When in history did "beard" FIRST BECOME slang for a homosexual's
'cover'--e.g., a woman companion to deflect questions about a man's
possible homosexuality.  In other words, what is the ETYMOLOGY of
"beard"?

Greetings Fhanlon,

It appears that the 1960s was when the term began being used to
describe cover for a homosexual male.

"Let?s look at the gay slang term ?beard,? which, according to the
Dictionary of Gay Slang, originated in the mid-?60s and is used to
describe ?a straight woman married to or involved with a gay man. The
gay man may be in the public eye, and may have a beard to hide the
fact that he is gay.?
http://64.233.161.104/search?
From The Return of the Hirsute Homo
By Michael Svoboda 
q=cache:s1d807u3cjkJ:www.frontiersnewsmagazine.com/features/hairy.html+beard+slang&hl=en

Mid 1960s date also confirmed here
http://andrejkoymasky.com/lou/dic/b/bear2.html


OTHER LINKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

"According to gay slang and The A-List, a merkin is defined as "a man
who dates or marries a gay or bisexual woman so that the woman can
pretend to be heterosexual". Conversely, a beard is "a woman who dates
or marries a gay or bisexual man so that the man can pretend to be
heterosexual".
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:PxryVl5gW0EJ:conversationsfamouspeople.blogspot.com/2005/06/nicole-richie-poses-for-marc-jacobs-ad.html+beard+merkin+gay&hl=en

"FOD = Friend of Dorothy or Gay Male
Bi___________ = Bi Sexual
L____________ = Lesbian
Merkin is a Man who is married to a bi women or lesbian women.
Beard is a women married to a bi or homosexual male."
Forum post at the A-List
http://www.thehollywoodalist.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-34.html

What's a merkin, really?
"A merkin (first use, according to the OED, 1617) is reported to be a
pubic wig, worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia to
eliminate lice or to disguise the marks of syphilis."
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Merkin

"Beard, "A person of the opposite sex, either heterosexual or
homosexual, who knowingly dates or marries a closeted lesbian or gay
man to provide that person with a heterosexual `disguise', usually for
family or career purposes."
http://www.glinn.com/news/gaygloss.htm

"beard Noun. A woman who is seen to be romantically linked with a gay
man, so protecting his true sexuality from public scrutiny - often
associated with celebrities. [Orig U.S.]"
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/b.htm

One of the general definitions of beard is "One who serves to divert
suspicion or attention from another," and that has been used for many
years - beards are grown to cover.



Thanks for asking this very intriguing question!  :)

Best regards,
journalist-ga


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