Boi (slang) explained

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.^[3]

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:^[4]

• A boyish lesbian.^[5]
• A submissive butch in the BDSM community.
• A young trans man, or a trans man who is in the earlier stages of transitioning.^[6]
• 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.^[6]

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.^[7] They may be gay or queer.^[8] 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".^[9]

Usage in popular culture and meme culture

One of the earliest usages of the term boi was with the rapper Big Boi.^[10] 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.^[11] 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!)"^[12]

See also

• Dat Boi

External links

• News: Where the Bois Are. Levy. Ariel. New York. 11 May 2015.

Notes and References

1. Book: Meredith Maran. Angela Watrous. 50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality: The Complete Guide to Supporting Family, Friends, Neighbors — or Yourself ... New World Library. 2005. 1-930722-50-8.
2. Book: Levy, Ariel. Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. Simon and Schuster. 2006. 0-7432-8428-3.
3. Web site: boi. 2020-09-09. Dictionary.com. en-US.
4. Book: Curzan, Anne. Gender Shifts in the History of English. Cambridge University Press. 2003. 0-521-82007-3.
5. Web site: Definition of 'boi' . . 22 April 2019 . in British ... a lesbian who adopts a boyish appearance or manner.
6. Web site: Crain, Chris. Who's The Fairest Twink Of Them All?. San Francisco Bay Times. November 22, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20120329004401/http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=7066. dead. March 29, 2012. May 15, 2018.
7. Book: Faderman, Lillian. Stuart Timmons. Stuart Timmons. Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians. Basic Books. 2006. 0-465-02288-X. 355.
8. Web site: boi . . October 25, 2018 . November 10, 2022.
9. News: Boi or grrl? Pop culture redefining gender . . October 1, 2005 . December 21, 2020.
10. Web site: Big Boi: Boy O Boi! . December 21, 2020.
11. Web site: Lavigne's 'Sk8ter Boi' Is Big Screen Bound . May 28, 2003 . Billboard . December 21, 2020.
12. Web site: Lopez. German. 2016-05-27. Dat boi, explained. 2020-09-09. Vox. en.