Boi (plural: bois) is slang within butch and femme and gay male communities for several sexual or gender identities.
The term has also been used, independently of any meaning related to sexuality, as an alternate spelling for boy.
The term is also used in Wales (United Kingdom), particularly in the north, as a familiar term of address or greeting to anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The plural is bois, and may be addressed to a mixed, or any single sex, group.
Usage
In the LGBT community
The term boi may be used to denote a number of other sexual orientations and possibilities that are not mutually exclusive:
- A boyish lesbian.
- A submissive butch in the BDSM community.
- A young trans man, or a trans man who is in the earlier stages of transitioning.
- A younger bisexual or gay man who may have effeminate characteristics. The term can also be used by anyone who wishes to distinguish from heterosexual or heteronormative identities.
Boi may also refer to someone assigned female at birth, who generally does not identify as, or only partially identifies as feminine, female, a girl, or a woman. Some bois are trans or intersex people. They may be gay or queer. Many trans bois are also genderqueer/nonbinary (in itself a trans/transgender group), or might identify as cis persons or trans men, and yet practice genderfuck in which they do not fit in either masculine or feminine binary gender presentation. Bois may prefer a range of pronouns, including "he", "she", or nonbinary and gender-neutral pronouns such as "they".
Usage in popular culture and meme culture
One of the earliest usages of the term boi was with the rapper Big Boi. In the early 2000s the term came into usage within skateboarding culture. The term came into popular culture again with the song "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne. The term came into meme culture with the Dat Boi meme: an animation of a frog on a unicycle usually accompanied by the caption "Here come dat boi. (O shit waddup!)"
See also
References
- Meredith Maran; Angela Watrous (2005). 50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality: The Complete Guide to Supporting Family, Friends, Neighbors — or Yourself . New World Library. ISBN 1-930722-50-8.
- Levy, Ariel (2006). Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-8428-3.
- ^ "boi". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- Geriadur Cyffredinol Cysgair
- Curzan, Anne (2003). Gender Shifts in the History of English. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82007-3.
- "Definition of 'boi'". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
in British ... a lesbian who adopts a boyish appearance or manner
- ^ Crain, Chris (November 22, 2007). "Who's The Fairest Twink Of Them All?". San Francisco Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- Faderman, Lillian; Stuart Timmons (2006). Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians. Basic Books. p. 355. ISBN 0-465-02288-X.
- "boi". www.dictionary.com. October 25, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- "Boi or grrl? Pop culture redefining gender". NBC News. October 1, 2005. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "Big Boi: Boy O Boi!". Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "Lavigne's 'Sk8ter Boi' Is Big Screen Bound". Billboard. May 28, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- Lopez, German (2016-05-27). "Dat boi, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
External links
- Levy, Ariel. "Where the Bois Are". New York. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
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