these terms differ from one another greatly because the negative connotation of being homosexual did not apply to those in the masculine role of the sexual encounters, and homosexuality was not considered homosexuality for men in these positions. Men who occasionally had sex with other men could be considered completely 'normal' as long as they played the dominant role in their sexual encounters with men.

Some of the terms used to describe homosexually-orineted men were punks, wolves, queers, fairies, inverts, sexual inverts, uranians, trade, labs, husbands, nances, queens, and more. Sexual identity had many different variations, but labels that did not always line up with this variations. It allowed people who were not fairies to say 'well I don't want to be a woman, I'm not gay, I'm completely straight' the idea of sexual identity at this time also had a lot to do with masculinity. This also created the heterosexual label, as heterosexuals often viewed gay people as fairies. It created issues for homosexual men who did not feel the need to effeminate themselves. This demonstrates that there was a disregard between the difference between gender and sexuality. the identity was often referred to as a third sex, as if the men were women on the inside. this sexual identity was a big start to the concept of sexual identity at this time. this gay community created the newfound fairy identity, one in which gay men effeminitized themselves and referred to themselves in an often womanly fashion. once gay men realized that there were other men like themselves, they began to create a gay community. There were many things that contributed to sexual identity at the turn of the century.

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