soriano and Rufa Mae Quinto) openly identify as _babaeng bakla_.[8][9]
_Girlfag_ is a term similar to _fag hag_, but designate specifically
attraction, either sexually or romantically, to gay men, sometimes to the
point of identifying as queer or genderqueer.[10] Men who are attracted to
lesbians/sapphics also have their slangs, such as _lesboy_,[11] _guydyke_, and
_boydyke_.
** In popular culture
The term has often been used in entertainment. It was used in the lyrics of
hip hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's 1982 hit "The Message".
Comedian Margaret Cho has written and regularly talks in her stand-up routines
about being a fag hag.[12] In an episode of the British TV sitcom _Gimme Gimme
Gimme_, Tom refers to Linda as a fag hag.[13] The term was used in multiple
episodes of the sitcom _Will and Grace_ when referring to characters Grace
Adler and Karen Walker as their best friends are both gay men. The term was
also used in one of the episodes of _Sex and the City_, in which Samantha
overheard two women discussing her relationship with the actor Smith Jerrod,
calling her a fag hag.[14] English singer Lily Allen released a song called
"Fag Hag" in 2008 as the B-side to "The Fear".[15]
The first annual Miss Fag Hag Pageant took place in New York City on May 17,
2009 at Comix with judges Caroline Rhea, Michael Musto, Hedda Lettuce and
Katina Corrao. Heather Shields took the first prize.[16][17][18][19]
** See also
[LGBTQ] [Div col]
- Beard (companion)
- Fag stag
- Fujoshi , a woman who prefers manga about men who have sex with men
- Queer heterosexuality
- Straight ally
[Div col end]
** References
[Reflist]
** External links
- Discussion of the anthropology of the phrase (see https://thetyee.ca/Entertainment/2005/09/29/FagHag/)
- _Fag Hag_ (1998 movie) at IMDB (see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164024/)
- Shepperd, D., Coyle, A., & Hegarty, P. (2010). Discourses of friendship between heterosexual women and gay men: Mythical norms and an absence of desire, _Feminism and Psychology_ , 20(2), 205-224. (see https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000810/http://danshepperd.com/output/Shepperd_et_al_(2010)_Mythical_Norms.pdf)
[LGBT slang] [Sexual slang]
Category:Pejorative terms for women Category:Gay slang Category:LGBTQ-related
slurs