Problematic: "gay marriage"
Use "marriage" or "marriage for gay and lesbian couples" whenever possible. The construction "gay marriage" suggests that same-sex couples are seeking a separate institution that would, by definition, exclude straight couples. Gay and lesbian couples seeking the protections, rights and responsibilities of marriage want to join the institution of marriage as it now exists, defining their relationships as "marriage," not "gay marriage." "Gay marriage" should never be used to describe marriages in Massachusetts or anyplace else where gay and lesbian couples are free to marry.

That said, just as The New York Times notes that the phrase "gay rights" is "often indispensable for confined headlines," print editors may need the term "gay marriage" when space does not permit use of the more accurate "marriage for gay and lesbian couples." Otherwise, please use constructions that accurately characterize gay couples' pursuit of full inclusion in marriage. (See IN FOCUS: Marriage)

Problematic: "reparative therapy"
Coined by anti-gay activist Joseph Nicolosi in 1991, "reparative therapy" is a term for pseudo-theraputic attempts to "cure" gay men and lesbians by turning them straight. These debunked and discredited "therapies" have been condemned by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading mental health and medical authorities and researchers.

In reporting, the term "reparative therapy" should be avoided whenever possible (except in quoted material), as it insinuates that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are "disordered" or "broken" and need to be "repaired." Although the term "conversion therapy" is marginally less problematic, it is best simply to describe the activities and goals of those who seek to change gay people's sexual orientation. (See IN FOCUS: "Ex-Gays" & "Conversion Therapy")

Problematic: "Down Low"
Use the term "Down Low" only to describe men who self-identify that way. A controversial term describing the phenomenon of MSMs (men who have sex with men) who publicly identify as heterosexuals and maintain sexual relationships with women, "The Down Low" has become synonymous with sensationalized claims that MSMs are spreading HIV into "the general population." Avoid inaccurate suggestions that "The Down Low" is a phenomenon exclusive to communities of color. In general, the more accurate descriptor is MSM, which should be reserved for clinical or statistical contexts. (See IN FOCUS: HIV, AIDS & the LGBT Community)