anademahomar Sep 6, 2011:

@Charles Thank you, as informative as ever!

Charles Davis Sep 6, 2011:

Ana Well, Carlos is only 17, so he'd better be careful. And not just from the legal point of view. Peru's official policy is by no means illiberal; gay sex among consenting adults has legal for many years, gays can now serve openly in the armed forces, and there has even been talk of legally recognising same-sex partnerships, I believe; but public attitudes are generally hostile, by all accounts. When Carlos and others say "soy caleta" in this context, I think they are reassuring their prospective partners that they have nothing to fear, rather than just confiding their own attitude toward coming out, which is probably not an issue for most gay people.

anademahomar Sep 6, 2011:

So, not out of the closet?

Stephen D Sep 5, 2011:

Thanks Claudia It would be "discreetly" in your example (as an adverb) and discreet as an adjective. Now we all know how to be sneaky in Peru xD.

Claudia Luque Bedregal Sep 5, 2011:

An example of "caleta" The phrase "si plajeas durante el examen, hazlo caleta/solapa" is an example of the use of "caleta" in Peru. This means that if you cheat during an exam, you should do it in such a way that nobody notices it, "a escondidas" would be another way of saying it.
So yes, both posted answers (discreet/not open about it) fit in the context.

Charles Davis Sep 5, 2011:

You find "soy caleta" quite a lot in (presumably Peruvian) gay dating sites. I won't quote examples; anyone interested can find them. Discretion is presumably a highly-valued quality in such circles, even more so, perhaps, in Latin American than in the US and Europe. (Carlos is obviously gay; when he says "soy una persona k aun no sabe so opcion sexual" it's a coy joke, hence the "jejejeje".)

Stephen D Sep 5, 2011:

Posted answers Yeh, I think the posted answers are probably right.

Michael Powers (PhD) (asker) Sep 5, 2011:

"caleta" in Peru I asked my Peruvian niece-in-law about it (26 years old), and she told me it means something similar "to blend in" so both answers about being discreet and not open make sense with her assessment.

Stephen D Sep 5, 2011:

xD By the way, xD is used as a smiley face... smiling so much the person's eyes are squinting: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_limjmjPLe31qajvoh.png

It's used in English too.

Stephen D Sep 5, 2011:

:D bueno pues soy caleta... Isn't that what it says? Caleta seems to mean hard to find in Peru... perhaps: "well, I'm unique/one of a kind".

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=933970