Batty boy

In Jamaican culture, a batty boy (also spelled batty bwoy; other terms include batty man and chi chi boy/man) is a man considered to be gay, bisexual, or effeminate. The term, coming from a Jamaican Patois abbreviation of the word bottom,^{[citation needed]} is considered pejorative, as homosexuality is often condemned in Caribbean cultures, partially as a result of mainly conservative Christian and Rastafarian beliefs. Jamaica 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. Sex between men is punishable with up to ten years jail and the New York Times reported in 2009 on continuing violence that included 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.

While gay men have begun referring to themselves as "batty boys" to reclaim the term and remove the social stigma associated with it, the term is still used disparagingly. For example, Jamaican musicians, whose music features hostility to homosexuals (such as in a T.O.K. song Chi Chi Man that threatens to "burn fire" on gays and those in their company), have used the term batty boy to disparage LGBT people in their lyrics; one notorious song, Boom Bye Bye, written by dancehall musician Buju Banton, 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 boy nah promote no nasty man, dem hafi dead.

Post-World War II Jamaican immigrants brought the term batty boy to the United Kingdom, with usage rising partly as a result 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.

See also

• Stop Murder Music