同志 Is Not What It Used To Be.

I was studying Chinese in the kitchen when Guoming (国明! Really! She has a textbook name!), my Chinese flatmate, walked in. I wanted to practice, so I asked her in Chinese, "Are you an overseas Chinese? (华侨）?" She said she was not. "So you are a real Chinese person?" Yes, she said. "So may I call you comrade?" ("同志", literally "same will".) She said nobody says that anymore. "But is it ok if I call you that?" Here, she switched to English, and she said, "Do you know why I don't want you to call me comrade? It has a second meaning, and nowadays, it is used for homosexuals."