Created by James

This pennant is a nod to the past, and celebrates the ingenuity of gay people in the face of adversity. Polari is a made-up language used and developed by gay people to enable them to speak freely in public. This was at a time in the 1960s and 1970s when prosecution, persecution and physical violence against gay people was rife.

Polari uses Italian, French, backslang (saying a word as if spelled backwards) and cockney rhyming slang. It evolved from an older form of slang called Parlyaree used by travelling entertainers and fairground people in the 19th century. It then found its way into music halls and theatres being used by dancers and singers. It was also widely used in the British Navy.

Polari has also influenced popular culture, appearing in various forms of media including theatre, radio and television, probably most famously in the 1960s BBC Radio show called “Around the Horne” which included two camp Polari speaking characters called Julian and Sandy (played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams of carry on fame).

My favourite Polari saying is “vada the dolly dish” (look at the attractive man). Polari is used quite widely today, for example “slap” for make up and “trade” for casual sexual partner. The word “bona” on the pennant means good.