Gay sterotype

[Merkavar]

Well i watched I now pronounce you Chuck and larry recently and it got me thinking again. Is it just a sterotype in movies and tv or are gay people actually like this.

Why is that if a character is gay in a movie or tv show they never listen to normal music they listen to abba or village people or girlie songs? They never seem to like sports they are always into plays and theatre. etc. like basically it seems that in movies the only difference between a gay guy and a girl is the guy has a penis. im guessing this is just a sterotype in movies.

But why is there never a gay guy in a movie that is just like a normal guy but is attracted to other guys. they always seem to be girlie. Are there people like this in real life, that are gay but not all girlie?

Im not trying to be offensive or anything but i dont know many gay people and the ones i do im not 100% sure if they are gay, just rumours.

 

[Heart's Home]

The thing is that stereotypes always come from somewhere. A lot of gay men are rather feminine in their mannerisms. Just like a lot of lesbians are rather masculine in their mannerisms.

However there are ALWAYS exceptions.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

The stereotypes are there for a reason. Not every gay man is exceedingly fruity, but make no mistake, there are absurdly flambuoyant gay men in this world, and I've met some.

 

[Tibs]

You see sterotypes in movies because they are amusing, not because they reprasent the majority of that group of people.

 

[Gaiseric]

Most of the gay people I know are act like normal guys(some more feminine), but then I've seen some out in the world seemingly doing their damned best to reinforce the more negative stereotypes.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

The voice always gets me.

Why does the sterotypical gay man actually sound gay?

How does sexing up men change the tone of your voice?

 

[Baneat]

I thought the same thing as the OP today,

I don't have your answer.

 

[scw55]

In media, stereotypes sort of need to be used to explicitly imply the character is gay.

But you can presume that any character (who doesn't state their preference) is either straight/gay/bisexual/normal.

I'm bicurious but I also *seethingly* feel sick by flamboyancey. Mainly because people I met when growing up who showed thoes traits were awful people.

I think, there are alot of gay people who are "normal" because they don't feel the need to scream to the world their sexuality. The only way to 'express' being gay is to conform to stereotypes.

But yes, some stereotypical gay characters do genuinly make me very angry, because it's embarrasing.

Stereotypes also makes people less secure about their sexuality. Growing up, I felt sinful when I had homosexual thoughts as a teenager. Now I'm older and less controlled mentally by society, I see it as an 'ok' thing.

I'm personally trying to rationalise stuff for myself as I always seem to keep getting crushes on blokes who aren't of the same persuation as me, because my ideal male partner isn't a stereotype.

I accept people need to express themselves, but sometimes it just seems they're just exhaderating. In turn, they look like a parody. Or just very creepy.

 

[jawakiller]

Stereotypes are usually based on truth. Usually. As far as gays go, I know both kinds. The normal guy who's into dudes and the flamboyant, wild, heaaay-saying kind. I have to say, I really don't like the latter. Really annoys me. But the other guy is fun hang with.

So there you go.

You see sterotypes in movies because they are amusing, not because they reprasent the majority of that group of people.

That is an interesting misconception. The people who create movies live in society (kind of) too. They didn't just base those characters on nothing.

 

[claymoreguy18]

People who are gay are the same as nayone else. I know a guy, whos straight as an arrow, get his nails done and watch desperate housewives. Although to be fair there are some gay men who fit the stereotype.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I've met a gay fellow, he calls anyone putting on "the lisp" a flamer with a tone that might be described as "hatred" and I'm inclined to agree with him.
It's the same reason I hate the gay character from Glee, he's not "proud of being gay" he's onbnoxious and attention seeking.

I don't put on a special accent because I like men and women, why do some gay men feel the need?
I'll never understand it.

For movies, I think it's just so you can slot people into stereotypes quickly, for viewer convenience.

 

[Johanthemonster666]

It's very simple, stereotypes are used so that people can quickly identify something (in the media and in day-to-day life). It's all about processing what a person's "place in the puzzle" is quickly in a world where you're bombarded with information constantly (it helps us function better according to some people).

Despite what some people have posted above, gay stereotypes are all about setting "certain" men and women apart from "everyone else" despite the fact that I've never been taken for a "flamboyant queer" and neither have about 99% of the gay and bi men I've met.

As for these mystical, flaming homosexuals that I keep hearing about but have RARELY seen, they simply identifying with either

a) who they are and are comfortable with themselves or
B) are banding together with other LGBT people and living up to the stereotypes to spite society and form a unique identity/community (for better or for worse)

Either way there are fascists.. either telling gay people to stop being so flamboyant (whether they really are or not) or gay people telling other gay people that they aren't fitting in with their "queer peers".

The media fuels this false dichotomy.

 

[ThunderWalrus]

The stereotype of gays that we all know comes from the homosexual males wanting to act like stereotypical females. This means they enjoy talking about hair, listening to pop and related music, caring greatly about personal hygene, and all the other activities that goes with that stereotype. It seems so weird for society because for thousands of years males were the dominate gender, giving guidance, being the stronger gender, and the rest of that stuff. When a gay male exhibits these behaviors it's deemed very odd and unusual by society's standards since it's generally what a women should be doing.
As for why this stereotype is always in movies, tv, video games, and other media is because it can generally made to be more comical. Most people would rather watch a gay guy dance around to Lady Gaga and talk about hair than watch a more realistically guy gay sit down with his friends and share a beer while watching a game of Sunday football.

 

[PatSilverFox]

I've been described as "the straightest person I know" on multiple occasions irl.
Really not all gay people are what you think (or straight people for that matter).

 

[taciturnCandid]

I'm gay and all my gay friends are masculine. i'm in the middle, neither masculine or feminine. Everyone is really suprised to find out i'm gay though

 

[zehydra]

People who are gay are the same as nayone else. I know a guy, whos straight as an arrow, get his nails done and watch desperate housewives. Although to be fair there are some gay men who fit the stereotype.

straight as an arrow, is he?

 

[disfunkybob]

I had this gay friend that was EXACTLY what you think of from a gay stereotype: a lisp, moody, perfectly styled, listened to NSync, commented about how silly "straight guy" stuff was... but his boyfriend was like any beer buddy, football watching, red-blooded American.

But it's easier for us to relate quickly to stereotypes and in visual media and it can be a pretty good tool if you think about. No long character introductions. But that doesn't mean you can't develop them beyond that superficiality. And if they don't, then it's just lazy writing.

 

[Dags90]

The voice always gets me.

Why does the sterotypical gay man actually sound gay?

How does sexing up men change the tone of your voice?

One idea I've heard is that it's a bit like hanky code except not as obnoxious. They sound gay in order to say "I'm gay, any others out there?" without having to constantly say that.

Gay stereotypes have changed over a fairly small period of time. In the 70's and 80's the gay stereotype was of a man who was hypermasculine. Bodybuilding and muscle became a symbol of health during the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. gay community. And there are still plenty of muscle gays out there.

 

[Merkavar]

ok so there are actually gay people out there that are like the sterotypes but its not the majority. thats good cause alot of the gay behaviour in movies just annoy me and make me feel embarrassed for them even though they are just a character.

like the lisp thing and the t-rex hands/slapping(not really sure how to explain it any other way). pretty much the things Brian from family guys cousin does is what annoys me. it doesnt annoy me cause they are gay it annoys me cause i dont get how having sex with a guy makes you get a lisp and cause you to girlie slap people.