Russian

Golubój (голубо́й)

Golubój (голубо́й) is a Russian word that appears referenced for the first time with the meaning of gay man between the 60s and 70s. It is a colloquial expression whose positive or pejorative connotation depends on the context and intention of whoever uses it. However, we have read that it may be the preferred term in Russia as opposed to other terms, which are considered harder or foreigner. Golubój has displaced other forms as the media has incorporated them into their speech.

Our Golubój illustration can be purchased printed on t-shirts and many products.

There is a lot of controversy among linguists on the Golubój slang origin. The more credible to us at the moment has to do with its etymology. Golubój is the name for the baby blue color in Russian, etymologically derived from Gólubʹ (dove). Gólubʹ in the middle of the last century was the form that was used in groups of the Moscow gay subculture to refer to themselves in code. Based on this, the leap from the slang Gólubʹ (dove) could have been made to the code word Golubój (blue); taking into account, besides, the neutral and even positive character of the latter, without the feminizing connotations of the word dove, and in contrast to the habitual and derogatory insults of pederast and its derivatives.

Read more: Golubój. Gay dictionary (Russia).