أنا مثلي الجنس
'ana mithliyy al-jins
The English phrase "I am gay" is translated into Arabic as أنا مثلي الجنس ('ana mithliyy al-jins).
أنا مثلي الجنس is used as a statement by a person to identify as homosexual.
Which one should you use?
The phrase أنا شاذ جنسياً is a formal way to say "I am sexually deviant."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase أنا مثلي الجنس is gender-neutral in its construction. However, in spoken practice, a male speaker might be understood as using the masculine form of the adjective mithli.
How do you pronounce it?
'ana mithliyy al-jins
Did you know?
- The term شاذ used in أنا شاذ جنسياً comes from a root meaning 'anomaly' or 'deviation'. While once common in formal texts, it is now widely rejected by the LGBTQ+ community as pejorative.
- In many Arabic-speaking regions, the phrase أنا مثلي الجنس is rarely spoken aloud in public and is instead used primarily in writing, social media, and private safe spaces.
- Depending on the dialect, people may use English loanwords like 'gay' or 'lesbian' instead of مثلي to signal a connection to global LGBTQ+ culture.
Examples in context
- أنا مثلي الجنس.ana mithliyy al-jins.I am gay.
- أريد أن أكون صريحاً، أنا مثلي الجنس.uridu an akuna sarihan, ana mithliyy al-jins.I want to be honest, I am gay.
Example conversation
Yousef is opening up to his friend Layla.
- يوسف Youssefليلى، هناك شيء مهم يجب أن أقوله.Laylā, hunāka shayʾ muhim yajibu an aqūlahu.Layla, there is something important I must say.
- ليلى Laylaأنا أسمعك يا يوسف، تفضل.Ana asmaʿuka yā Yūsuf, tafaḍḍal.I am listening, Yousef, go ahead.
- يوسف Youssefفي الحقيقة، أنا مثلي الجنس.Fī al-ḥaqīqah, ana mithlī al-jins.Actually, I am gay.
- ليلى Laylaشكراً لصراحتك، أنا أدعمك دائماً.Shukran li-ṣarāḥatika, ana adʿamuka dāʾiman.Thank you for being honest, I always support you.
