since international romani day is coming to a close iâd like to remind non-romani of a few things:
gypsy/gipsy is a slur, if youâre not romani itâs probably best u dont use it. while weâre at it, donât call us gippos either
gadje/gorger/gorja and any other variant word from any romanes dialect that means ânon-romaniâ is NOT a slur, and itâs most definitely not a slur towards white people specifically
youâre not a gypsy because you have a âfree spiritâ and wanderlust and wear flowy skirts. youâre not gypsy because you want to be one. if you are a gadje, you have no right to call yourself gypsy, full stop.
romani is not a fashion statement and weâre not here for your fetishization/romanticization/aesthetic (appreciating romani fashion and culture is fine. whatâs not fine is appropriation or pretending to be romani when youâre not.)
do not invalidate the racism romani people face. people donât even consider us human. i canât even tell you how many times iâve read comments and messages from people literally calling romani âsubhumanâ and meaning it. donât silence romani voices when they speak of the racism theyâve experienced
romani people are varied and diverse. some of us are white-passing, a lot arenât. lots of us are mixed, and when we are we can be any number of bi or even multi racial identities. we can be almost any religion or even atheistic, weâre all over the world, and we speak many languages (there are many, many dialects of romanes alone)
and lastly: we deserve to be respected as your fellow human beings
