'gay-oriented' originates from modern English as a compound of 'gay' and 'oriented', where 'gay' in its modern social sense refers to 'homosexual' and 'oriented' means 'directed toward' or 'having a particular orientation'.

'gay' comes from Old French 'gai' (originally meaning 'joyful' or 'carefree') and later in English developed a specialized sense of 'homosexual' in the 20th century. 'Orient(ed)' derives from Latin 'oriens/orient-' (meaning 'rising' or 'east') via Old French/Latin senses of 'to turn toward' and English 'orient'/'orientate' → 'oriented'. The compound 'gay-oriented' thus formed in modern English to mean 'directed toward gay people'.

Initially, 'gay' meant 'joyful' or 'carefree', and 'orient' related to the 'rising' or 'turning toward' (the east); over time 'gay' acquired the modern meaning 'homosexual' and 'oriented' came to mean 'directed toward', so the compound now means 'directed toward gay people'.