Trade (gay slang)

Casual partner of a man who loves men

This article is about slang term. For related meanings, see Rough Trade (disambiguation).

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Trade is a gay slang term which refers to the casual partner of a gay man or to the genre of such pairings.[1] Men falling in the category of "trade" are not gay-identified. Historically the motivations may at times include a desire for emotional fulfillment and admiration, but the term often refers to a straight man who partners with a gay man for economic benefit, either through a direct cash payment or through other, more subtle means (gifts, tuition payments, etc.).[1] Trade originally referred to casual sex partners, regardless of sexuality as many gay and bisexual men were closeted, but evolved to imply the gay partner is comparatively wealthy and the partner who is trade is economically deprived.[1] Examples of this include wealthy Englishmen finding partners among deprived Cockneys in 1930s London.[1]

More modern usage has centered on any casual sexual encounter between men, and as an adjective to refer to any male considered masculine and/or sexually appealing.[2]

Often, the terms trade and rough trade are treated as synonymous. Often the attraction for the gay male partner is finding a dangerous, even thuggish, partner who may turn violent. That is not to say that people necessarily desire to be physically hurt, but the danger of seeking a partner in a public park, restroom, or alleyway may be exciting.[citation needed] Another variation is in comparison to regular trade, rough trade is more likely to be working-class laborers with less education and more physical demands of their work, therefore with a body developed naturally rather than in a gym. They may have a less polished or cleancut style than an office worker or professional businessman.[citation needed]

## Victorian and Edwardian eras

[edit]

While members of the African army[clarification needed] and the Coldstream Guards in particular have long been regarded as coming from relatively elite backgrounds, guardsmen have also had a long and celebrated reputation as sexual partners to wealthier partners. This has led to their figuring in plays by playwrights such as Georges Feydeau and Ferenc Molnár as partners to adulterous society ladies, as well as to their performing as partners of men. The novelist J. R. Ackerley wrote in his memoir My Father and Myself that he considered his guardsman father to have been the lover of an aristocrat for a long period of time before pursuing a wife and family, economically bettered in the end by the support he had received from his male partner.[citation needed]

## Risks

[edit]

In any relationship with rough trade, one takes a risk of becoming the object of violence. The 1975 murder of film director Pier Paolo Pasolini has been attributed to Pasolini's dalliance with rough trade.[3][4]

Similar rumors circulated about the 1976 death of American actor Sal Mineo but statements from his killer cite a botched mugging and allegations otherwise are unsubstantiated. In 2005 German designer Rudolph Moshammer was killed by a 25-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker with whom he had had sex but allegedly refused to pay for it.[5] The writer James Pope-Hennessy was killed in 1974, but the convictions were reduced to manslaughter as he choked on his own blood.

Accusations of rough trade have been used as a form of victim blaming. Notably, the murder of Matthew Shepard, which sparked hate crime legislation in 2009, was described by Camille Paglia as trade-related.[6] Even within the gay press, journalists have sometimes avoided covering violent incidents because of accusations that the victim was pursuing rough trade.[7]

## See also

[edit]

* Down-low (sexual slang)
* Situational sexual behavior
* Men who have sex with men

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang by Paul Baker; Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004; ISBN 0-8264-7343-1, ISBN 978-0-8264-7343-1.
2. ^ "T in the dictionary of slang". A dictionary of slang. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
3. ^ Lord, Christina (1975-11-03). "Pasolini, 53, Italian Movie Director, Is Bludgeoned to Death Near Rome". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
4. ^ "Giuseppe Pelosi, convicted of Pasolini's murder in case shrouded in mystery – obituary". The Telegraph. 2017-09-15. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
5. ^ BBC News, 21 November 2005, Life for German designer's killer. Accessed 2012-08-17.
6. ^ Goldstein, Richard (12 March 2002). "The Matthew Shepard Icon". The Village Voice.
7. ^ Vicki Nantz (5 August 2009). "Tampa Bay Gay Publisher Admits Neglecting Ryan Skipper's Hate Crime Murder "A Big Mistake"". Unfinished Lives.

* v
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) slang

List|

* Aro
* Ace
* Bareback
* Banjee
* Bear
* Beard
* Beat
* Bi-curious
* Butch and femme
* Boi
* Top, bottom and versatile
* Bottom surgery
* Breeder
* Bugchasing
* Bulldagger
* Butch
* Castro clone
* Chicken
* Chickenhawk
* Chub
* Chubby chaser
* Cottaging
* Cruising
* Daddy
* Down-low
* Drag
* Dyke
* En femme
* En homme
* Fag (Faggot)
* Fag hag
* Fag stag
* Female queen
* F2M/FTM
* Femboy
* Femme
* Flagging (hanky code)
* Friend of Dorothy
* Fruit
* Fruit fly
* Gay-for-pay
* Gaydar
* Gaymer
* Genderfuck
* Gold star
* Glory hole
* Heteroflexibility
* Lesbian until graduation
* Lipstick lesbian
* M2F/MTF
* Muffing
* Non-op
* Packing
* Party and play
* Passing
* Poppers
* Post-op
* Pre-op
* Queen
* RLE
* Same gender loving
* Shemale
* Soft butch
* Scissoring
* SRS
* Stone butch
* Stealth
* Swish
* T
* Tea-room
* TERF
* Top surgery
* Trache shave
* Trade
* Tranny
* Trans chaser
* Transition
* Travesti
* Tribbing
* Troll
* Twink
* U-Haul lesbian
* Unicorn hunting
* Womyn-born womyn

Related|

* Polari
* LGBTQ linguistics
* Terminology of homosexuality

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Sexual slang

General|

* Banjee
* Bareback
* Baseball metaphors for sex
* BBC
* Blue balls
* Bottom
* Camel toe
* Chickenhead
* Circle jerk
* Cornhole
* Cougar
* Cum tribute
* Cunt
* Deep-throating
* Dick
* Dirty Sanchez
* Dogging
* Donkey punch
* Douche
* Felching
* Fuck
* Girlfriend experience
* Glory hole
* Hogging
* Hot Karl
* Italian profanity
* Latin profanity
* Mama-san
* Mat
* Mile high club
* Motherfucker
* Nookie
* Party and play
* Pearl necklace
* Pegging
* Pirate
* Pussy
* Quickie
* Red wings
* Rusty trombone
* Serosorting
* Shemale
* Slut
* Snowballing
* Soaking
* Soggy biscuit
* Switch
* Teabagging
* Tits
* Top
* Turkey slap
* Twat
* Unicorn hunting
* Wanker
* Whale tail
* Whore
* Zipless fuck
* 🍆
* 🍑

LGBTQ-specific|

* Bara
* Bear
* Beard
* Bi-curious
* Breeder
* Bugchasing
* Butch and femme
* Butch
* Chicken
* Chickenhawk
* Chub
* Cottaging
* Daddy
* Down-low
* Dyke
* Fag hag
* Femboy
* Femme
* Fruit
* Gay-for-pay
* Lipstick lesbian
* Queen
* Soft butch
* Stone butch/stone femme
* Swish
* Top, bottom and versatile
* Trade
* Troll
* Twink
* U-Haul lesbian

In pornography|

* Ass to mouth
* Bukkake
* Centerfold
* Creampie
* Cum shot
* Deep-throating
* Downblouse
* Facial
* Felching
* Fluffer
* Gang bang
* Gokkun
* Golden Age of Porn
* Insert
* MILF/DILF
* Money shot
* Paysite
* Rosebud
* Stunt cock
* Upskirt

In popular culture|

* List of films that most frequently use the word fuck

Related|

* Human sexuality
* Sexology
* Terminology of homosexuality
* Glossary of BDSM

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