Date:  Thu, 16 Nov 1995 09:56:27 -0500

From:  Al Futrell <awfutr01[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]HOMER.LOUISVILLE.EDU>

Subject: Re: Tomboy & Sissy



On Thu, 16 Nov 1995, Wayne Glowka wrote:



> tlc has said that the terms are common in prison lexicons. Is there

> implied ironic humor in the terms? implied euphemism? They strike me as

> delicate ways around words that seem more taboo.



In prison(s) an entire hierarchy of "homosexuals" (I place this in quotes

because that is not really how the prisoners discuss it -- that is our

egghead term) exists and some of this is revealed in the lexicon. For

example, there is a punk, a fag, a sissy, a girl, and so on. Depending

upon what prison you are in, the terms have slightly different meanings,

although a punk is pretty much the lowest level in all the prisons I have

been to, which is about 20.



Al Futrell

-- awfutr01[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]homer.louisville.edu

-- http://www.louisville.edu/~awfutr01

Dept of Communication -- University of Louisville