The Secret LGBTQ+ Language // Polari [CC]

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[rai]

Jessica: someone write an essay paper.
Me an almost linguist in search for a thesis topic: DON'T MIND ME IF I DO

[missmysterious]

How is Bowie's sexuality debated? He said he was bi? I feel like this is the Bowie meme with the interviewer says "you've been asked if you're bisexual" and Bowie says "yes too many times" and the interviewer says "and you've never really answered it" and Bowie replies "oh I have. I'm said I'm bisexual. That's enough"

[mirrorcity]

Polari walked so “do you listen to girl in red” “sweater weather” and “I like your style” could run

[Neellohit]

This is reminding me of how Victorian women developed a sign language with their fans because they couldn’t speak freely in public.

[youngsponge]

Here in the Philippines the community of gay men has a form of their own language! It's fascinating 🇵🇭🏳️‍🌈

[jk-jllo]

as a queer sociology major that's also planning on minoring in linguistics, thank you for introducing me to a language i've never heard of. and as an ADHDer, thank you for giving me my next hyperfixation.

[theodoraadelaide]

Not forgetting the Polari-speaking DC comics character Danny the Street, a literal sentient gay neighbourhood that rescues outsiders, named after British drag icon Danny la Rue. Baffling but brilliant.

[Rockapella]

Betty Bracelets, Hilda Handcuffs, Lily Law, and Jennifer Justice sound like a gay, crime fighting team from 1950s. I would pay money to read that comic/novel.

[lisam]

My sister was gay and this video reminded me of the shorthand way that she, her girlfriend and their friends would speak among themselves (I don't remember words, I just remember it was a different kind of speaking). And how they spoke to each other (another kind of coded language for protection) when non-gays were around. It was when I was a kid in the 70's (I stayed with her a lot). Wow, I hadn't thought about that in years.

[Jahnanana]

Here in the Philippines 🇵🇭 gay language is called “Bekimon” or “Beki language”. It’s so extensively used that some words have penetrated everyday language like “char” or “charot” which means that the speaker is joking.

[OkieDaemon]

My people speak a faerie cant, so I have sat with a friend in a sauna with straight men and talked about cruising, dating, boys and life and no one could actually understand a word of our incredibly graphic conversation. It was hilarious.

[angelikarts]

I attended an all girls school in the mid to late nineties. The concept there of being anything other than heterosexual was unthinkable. I think it would have been nice for us that weren't to have known a secret language to keep ourselves and each other safe!

[thekarategirl]

There's a clip of Bowie in an interview being asked what he meant by saying he's bisexual.

[hqmhecr]

Here in Brazil we also have a gay language!! It's called ✨ pajubá ✨🇧🇷

[aikya]

Omg so happy to see a video about Polari!
You should make a video on Hijra Farsi, it's a LGBTQ language as well spoken in India :) And Lubunca was spoken by the LGBTQ community in Turkey

[lilumartini]

This is so cool! I am a black latina from the Caribbean. My native language also started like that. It is now one of the last slave language still in exestance. Its called Papiamentu, what literally means "talking" lol. Slaves could talk with one another without the master and overseers understanding Them. And because slaves came from all over, the language is made of different parts of other languages, like dutch, english, Portugese, spanish, african, french etc

[lanatherana]

“My brother and I only speak dyslexic” I’m dead. If that ain’t my life XD

[spriddlez]

Jessica: Remember what I said 'dish' means?
Me: -awkwardly realizes I have already forgot despite learning it minutes before-

[dannydunn]

modern polari. "she said she's blaring girl in red but I think she cuffs her jeans" "I ain't straight but my gay ain't super, so I'll take his customizable options any day" "coming out of the closet is easy, coming out of the deck takes 3hrs and a powerpoint presentation." etc.

[robinhahnsopran]

Truly had never heard of Polari before - which is odd, since I'm an LGBT opera human and therefore have a particular interest in how humans communicate as part of my job. This is FASCINATING - thank you for making this!