Palopa

Palopa is a term used in Papua New Guinea and the diaspora as a non-heteronormative term for people who may identify in Western nomenclature as either gay, transsexual, or having a third gender role.^[1][2][3][4] LGBTQ+ activist Clint Woolly has described how Western terminology is stigmatised by many in Papua New Guinea and argued that indigenous descriptors, such as palopa, should be adopted and adapted.^[5] For the Sambian people, the phrase kwolu-aatmwol describes a third gender identity.^[5] Terminology is also borrowed from other Pacific communities, for example the term 'sister-girl' from Torres Strait Islanders.^[6]

Palopa

Classification	Gender identity
Other terms
Associated terms	Fakaleiti, Two-spirit, Trans woman, Akava'ine, Māhū
Demographics
Regions with significant populations Papua New Guinea

Etymology

The phrase comes from Tok Pisin.^[5] It is reportedly a contraction of the name of the singer Jennifer Lopez.^[6]

References

1. Stewart, Christine (2014-12-02). Name, Shame and Blame: Criminalising Consensual Sex in Papua New Guinea. ANU Press. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-1-925021-22-6.
2. "Glossary of LGBTIQ+ Language". OutLine Aotearoa. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
3. Worth, Heather (2011-10-01). "Is the Myth of the Bisexual Infector Still a Myth? Reflections on HIV Risk and Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women". Journal of Bisexuality. 11 (4): 488–492. doi:10.1080/15299716.2011.620824. ISSN 1529-9716. S2CID 143515533.
4. Mayron, Sapeer (2022-02-14). "Landmark health survey of rainbow Pasifika launches". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
5. Woolly, Clint (2016-10-28). "Reclaiming our rainbow cultural identities". Rainbow Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
6. Besnier, Niko; Alexeyeff, Kalissa (2014-12-31). Gender on the Edge: Transgender, Gay, and Other Pacific Islanders. University of Hawaii Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-8248-4019-8.