Batty boy
Encyclopedia
Batty boy batty man are pejorative sexual slur
s used to describe gay
, bisexual and effeminate men, or those presumed to be gay and bisexual. The term is a Jamaican Patois abbreviation of the word bottom into batty; "batty boy" is a cognate
of the American English "butt boy". Usage is commonplace in some Caribbean
cultures where homosexuality
is condemned, partially as a result of mainly conservative Christian
and Rastafarian beliefs. Sex between men is punishable with up to ten years jail in Jamaica. The country is seen as one of the most violent towards gay men in particular and in 2006 Time
noted it likely was the worst place in the Americas for LGBT
people and one of the most homophobic places in the world. In 2009, the New York Times reported on the continuing violence including a case where police were helping a male gay-bashing victim by driving him to a hospital when people admonished them for helping a batty boy, whereupon they removed him from the car and loaded him into the trunk
instead.
Many Jamaican musicians have used the term to disparage LGBT
people. In one notorious song, "Boom Bye Bye"–which was written by dancehall
musician Buju Banton
when he was 15 years old in response to the rape of a young boy in Jamaica–advocates violence against "batty boys", including shooting them in the head and setting them on fire:
The term was brought to the United Kingdom
by post-World War II
Jamaican immigrants. The term was further popularised in the United Kingdom by the rise of British comedian
Sacha Baron Cohen
, and his portrayal of the character Ali G
. There is even a small following of the term in North America
.
A synonymous Jamaican pejorative is chi chi boy or chi chi man. Dancehall artistes T.O.K.
, in a song by that name, threatened to "bun fire" on gays and those individuals in the company of gays.
Gay men have begun referring to themselves as "batty boys" or "battymen", in part to reclaim the term and remove the social stigma
associated with it. This is similar to the way that queer
is reclaimed in the U.S. In some cultures batty can be used as a simple description of sexual orientation
much like gay
, or it can be used to be degrading.
Rapper MF Doom
's song "Batty Boyz" from his 2009 album Born Like This
pokes fun at the latent homosexuality in superhero comic culture
. He pokes fun at it with lines such as: "Batman head bobbin slobbin Robins knob".
The hit UK show Beautiful People
stars a Jamaican mother who uses the term "Batty Boy" to refer to her son who exhibits effeminate behavior.
Sexual slur
A sexual slur is a term of disparagement used to refer to members of a given sexual minority, gender, sex, or sexual orientation in a derogatory or pejorative manner...
s used to describe gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual and effeminate men, or those presumed to be gay and bisexual. The term is a Jamaican Patois abbreviation of the word bottom into batty; "batty boy" is a cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of the American English "butt boy". Usage is commonplace in some Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
cultures where homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
is condemned, partially as a result of mainly conservative Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Rastafarian beliefs. Sex between men is punishable with up to ten years jail in Jamaica. The country is seen as one of the most violent towards gay men in particular and in 2006 Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
noted it likely was the worst place in the Americas for LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people and one of the most homophobic places in the world. In 2009, the New York Times reported on the continuing violence including a case where police were helping a male gay-bashing victim by driving him to a hospital when people admonished them for helping a batty boy, whereupon they removed him from the car and loaded him into the trunk
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
instead.
Many Jamaican musicians have used the term to disparage LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people. In one notorious song, "Boom Bye Bye"–which was written by dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
musician Buju Banton
Buju Banton
Buju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....
when he was 15 years old in response to the rape of a young boy in Jamaica–advocates violence against "batty boys", including shooting them in the head and setting them on fire:
- Boom bye bye, in a batty bwoy head,
- Rude boyRude boyRude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi or rudy are common terms used in Jamaica. In the 1960s it was also used for juvenile delinquents and criminals in Jamaica, and has since been used in other contexts...
nah promote no nasty man, dem hafi dead.
The term was brought to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Jamaican immigrants. The term was further popularised in the United Kingdom by the rise of British comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
, and his portrayal of the character Ali G
Ali G
Ali G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
. There is even a small following of the term in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
A synonymous Jamaican pejorative is chi chi boy or chi chi man. Dancehall artistes T.O.K.
T.O.K.
T.O.K. is a dancehall group hailing from Kingston, Jamaica. The group consists of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and Xavier "Flexx" Davidson...
, in a song by that name, threatened to "bun fire" on gays and those individuals in the company of gays.
Gay men have begun referring to themselves as "batty boys" or "battymen", in part to reclaim the term and remove the social stigma
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
associated with it. This is similar to the way that queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
is reclaimed in the U.S. In some cultures batty can be used as a simple description of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
much like gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, or it can be used to be degrading.
Rapper MF Doom
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
's song "Batty Boyz" from his 2009 album Born Like This
Born Like This
Born Like This is an album by American hip hop artist MF DOOM, released under the shortened pseudonym DOOM on Lex Records on March 24, 2009. It debuted at #52 on the Billboard Chart, having sold 10,895 copies as of March 29. In addition to tracks produced by Doom, the album includes production by...
pokes fun at the latent homosexuality in superhero comic culture
LGBT themes in comics
LGBT themes in comics are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes and characters were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors, due to either censorship or the perception that comics were for children...
. He pokes fun at it with lines such as: "Batman head bobbin slobbin Robins knob".
The hit UK show Beautiful People
Beautiful People (UK TV series)
Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and...
stars a Jamaican mother who uses the term "Batty Boy" to refer to her son who exhibits effeminate behavior.