BREAKING THE CODE OF 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.)

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.