Watch: The hidden secret language of gay men
By Will Stroude
A new short film is offering fascinating insight into the days before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain, where gay men, forced underground by the threat of arrest or abuse, used their own form of slang to communicate with one another.
This form of slang – known as ‘Polari’ – was commonly used by criminals, prostitutes and gay men in the late 19th and early 20th century to speak openly about subjects they didn’t want passers-by to understand, and to identify each other (as well as any undercover police).
Polari fell out out of popular usage in Britain by the 1970s, shortly after the legalisation of homosexuality in 1967, but some words that have survived – like ‘naff’, ‘drag’, ‘cottaging’ and ‘camp’ – all have their roots in the old language.
Now filmmakers Brian and Karl have released a new short film – Putting on the Dish – which imagines two gay men meeting on a park bench to discuss life and sex in a hostile world, and offers a fascinating insight into this oft-forgot slice of gay language and history.
Have an ‘ogle’ at the video in full below. You might even pick up a thing or two.
You can see more from the filmmakers, Brian and Karl, on their Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter.
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