gay cancer

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gay cancer

Where it comes from

From gay (“homosexual”) + cancer (“disease”). From the fact that HIV/AIDS was in its beginnings very disproportionately found in homosexual men. The word “cancer” from the analogy with a suddenly emerging, highly feared and highly lethal disease.

noun

dated, offensive, slang, uncountable Synonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Similar: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, 4H disease, gay cancer, gay plague, gay-related immunodeficiency, GRID, acquired immune deficiency syndrome

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MLA

"gay cancer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gay%20cancer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gay cancer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gay%20cancer

Chicago

"gay cancer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gay%20cancer.

BibTeX

@misc{gay_cancer_2026,
  title = {gay cancer},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gay%20cancer},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}