Lbian and Gay Male Language Use: A Cril Review of the Lerature on JSTOR

Contents:

• POLARI: THE LANGUAGE GAY MEN ED TO SURVIVE
• THE EFFECTS OF HOMOSEXUALITY LANGUAGE ON LESBIAN AND GAY PEOPLE’S WELL-BEING
• THE FOTTEN SECRET LANGUAGE OF GAY MEN
• THE SECRET GAY LANGUAGE YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF...
• FILIPO GAY LGO EXPLAED FOR THE RT OF THE WORLD
• GAY LANGUAGE: DEFYG THE STCTURAL LIMS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE THE PHILIPP
• HOW TO SAY GAY DIFFERENT LANGUAG
• GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY

POLARI: THE LANGUAGE GAY MEN ED TO SURVIVE

AdvertisementSKIP WisemanJune 21, 2018Updated on June 7, 2019When I me out as gay more than 10 years ago, there were only four letters monly ed to group var sexual and genr mori: L, G, B and letters were an evolutn toward cln — an expansn of the language ed to reprent a disparate group that had often jt been lled “the gay muny. We have updated this list to reflect more mon them among the follows is a by-no-means clive list of AND LESBIAN It’s important to start wh the basics, and “gay” and “lbian” are as basic as gets.

As “homosexual” began to feel clil and pejorative, gay beme the rigur mastream term to refer to same-sex attractn the late 1960s and early ’70s. Gradually, as what was then lled the gay liberatn movement gaed steam, the phrase “gay and lbian” beme more popular as a way to highlight the siar-yet-separate issu faced by women the fight for is still sometim ed as an umbrella term, but the days, also refers specifilly to men, as “gay men and lbians.

It is not a way statn om straight to gay, as had once been stereotyp around bisexualy — that ’s a transnal stage or a ver for promiscuy — have been at the center of ght nversatn wh L. ”That may seem like a strg of nonsense words om Dr Sss’s The Cat the Hat or Anthony Burgs’s A Clockwork Orange but ’s a real-life greetg gay men the UK would say to each other the 1950s and 60s.

THE EFFECTS OF HOMOSEXUALITY LANGUAGE ON LESBIAN AND GAY PEOPLE’S WELL-BEING

To avoid imprisonment, gay men ed Polari, a language that the Oxford English Dictnary says is “ma up of Italianate phras, rhymg slang and nt terms. Prev rearch has found that exposure to the label “homosexual” vers “lbian and gay” ed heterosexual dividuals to feel ls support for LGBTQ policy and more negative attus toward same-sex sexualy. E., prevly regnized as a mental disorr), we predicted that lbian and gay people would also be affected by homosexual language.

Across two onle studi wh lbian- and gay-intified participants, we examed how homosexual language affected (1) self-reported psychologil well-beg (e. G., ternalized homophobia) and (2) preference for mographic qutns that do or do not e homosexual labels.

Implitns for the e of “homosexual” health re settgs and amic rearch will be discsed.

THE FOTTEN SECRET LANGUAGE OF GAY MEN

Vada (“look at”), dolly eek (a pretty face), and chicken (a young guy) are all words om the lexin of Polari, a secret language ed by gay men Bra at a time when homosexualy was illegal. In the 1930s was spoken among the theater typ of the Wt End, om which crossed over to the cy’s gay pubs, gag s stat as the secret language of gay men.

In England, homosexualy was officially nsired a crime until 1967, when the Sexual Offenc Act legalized private “homosexual acts” between nsentg adults over 21. ) The Act me a after the ernment’s Wolfenn Report, which igned bate by remendg the partial crimalizatn of homosexual acts. Durg the terim years, when beg openly non-straight brought the risks of social isolatn and crimal prosecutn, Polari provid gay men wh a subtle way to fd one another for pannship and sex.

Among nfirmed gay men, however, there was nothg subtle about Polari nversatns.

THE SECRET GAY LANGUAGE YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF...

The Hidn History of Gay Life at Sea, Pl Baker and Jo Stanley wre that Polari played a role “allowg gay men to nstct a humoroly performative inty for themselv.

In the late ‘60s, as gay liberatn groups were fightg for regnn and equaly, Polari h mastream Brish pop-culture the form of Julian and Sandy, two flamboyant, not-officially-but-pretty-obvly gay characters on a BBC rad show lled Round the Horne. Julian and Sandy prented a nundm: as lovable gay characters on a very popular show, they enared themselv to Brish dienc an era of homophobia.

FILIPO GAY LGO EXPLAED FOR THE RT OF THE WORLD

But some gay liberatn groups me to rent the image that they—and Polari—perpetuated. By the early ‘70s, as LGBT groups fought for rights beyond those granted by the 1967 Sexual Offenc Act, the image of the mp gay man had bee the target of ire.

GAY LANGUAGE: DEFYG THE STCTURAL LIMS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE THE PHILIPP

Many who were lobbyg for sexual equaly, says Dolan, “felt was about gay people prentg themselv as jt ordary folks. When Ecclton and Fairbairn posted the film onle, they were surprised by the enthiastic rponse—and the level of fascatn wh Polari, this myster, cipherable “gay language. “The kds of nts still exist where opprsn is still entrenched, ” says Ecclton, cg Swardspeak, a language based on English and Tagalog that is ed among gay men the Philipp.

HOW TO SAY GAY DIFFERENT LANGUAG

Given s associatns wh stereotypil reprentatns of gay men, Polari may not seem to have a place the 21st century.

GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN

But the backlash agast mp has mellowed—’s not the way to be gay, but ’s one way among many. Dolan brgs up the pot that gay men shouldn’t have to be “straight-actg” orr to be accepted: “Might not be more fun to embrace a b more mp and actually have fun wh ourselv and wh each other? Before homosexualy was crimalised the UK 1967, the gay muny had to be a lot more discreet when me to fdg a partner, or even jt gossipg about a iend.

But how uld you discs all thgs homo-leang right the face of a police officer? Historilly, Polari wasn’t jt the chosen tongue of the reprsed gay muny; was very much a workg class language, too.

By the 1930s, most Wt End luvvi had claimed the dialect as their own, which naturally led to s e the many secret gay bars around London.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

It wasn’t until as recently as the 1990s that London had s first gay bar wh wdows you uld see to, fact fans. BBCFeaturg stacks of phemisms, Polari provid gay men a subtle but liberatg way of munitg wh others for pannship or sex, or jt havg a bch about her next door.

It was ls than fifty years ago Bra that engagg homosexual sex, lookg a b 'gay' or fallg love wh the wrong person ma you a were no legal protectns for gay people as there are now... If a gay person lled the police pre-1960s, the officer qutn may have arrted that person, focg on the homosexualy rather than the crime. Polari was the only way for the gay muny to munite at a time when thori were actively seekg to arrt and make exampl of high profile homosexuals.

Hugh Paddick and Kenh Williams starred as Julian and Sandy, a uple of mp, out-of-work actors who threw around Polari and sexual nuendos wh gay abandon.

THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY

Lastly, and probably the most important gay lgo — "shuta" — which basilly means "fuck" or "bch. Genr has been lonised – genr mori like the Faʻafafe muny Samoa have been reprented as gay men, when they have their own unrstandg of genr inty, ” adds Vaidya.

Sexual orientatn refers to the endurg physil, romantic and/or emotnal attractn to members of the same and/or other genrs, cludg lbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientatns. As GLAAD not, "Transgenr people may be straight, lbian, gay, bisexual or queer. A person who transns om female to male and is attracted solely to men would typilly intify as a gay man.