As a young
man coming out onto the Gay
scene in Nottingham in the
60s, I was amazed by the strange language I heard. All these gay men talking in gobbledegook. Oh varda that bona chicken the one with
the lovely dark riah, such a dolly eek. When one of them asked
me if I was gay I said in all innocence that yes I was a happy person.
It slowly dawned on me that what I was listening to was Polari,
the secret language used by gay men at the time. I had of course
listened to Julian and Sandy The two camp queens on Round The Horne,
a radio program that went out on a Sunday Lunchtime . Julian and Sandy were masters in Polari, if you get the chance do try and listen to them.
You must remember that being an active homosexual was against the
law untill the law was changed in 1967 and this was a way of talking
so that people around you didnt have a clue what you were talking about.
The photo on the left is The Flying Horse Hotel which
was the only place to go on the gay scene in those days.
60s, I was amazed by the strange language I heard. All these gay men talking in gobbledegook. Oh varda that bona chicken the one with
the lovely dark riah, such a dolly eek. When one of them asked
me if I was gay I said in all innocence that yes I was a happy person.
It slowly dawned on me that what I was listening to was Polari,
the secret language used by gay men at the time. I had of course
listened to Julian and Sandy The two camp queens on Round The Horne,
a radio program that went out on a Sunday Lunchtime . Julian and Sandy were masters in Polari, if you get the chance do try and listen to them.
You must remember that being an active homosexual was against the
law untill the law was changed in 1967 and this was a way of talking
so that people around you didnt have a clue what you were talking about.
The photo on the left is The Flying Horse Hotel which
was the only place to go on the gay scene in those days.