Boi (slang)
Boi (plural: bois) is slang within butch and femme and gay male communities for several sexual or gender identities.[1][2]
The term has also been used, independently of any meaning related to sexuality, as an alternate spelling for boy, often as a jocular (meme) spelling.[3]
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.[4]
Usage
In the LGBT community
The term boi may be used to denote a number of sexual orientations and possibilities that are not mutually exclusive:[5]
- A boyish lesbian.[6]
- A submissive butch in the BDSM community.[7]
- A young trans man, or a trans man who is in the earlier stages of transitioning.[7]
- 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.[7][failed verification]
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.[8] They may be gay or queer.[9] 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".[10]
In popular culture and meme culture
One of the earliest usages of the term boi was with the rapper Big Boi.[11] In the early 2000s the term came into usage within skateboarding culture.[3] The term came into popular culture again with the song "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne.[12] 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!)"[13]
As a Welsh colloquialism
In Welsh, boi is a masculine pronoun[14] used as an informal form of address, as in lawn, boi? ("All right, mate?") It is more common in North Wales:[15] and can be anglicized as "boyo".
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.
- ^ a b "boi". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c Crain, Chris (22 November 2007). "Who's The Fairest Twink Of Them All?". San Francisco Bay Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 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". dictionary.com. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Boi or grrl? Pop culture redefining gender". NBC News. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Big Boi: Boy O Boi!". Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Lavigne's 'Sk8ter Boi' Is Big Screen Bound". Billboard. 28 May 2003. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Lopez, German (27 May 2016). "Dat boi, explained". Vox. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "boi" at blasapp.com; retrieved 30 March 2026
- ^ "26 words and phrases you only hear north of Aberystwyth": Branwen Jones, 15 March 2022 Wales Online; retrieved 30 March 2026
External links
- Levy, Ariel. "Where the Bois Are". New York. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
