Know Your Acronyms
Breaking the Code of Gay Personal Ads
If you're browsing gay personal ads, or are about to
post one of your own, it's helpful to "speak the language" and
understand the acronyms and codes used in the ads. The codes are a
legacy from the days of newspaper ads, when people were charged by the
line. Internet ads typically have fewer space limitations, but many of
the codes remain, either for protection (such as drug references) or for
tradition.
Many of the codes may refer to activities that you
may not want to participate in. If you're clean and sober, or don't want
to participate in recreational drug use, knowing the codes for drug
references will help you know what you might be getting into if you
respond. Here are some of the acronyms, abbreviations, and codes you'll
want to know.
On some sites, some acronyms may be provided
automatically through the use of check-boxes or other system features. Those check-boxes may not
always be clear to some users and may be accidentally misused, so be sure to read the text of the ad to
get a sense of what the poster is looking for, rather than simply
relying on your understanding of the acronym. (LTR, for example, seems
to be misused fairly often.)
420 or 4:20 - Reference to the use of
marijuana. A related term, 420-friendly, refers to someone who
does not possess marijuana, but doesn't mind if you use it. May or may
not be interested in you sharing yours.
Activity Partner - As the name implies, it's
someone looking for friendship to participate in specified activities.
Generally precludes interest in casual sex or a potential long-term
relationship unless bundled with other terms. Often used by guys new to
the area who are already in a relationship and are just seeking to find
new friends.
Azn - Asian
CD - Cross-dresser. Often used to describe a
sexual situation, rather than something done more publicly. TG
and related terms for transgender will typically be used for contexts
broader than simply sex.
FTM - A trasngendered female-to-male person.
May or may not have already undergone surgery or other procedures to
change their physical features. Uses masculine pronouns like "he" and
"him."
GWM, BiAM, etc. - These three-letter
acronyms describes either the poster or the type of personal he's
seeking, depending on the context. It's typically broken into three
parts: (1) sexual orientation, (2) ethnicity, and (3) sex.
Sexual Orientation - G for
Gay is the most common, but may also include Bi for Bisexual
or S for "straight but curious." (Note: in the straight
community, the first term generally refers to marital status, with S
representing "single.")
Ethnicity - Typically W for white
or Caucasian, B for black or African American, A for Asian, H for
Hispanic, Latino, or Chicano, and J for Jewish. More rarely, may
also include C for Christian.
Sex - M for male, F for female.
May also include transgender terms, such as FTM (female-to-male
transgender), MTF (male-to-female), TG (transgender), TS
(transsexual), or TV (transvestite).
ISO - In search of...
LDR - Long-distance relationship.
LTR - Long-term relationship. Someone seeking
a relationship, rather than just a casual encounter. On some sites, the
term may be used incorrectly, potentially through the use of a check-box
that the poster is unfamiliar with, so be sure to read the text of the
ad to ensure you understand the writer's objectives.
M4M - Male-for-male: an ad or message posted
by a man seeking another man. Typically used in mixed dating forums and
messages to indicate ads by and for gay men (as opposed to M4F ads, F4F,
and F4M ads).
MTF - A trasngendered male-to-female person.
May or may not have already undergone surgery or other procedures to
change their physical features. Uses feminine pronouns like "she" and
"her."
N/S - Non-smoking or non-smoker.
PnP, or Party n Play - Reference to
hard drug use while having sex, particularly methamphetamines.
Party Favors - A reference to drug doses,
particularly harder drugs like methamphetamines.
TG, TS, and TV - References to
various transgendered terms, specific transgender, transsexual, and
transvestite. See also FTM and MTF.
Vitamin V - Reference to using Viagra while
having sex, usually to counteract the effects of hard drugs. This
interaction can be very, very dangerous.
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