Boi

Boi
Basics
Classification	Culture-specific identity
Related and unrelated terms
Different from	Stud

Boi is a term with multiple meanings that depend on context. In an LGBTQIA+ context, boi is usually defined as a young and masculine queer woman of color. It is thus often treated as a culture-specific identity.

There are many other definitions for boi that are specific to the LGBTQIA+ community, such as:

• A lesbian who adopts a boyish appearance or manner.
• A young transgender man who may have previously identified as a butch woman; alternatively, a trans man who is in the early stages of transitioning.
• A person who was assigned female at birth and does not full identify as feminine or as a woman.
• A gender non-conforming person who may identify with a number of LGBTQIA+ labels.

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Etymology

Boi is an alternative spelling of the word "boy" that can be traced back to its usage as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in Black communities in the 1990s. As an AAVE term, boi was pronounced as "boy-ee" or "bou-oy", but as an identity, it is often pronounced the same as "boy".

The first major recorded use of boi as a non-LGBTQIA+ term was in 1992, and was attributed to a rapper named Big Boi. From there, boi was adopted by skateboard culture around the same time, specifically as a counterculture identity rather than an LGBTQIA+ identity.

Shortly after that point, boi was used by the gay community to refer to a young and attractive gay man; at the same time, it was being used to refer to young masculine women. The online crowd-sourced Urban Dictionary had "young butch lesbian" as the dominant definition of boi from 2003 until 2016. The latter definition is considered the most common definition for boi, in addition to being specifically for women of color, at least in an LGBTQIA+ context.

Community

Distinction

Main article: Stud

Stud is another culture-specific identity that is specifically meant for Black masculine lesbians. There is overlap here with boi, which is usually defined as a woman of color who is young, masculine, and queer in some fashion. Thus, while both terms are culture-specific identities, boi can be seen as a slightly broader term than stud, at least in terms of who can use the label for themselves.

Controversy

Given that boi started as a term in Black communities and is now used as a label in queer communities, there have been many controversies over it being misappropriated as it expanded into mainstream usage. In particular, some racists have misused boi for anti-Black and otherwise bigoted messages online.