Batty boy
In Jamaican Patois, batty boy is a pejorative term often used to refer to a gay or effeminate man. The term batiman is also used in Belize, due to the popularity of Jamaican music. The term derives from the Jamaican slang word , which refers to buttocks or anus.
Certain forms of Jamaican music feature hostility toward homosexuals using terms such as batty boy to disparage gay men. One example of this is the 1992 track "Boom Bye Bye", written by dancehall musician Buju Banton, which advocates violence against batty boys, including shooting them in the head. The pejorative chi chi man forms the title of a T.O.K. about killing gay men and setting them on fire; it was the Jamaican Labour Party's 2001 theme song. In the following year, the People's National Party similarly based their slogan "Log On to Progress" on Elephant Man's track "Log On" which likewise features violent homophobic lyrics.
Post-World War II Jamaican immigrants brought the term 'batty boy' to the United Kingdom. British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen frequently used the expression in his Ali G character, including in a 2002 interview that led to an apology by the BBC for the use of swearwords.
