Boi (: bois) is a term used within LGBT and butch and femme communities to refer to a person's sexual and gender identity.[1][2] In lesbian communities, there is an increasing acceptance of gender expression and intersexuality, as well as allowing people to self-identify with labels such as boi.[3][4][5] The term may denote a number of possibilities that are not mutually exclusive:[6]
- A younger person who looks and acts like a young, heterosexual male, possibly embodying stereotyped attributes towards casual sex and commitment in relationships, in contrast with the stereotype of the U-Haul lesbian. Bois may not identify as butch, regarding butches as playing a more powerful or responsible role – the "man of the house" – while a boi is still in a freer, younger phase.
- A submissive butch in the BDSM community, or a younger butch in the butch-femme community.[7]
- A young trans man, or a trans man who is in the earlier stages of transitioning.[7]
- A term of endearment for butches by femmes.[7] It may also be used in the gay community to refer to a younger person – bisexual or gay – who may have effeminate characteristics.[7] The term can also be used by anyone who wishes to distinguish from heterosexual or heteronormative identities.[7]
Boi may also refer to a female-born or female-bodied person—sometimes transsexual, transgender, or intersex, sometimes not—that generally does not identify as, or only partially identifies as feminine, female, a girl, or a woman.[8] Some "bois" identify as one or more of these, but they almost always identify as lesbians, dykes, or queers. Many are also genderqueer or practice genderfuck. Bois may prefer a range of pronouns, including "he", "she", or gender-neutral pronouns such as "hir", "sie", "zie", and "ey".[9] The term has found increasing usage in the larger LGBT culture.
See also
References
- ↑ Maran, Meredith; Angela Watrous (2005, ISBN 1930722508). 50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality: The Complete Guide to Supporting Family, Friends, Neighbors - or Yourself .... New World Library. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ↑ Levy, Ariel; Angela Watrous (2006, ISBN 0743284283). Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ↑ Ilyasova, K. Alex (November 2006). Dykes on Bikes and the Regulation of Vulgarity. International Journal of Motorcycle Studies. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ↑ Epstein, Debbie; Richard Johnson (1998, p. 19). Schooling Sexualities. Buckingham: Open University Press. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ↑ Linden, Merritt (27 February 2008). Radical to Raunch: Articulating and Anticipating Contemporary Lesbian Feminism - An Analysis of Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. Utrecht University. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ↑ Curzan, Anne (2003, ISBN 0521820073). Gender Shifts in the History of English. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Crain, Chris (2007-11-22). Who’s The Fairest Twink Of Them All?. San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ↑ Faderman, Lillian; Stuart Timmons (2006, ISBN 046502288X). Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians. Basic Books. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ↑ Boi or grrl? Pop culture redefining gender. MSNBC (2005-10-01). Retrieved on 2007-05-07. Published October 1, 2005
External links
- Butch-Femme
- Where the bois are
- Bianca James on The Tyra Banks Show discussing "girlfags" (gay men trapped in women's bodies), genderfuck, and the subculture of boi's (at the 7:15 mark in the video)
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