Urning vs homosexual

 

From this month onwards, we would use the old German word, Urning for homosexual alternately.

It is much better to use the harsh and sensitive word, homosexual, we rather use the softer and more sensible Urning.

The history of using urning is here:

An urning is a historical 19th-century term for a male homosexual, coined in 1864 by the German jurist and activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. You can read more about the definition on Dictionary.com. [1, 2, 3]

Origin of the Word

Inspiration: The term comes from Aphrodite Urania, the Greek goddess born from the sea.
Definition: Ulrichs used it to describe a person with a male body and a female soul who loved men.
Third Sex: He viewed urnings as a natural "third sex" rather than a disease. [1]

Historical Context

Timeline: The word was widely used in German-speaking Europe before the word "homosexual" was invented.
Activists: Ulrichs used the term in his writings to fight against the legal punishment of same-sex love.
English Form: English writers later used the related term uranian to describe similar ideas of comradely love. Learn broader historical context on the Wikipedia entry for Uranian sexuality.
Decline: The term faded out by the late 1890s as modern words like "homosexual" took over

Let us pick up the word in the 2026, using urning instead of homosexual which can make people uncomfotable.

This word should be used in countries which are strongly against the homosexual for example in Africa. Here is the info from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranian_(sexuality)

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (28 August 1825 – 14 July 1895, aged 69) was a German lawyer, journalist, and writer who is regarded as a pioneer of sexology and the modern gay rights movement. He is often referred to as the "first gay man in world history". Ulrichs was born in Westerfeld, an East Frisian village that is now part of Aurich, which at the time was in the Kingdom of Hanover. In 1862, Ulrichs took the momentous step of telling his family and friends that he was, in his own words, an Urning, and began writing under the pseudonym of "Numa Numantius". He was the first person to publicly speak out for homosexual rights and advocate for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Ulrichs’ legacy lives on today. His remarks helped inspire the rise of the world’s first gay rights movement, and today there are streets named after him in Munich, Bremen, Hanover, and Berlin. The International Lesbian and Gay Law Association bestows the Karl Heinrich Ulrichs Award each year in his honor.

You can watch the YouTube here 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpTkk5cxHi8

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, "The First Gay Man in World History", History Brought To Life