Palopa is a term used in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

and its

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

to refer to people whose gender identity or sexuality does not conform to heteronormative standards, and who, in Western contexts, might identify as part of the LGBT+ community.

Etymology

The term originates from

Tok Pisin Tok Pisin ( ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student's Handbook'', Edinburgh ; ), often referred to by English speakers as New Guinea Pidgin or simply Pidgin, is an English-based creole languages, English creole language spoken throughou ...

, a

creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...

spoken in the country. The term is a contraction of the name of the singer

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

, which was used as a coded expression within the community.

Origin

LGBTQ+ activist Clint Woolly has pointed out that many people in Papua New Guinea might perceive Western terms like “gay” or “lesbian” as

stigmatizing Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...

, and has thus advocated for adopting culturally relevant terms like palopa. This word offers an alternative without negative connotations, in a context where local expressions like ''geli-geli'' (“girlie-girlie”) or ''askan'' (“arse cunt”) are used pejoratively toward LGBT+ individuals. In response to this environment, gay and transgender people in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

have begun to use palopa as an affirmative way to refer to themselves. The term not only allows for stronger cultural identification, but also contributes to the visibility of diverse gender and sexual identities from an Indigenous perspective. This phenomenon is part of a broader movement across the Pacific that wants to reclaim and legitimize traditional categories such as fa'afafine in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

or takataapui in

Aotearoa ''Aotearoa'' () is the Māori name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country being referred to as ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' – where ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' means N ...

(New Zealand). On a social level, people who identify as palopa often face various forms of discrimination and violence. In a 2011 study, 57% of transgender individuals interviewed—many of whom identified as palopa—had experienced

physical violence Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, clinical examination, or medical checkup, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a Disease, medical co ...

, and 47% had experienced

sexual violence Sexual violence is any harmful or unwanted Human sexual activity, sexual act, an attempt to obtain a sexual act through violence or coercion, or an act directed against a person's sexuality without their consent, by any individual regardless of ...

. These percentages were even higher among those engaged in

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volun ...

. In many cases, the perpetrators were

police officers A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...

. Organizations like the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance have affirmed palopa identity as a legitimate expression of gender diversity that predates colonial influence. Additionally, there are other culturally specific expressions of gender within the country, such as the term kwolu-aatmwol, used by the S imbari people to describe a

third gender Third gender or third sex is an identity recognizing individuals categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither a man nor a woman. Many gender systems around the world include three or more genders, deriving the concept either from ...

identity. In some cases this same word is used to refer to

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

individuals.

References

{{Sexual identities Gender in Oceania Gender systems Third gender Culture of Papua New Guinea Transgender topics in Oceania Indigenous LGBTQ culture Society of Papua New Guinea LGBTQ in Papua New Guinea Jennifer Lopez