Boi (gender)
Encyclopedia
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Boi is a term used within LGBT
and butch and femme
communities to refer to a person's sexual and gender identity. In lesbian
communities, there is an increasing acceptance of variant gender expression, as well as allowing people to self-identify with labels such as boi. The term may denote a number of possibilities that are not mutually exclusive:
Boi may also refer to a female-assigned at birth or female-bodied person, sometimes transsexual
, transgender
ed, or intersexed, sometimes not—that generally does not identify as, or only partially identifies as feminine
, female
, a girl
, or a woman
. Some "bois" identify as one or more of these, but they almost always identify as lesbian
s, dykes, or queer
s. Many are also genderqueer
or practice genderfuck
. Bois may prefer a range of pronoun
s, including "he", "she", or non-binary and gender-neutral pronoun
s such as "they", "co", "hir", "sie", "zie", and "ey". The term has found increasing usage in the larger LGBT
culture.
Boi is a term used within 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...
and butch and femme
Butch and femme
Butch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
communities to refer to a person's sexual and gender identity. In lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
communities, there is an increasing acceptance of variant gender expression, as well as allowing people to self-identify with labels such as boi. The term may denote a number of possibilities that are not mutually exclusive:
- A younger person who looks and acts like a young, heterosexualHeterosexualityHeterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
male, possibly embodying stereotyped attributes towards casual sexCasual sexCasual sex or hooking up refers to certain types of human sexual activity outside the context of a romantic relationship. The term is not always used consistently: some use it to refer to any extramarital sex, some use it to refer to sex in a casual relationship, whereas others reserve its use for...
and commitment in relationships, in contrast with the stereotype of the U-Haul lesbianU-Haul lesbianU-Haul lesbian or U-Haul syndrome is an LGBT slang term used to describe a stereotype of lesbian relationships. The term originated from the punch line of a joke that lesbians tended to move in together on the second date. It suggests an extreme inclination toward monogamy or committed relationships...
. Bois may not identify as butchButch and femmeButch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
, 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 (generally) younger guy who prefers older men, and is the "boi" in a "DADDYDaddy (gay culture)A Daddy in gay culture is a slang term meaning an older man sexually involved in a relationship or having a sexual interest in a younger man. The age gap may differ, but the relationship involves the traditional parental hierarchy of father-son dynamics, the daddy providing emotional support and...
and boi" dating, relationship, or sexual situation, where "boi" is used to differentiate between someone who is underage, and someone who just identifies as the younger guy who wants or needs an older man. In this context, "boi" can be masculine or effeminate, or anywhere along that spectrum, and some males identify as a "boi" well beyond their 20s, and especially so as long as they are involved with older men. Often, though not always, prefers the submissive role. - A submissive butchButch and femmeButch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
in the BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
community, or a younger butch in the butch-femme community. - A young trans manTrans manA trans man, transman, trans guy, or FTM is a transgender or transsexual man: a person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as male....
, or a trans manTrans manA trans man, transman, trans guy, or FTM is a transgender or transsexual man: a person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as male....
who is in the earlier stages of transitioning.
- A term of endearment for butches by femmes. It may also be used in the gay community to refer to a younger person – bisexualBisexualityBisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
or gay – who may have effeminateEffeminacyEffeminacy describes traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles....
characteristics. The term can also be used by anyone who wishes to distinguish from heterosexual or heteronormative identities.
Boi may also refer to a female-assigned at birth or female-bodied person, sometimes transsexual
Transsexualism
Transsexualism is an individual's identification with a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their biological sex. Simply put, it defines a person whose biological birth sex conflicts with their psychological gender...
, transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed, or intersexed, sometimes not—that generally does not identify as, or only partially identifies as feminine
Femininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
, female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
, a girl
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
, or a woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
. Some "bois" identify as one or more of these, but they almost always identify as lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s, dykes, or 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 ...
s. Many are also genderqueer
Genderqueer
Genderqueer is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity...
or practice genderfuck
Genderfuck
Genderfuck refers to the conscious effort to mock or "fuck with" traditional notions of gender identity, gender roles, and gender presentation. It falls under the umbrella of the transgender spectrum.-Genderfucking:...
. Bois may prefer a range of pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s, including "he", "she", or non-binary and gender-neutral pronoun
Gender-neutral pronoun
A gender-neutral pronoun is a pronoun that is not associated with any gender. It designates two distinct grammatical phenomena, the first being pronouns/periphrastics that have been assigned nontraditional meanings in modern times out of a concern for gender equity, and the second being genderless...
s such as "they", "co", "hir", "sie", "zie", and "ey". The term has found increasing usage in the larger 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...
culture.
External links
- Where the bois are
- Boi's Life Short Doc about Boi Culture by Amaris Blackmore & Heidi Petty
- Boi Meets Play Online magazine exploring Boi Culture and Style