Page "LGBT slang" Paragraph 3

Many terms that originated as gay slang have become part of the popular lexicon.

For example, the word drag was popularized by Hubert Selby, Jr. in his book Last Exit to Brooklyn.

" Drag " has been traced back by the Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ) to the late 19th Century.

Conversely, words such as banjee, while well-established in a subset of gay society, have never made the transition to popular use.