Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US gay/prison) an active (prison) homosexual.

1922		in S. Kahn Mentality & Homosexuality (1937) 194: ‘I acted as both giver and receiver for six or seven months’ [Simes:DLSS].
1937		S. Kahn Mentality & Homosexuality 63: [H]e met another homosexual with whom he indulged in such acts, both taking part as giver and receiver [Simes:DLSS].
1971		J. McNeil Chocolate Frog 31: ‘Life’s a matter of give ’n’ take. We’re lucky we were always giver’.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 155: If a stray lamb finds himself surrounded by a pack of givers (as opposed to takers, ie those who ‘take it up the ass’), he will be given a gang-splash.
1988		A. Hollinghurst Spell 77: ‘I’ve got a ruinous taste for givers.’ .. ‘That’s just a typically modest way of saying you’re a giver,’ he said [Simes:DLSS].
2011		G.S. Dhalla Exiles 322: all his friends had dabbled in such experiences—handjobs, blowjobs, frottaging, and in rare cases, even actually fucking other boys just so long as they were the ‘givers’ [Simes:DLSS].