LGBT slang, LGBT speak, queer slang, or gay slang is a set of Englishslanglexicon used predominantly among LGBTQ+ people. It has been used in various languages since the early 20th century as a means by which members of the LGBTQ+ community identify themselves and speak in code with brevity and speed to others.[1][2] The acronym LGBT was popularized in the 1990s and stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.[3] It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant, LGBTQ, adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual or gender identity.[4]
LGBT slang has played an integral part in LGBTQ+ culture for decades. Slang language initially emerged as a way for queer people to communicate with one another while avoiding detection by mainstream society.[5] Queer people have always existed,[6] but historically, they have had to be discreet about their identities and lives, particularly when being LGBTQ+ was illegal and or socially condemned.
LGBT slang is used as a way to signal one's identity and build solidarity within the community. When queer people use these certain words and phrases, they demonstrate to others that they are part of the LGBTQ+ community and share a common experience. This connection can create a sense of belonging for those historically rejected and isolated by mainstream society.[7]
LGBT slang is also used by the community as a means of reclaiming language and deconstructing oppressive norms. Queer slang often includes playful references to sexual acts, which can serve as an assertion of sexual agency and a rejection of shame.[8]
During the first seven decades of the 20th century, a specific form of Polari was developed by gay men and lesbians in urban centres of the United Kingdom within established LGBT communities. Polari was featured on the BBC radio programme Round the Horne in 1964, exposing the wider public to the secret language.[12][13] Although there are differences, contemporary British gay slang has adopted many Polari words.[1][14] The 1964 legislative report Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida contains an extensive appendix documenting and defining the homosexual slang in the United States at that time.[15][16]SCRUFF launched a gay-slang dictionary app in 2014, which includes commonly used slang in the United States from the gay community.[17] Specialized dictionaries that record LGBT slang have been found to revolve heavily around sexual matters.[18]
Slang is ephemeral; terms used in one generation may pass out of usage in another. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, the terms "cottage" (chiefly British) and "tearoom" (chiefly American) were used to denote public toilets used for sex. By 1999, this terminology had fallen out of use to the point of being greatly unrecognizable by members of the LGBT community at large.[19]
Many terms that originated as gay slang have become part of the popular lexicon. For example, the word drag was popularized by Hubert Selby Jr. in his book Last Exit to Brooklyn. Drag has been traced back by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to the late 19th Century. Conversely, words such as "banjee", while well-established in a subset of gay society, have never made the transition to popular use. Conversations between gay men have been found to use more slang and fewer commonly known terms about sexual behavior than conversations between straight men.[20]
In the Philippines, many LGBT people speak with Swardspeak, or "gay lingo", which is a more extensive use of slang as a form of dialect or way of speaking. Other argots are spoken in southern Africa (Gayle language and IsiNgqumo) and Indonesia (Bahasa Binan). More specifically, in a country like Thailand, LGBT slang was always present in their history due to their religious, behavioral, and social nature. However, before the term LGBT was introduced, the Thai community would use the terms Kathoey and Tom. The term Kathoey was used to describe transgender women who dress, act, or partake in surgery to become female, and the term Tom as well as "handsome girls" in Thai was used to describe women who liked women. Homosexuality and transgenderism has always existed throughout their history, as their behavioral nature did not align with heterosexual ideals.[21]
General slang terms
100-footer – an obviously gay or lesbian person (as if visible from 100 feet away) (US)[22]
butch queen – in ball culture, a gay male who presents as a gay male; that is, neither as a trans individual nor a heteronormative male. This mostly refers to someone who looks the part of what most would identify as “gay”.[33]
butchy femme – a gender expression between femme and futch[34]
camp, campy – exaggerated and amusing, in a way that is typically associated with gay men or femininity[35]
clone – a San Francisco or New York Greenwich Village denizen with exaggerated macho behavior and appearance (US)[26]
closeted – keeping one's sexuality or gender identity a secret from others (US)[26]
cocksucker – a person who practices fellatio, usually a gay male (US)[26]
Molly/Tommy – In 18th century England, the term "molly" was used for male homosexuals, implying effeminacy; "tommy", a slang term for a homosexual woman in use by 1781, and may have been coined by analogy. See Molly house.[49]
outsider – being "neither/nor" when it comes to normative taboos and self-centered communities[50]
platinum star gay – gay men who were born by a C-section procedure (US)[51]
queer – originally a slur against homosexuals, transgender people, and anyone who does not fit society's standards of gender and sexuality; later reclaimed and used as umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities[37]
sapphic or WLW (woman-loving-woman) – synonymous with lesbian,[53] but used nowadays to encompass attractions and relationships between women, regardless of their sexual or romantic orientation, sometimes including non-binary gynephiles[54][55]
scissoring - lesbian intercourse. Often derogatory.
side – a homosexual male who does not enjoy anal penetration (giving or receiving), but will engage in other forms of same-sex activity (fellatio, frottage, handjobs, etc.).[56]
top – the dominant or inserting sexual partner, usually in a homosexual relation or activity[52]
service top – a submissive top, someone who applies sensation or control to a bottom, but does so at the bottom's explicit instructions
tongzhi (同志, "comrade", lit. "same will, same purpose") – a term used to describe members of LGBTQ+ communities in some Chinese languages[62]
trade – a straight-passing male partner, commonly used by gay men or trans women (derived from Polari) (US)
vers – a person who enjoys both topping and bottoming, or being dominant and submissive, and may alternate between the two in sexual situations, adapting to their partner
dyke ("bull dyke", "bull dagger", alternatively "bulldagger", "bulldicker"[112]), from 1920s black American slang. A slur reclaimed by women who are attracted to women in the 1950s[37][113][114][115]
kiki – a term used primarily from the 1940s until the 1960s to indicate a lesbian who was not butch or femme and did not have a preference for either butch or femme partners[121]
kitty puncher / pussy puncher – with both "kitty" and "pussy" referring to a woman's vulva/vagina, and "puncher" as a variation on various derogatory terms for gay men, such as "donut puncher".[122]
lesbian until graduation (LUG) – a young woman who is assumed to be temporarily experimenting with same-sex behavior, but will ultimately adopt a heterosexual identity[123]
lipstick lesbian – a lesbian/bisexual woman who displays historically feminine attributes such as wearing make-up, dresses, and high heels[124]
Gillette Blade – a 1950s era term for bisexual women, whose sexuality "cuts both ways"[138]
unicorn – a bisexual, usually female,[139] who desires multiple partners and is willing to join an existing couple and sexually satisfy both members of the couple.[140][141] So-named because bisexuals willing to enter such an arrangement are considered rare or non-existent,[142] while couples seeking such a partner ("unicorn hunters") are common.[139]
Terms describing androgynous or intersex people
futanari (ふたなり, "to be of two kinds", seldom: 二形, 双形, lit. "dual form") – Japanese word for hermaphroditism, which is also used in a broader sense for androgyny.[143][144]: 79, 81 The term is also heavily associated with a genre of hentai defined by sexualization of characters simultaneously possessing breasts, a penis and a vulva, and has gained a negative connotation for the sexual connotations.[145][146]
hermie – an androgynous or intersex person, often considered a slur.[147]
altersex – a term describing people who alter their sex, such as through hormone replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgery, who were not born intersex. This term is especially used in the case of people who do not describe their sex as male or female due to their medical transition, without appropriating intersex terminology. Considered derogatory if used to deny the validity of someone's medical transition to male or female.[148]
Salmacian – named after Salmacis, standing for someone who acquires, or wishes to acquire, mixed genitalia.[149]
Terms describing transgender and non-binary people
boymoder – a transgender woman who socially presents in a masculine gender role, typically in places where transgender individuals are discriminated against, or due to not being out as transgender.[150]
egg – a transgender person who has not yet realized they are trans;[152] used by transgender people when aspects of one's personality or behavior remind them of gender-related aspects of themselves before they realized they were trans
shemale – a trans woman with male genitalia and possibly female secondary sex characteristics.[161] Primarily a term used in pornography and often considered derogatory.[162]
hon – a non-passing transgender woman. This term is primarily used by trans women in online communities, especially 4chan. It is considered derogatory.[150]
trap — slur for someone whose perceived gender is opposite their anatomical sex, particularly a trans woman or effeminate boy. Implies that others who are attracted to them (typically heterosexual men) are maliciously deceived (i.e. "trapped") regarding their "real" gender.[165] Considered derogatory and dehumanizing.[166]
troon — portmanteau of "trans" and "goon". Originally a term for members of the Something Awful forum ("goons") who are transgender. Used as a slur for trans women, connoting violent or sinister ulterior motives for transitioning.[167]
cuntboy or pussyboy/dickgirl – a female-to-male (FtM) and male-to-female (MtF) transgender/transsexual person, respectively, who has not had genital surgery.[168][169] Considered derogatory or vulgar at best.[citation needed]
transgenderism - the current usage of the term rises from anti-trans extremists seeking to dehumanize transgender people and implying that being transgender is an ideology rather than an identity.[170]
Terms related to transgender and non-binary people
chaser / tranny chaser – someone attracted to transgender people.[171] Often used in a pejorative fashion, chasers to value them for their trans status alone, rather than being attracted to them as a person[150]
clock – to recognize someone as transgender.[150][172]
deadname – as a noun, a transgender person's birth name. As a verb, to refer to someone by their deadname.[150]
girldick – a transfeminine person's penis, especially one changed by hormone use. Also known as girlcock or gock.[150]
malefail – to be gendered as feminine when trying to present in a masculine gender role.[150]
packing – the act of wearing padding or a phallic object to present the appearance of a penis[173]
passing – usually in relation to transgender individuals, to be perceived as that individual's preferred gender.[174]
The following slang terms have been used to represent various types of people within the LGBT community:
bear – a larger and often hairier man The bear subgroup is among the oldest and largest of the LGBT community. Pride.com states "Bears are on the heavier side, either muscular, beefy, or chunky. They wouldn't dream of shaving their body hair (which comes in abundance) and they usually have a full beard to match."[201]Attitude magazine describes bears as "typically older" with a big build, a belly, and lots of hair.[202] There are many bear 'subtypes', including the black bear (Black or African American men), the brown bear (Hispanic men), the grizzly bear ("dominant bears of extreme stature or hairiness"),[203] the koala bear (Australian men),[204] the panda bear (men of Asian descent),[205] and the polar bear, which represents an older bear with white hair.[201]
cub – a younger bear.[202] Pride.com describes cubs as "baby bears" or "large, hairy guys in their teens and 20's who are on their way to becoming a bear".[36][52][201]
wolf – Pride.com says, "Similar to an otter, a wolf has some hair and is in between a twink and a bear. However, there are some key differences between wolves and otters. Wolves typically have a lean, muscular build and are sexually aggressive."[201]Attitude says wolves are "typically older and masculine" with a "muscular/athletic build".[202][36]
bull – Pride.com says a bull is a "hunky, muscular" bodybuilder who weighs 200 pounds or more. The website says, "These men are big, strong and have muscles you didn't even know existed."[201]Attitude says bulls have a "super-muscular build" with any hair style, and can be any age.[202]
chicken – a young twink.[201]Attitude says chickens are "hairless and young" with a slim or skinny build.[202]
chickenhawk – a typically older man who seeks younger men. From chickenhawk, a designation for several birds which are thought to hunt chickens.[201]
pig – someone who is "more focused on sex than anything else, often into kinkier and somewhat seedier sexual practices", according to Pride.com.[201]
pup / puppy – in animal roleplay, someone who wants to be treated like a puppy, "with love and affection", by a handler.[201]Attitude says pups are "young and submissive" with a slender build and little hair.[202]
^Cage, Ken (2003). Gayle: The Language of Kinks and Queens: a History and Dictionary of Gay Language in South Africa. Jacana Media. p. 16. ISBN978-1-919931-49-4.
^Hamaida, Lena (2007). "Subtitling Slang and Dialect"(PDF). EU High Level Scientific Conference. p. 5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
^Leap, William (1999). Public Sex/gay Space. Columbia University Press. p. 61. ISBN978-0-231-10691-7.
^Lumby, Malcolm E. (1976). "Code Switching and Sexual Orientation: A Test of Bernstein's Sociolinguistic Theory". Journal of Homosexuality. 1 (4): 383–399. doi:10.1300/j082v01n04_03. PMID1018102.
^Norton, Rictor (30 March 2003) [14 April 2000]. "The Game of Flats, 1749" Homosexuality in Eighteenth Century England: A Sourcebook. Sterling Publishing. ISBN978-0-304-36636-1. Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. Retrieved 15 October 2007. The reference is to A. G. Busbequius, Travels into Turkey, English translation (London, 1744). The original book, published much earlier, was invariably cited whenever lesbianism was mentioned, e.g., William Walsh's A Dialogue Concerning Women (London, 1691) and in Martin Schurig's Muliebria Historico-Medica (1729).
^Thompson, Elisabeth Morgan; Morgan, Elizabeth M. (January 2008). "'Mostly straight' young women: variations in sexual behavior and identity development". Developmental Psychology. 44 (1): 15–21. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.1.15. PMID18194001. S2CID14336659.
^"swish definition, meaning". dictionary.cambridge.org. Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015. swish noun [C] (LIKE A WOMAN) › US slang disapproving a man who behaves or appears in a way that is generally considered more suited to a woman, and who does not have traditional male qualities
^"swish - Gay Slang Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015. swish #n. To overplay or over do homosexual gestures; the traits of an effeminate male homosexual. Source: [1930's] #Passive homosexual. #To walk speak or move in the manner of an weak effeminate boy or man; the stereotype effeminate homosexual.
^ abLeap, William; Boellstorff, Tom (2003). Speaking in Queer Tongues: Globalization and Gay Language. University of Illinois Press. p. 98. ISBN0-252-07142-5.
^Rodgers, Bruce Gay Talk (The Queen's Vernacular): A Dictionary of Gay Slang New York: 1972 Parragon Books, an imprint of G.P. Putnam's Sons Page 99
^ abAyres, Tony (16 February 1999). "China Doll-The Experience of Being a Gay Chinese Australian". Journal of Homosexuality. 36 (3–4): 87–97. doi:10.1300/J082v36n03_05. PMID10197547.
^Gutzmore, Cecil (April 2004). "Casting the first stone!: Policing of Homo/Sexuality in Jamaican Popular Culture". Interventions. 6 (1): 118–134. doi:10.1080/1369801042000185697. S2CID145315595.
^""Fag" definition, meaning". dictionary.cambridge.org. Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015. [C] US slang an offensive word for a gay man
^Edward Anthony Gibbons (2008). A Cultural Affair. iUniverse. p. 6. ISBN9780595611614. On many, a cold freezing night, of temperatures hovering near zero, the finocchios tease and try to encourage Tedesco to join in their warm body orgies.
^"Definition of flamer". The Online Slang Dictionary. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015. flower n. #A homosexual who takes the female role in a gay relationship. Source: [1950's]
^Boswell, John (1993). "On the Use of the Term 'Homo' as a Derogatory Epithet". In Wolinsky, Marc; Sherrill, Kenneth (eds.). Gays and the Military. pp. 49–55. doi:10.1515/9781400821044.49. ISBN978-1-4008-2104-4.
^Meyer, Ilan H.; Northridge, Mary E. (2010). The Health of Sexual Minorities: Public Health Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations. Springer US. p. 40. ISBN978-1-4419-3959-3. OCLC697538612.
^"Butch-Femme"(PDF). glbtqarchive. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
^(in German) Krauss, Friedrich Salomo et al. Japanisches Geschlechtsleben: Abhandlungen und Erhebungen über das Geschlechtsleben des japanischen Volkes; folkloristische Studien, Schustek, 1965
^Herman, Elis L. (2 January 2015). "Tranarchism: transgender embodiment and destabilization of the state". Contemporary Justice Review. 18 (1): 76–92. doi:10.1080/10282580.2015.1008946. S2CID144267958.
^Blain, Virginia (January 2004). "Queer Empathy: or, Reading/Writing the Queer in Victorian Poetry". Literature Compass. 1 (1): **. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2004.00059.x.
^2020, Riki Wilchins; Joan Nestle; Clare Howell, GenderQueer-Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary, page 237
^Spencer-Hall, Alicia; Gutt, Blake, eds. (2021). "Appendix: Trans and Genderqueer Studies Terminology, Language, and Usage Guide". Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography. pp. 281–330. doi:10.5117/9789462988248_appen. ISBN978-90-485-4026-6. S2CID242549799.
^Chasin, CJ DeLuzio (2015). "Making Sense in and of the Asexual Community: Navigating Relationships and Identities in a Context of Resistance". Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. 25 (2): 167–180. doi:10.1002/casp.2203.
^"The 'A' in LGBT". Counterpoint. 35 (1): 8. September 2013.
Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2006). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: J–Z. Taylor & Francis. ISBN978-0-415-25938-5.
Dalzell, Tom (2008). The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN978-1-134-19478-0.
Dynes, Wayne R; Johansson, Warren; Percy, William A; Donaldson, Stephen, eds. (1990). Encyclopedia of homosexuality. New York: Garland Publishing Company. ISBN0-8240-6544-1.
T., Anna (2020). Opacity - Minority - Improvisation: An Exploration of the Closet Through Queer Slangs and Postcolonial Theory. Bielefeld: Transcript. ISBN978-3-8376-5133-1.
LGBT portal
.svg){kind=small}
