Gay voice stereotype

I don't know.

I never really knew, since I don't talk like that and I just always thought people had to TRY to talk like that. I never understood it.

Logic says the person is born with it.

 

I guess people who have traits that "society" deems as stereotypical of a class stand out more and those who don't have such characteristics but still belong to the class get overlooked.

When I was younger, I used to think that "speaking in a gay manner" was a sort of mating call to make one's sexual orientation known to all. But now I just think that we are all born with certain characteristics governed by genetics, environment, and epigenetics.

 

I have always wondered that too. Also I'm not trying to sound like a dick but I have noticed that some not all but some have a lisp as well.

 

I honestly don't know. Most gay guys I've met do have that "valley girl" type of speech/mannerisms. My parents have very flat accents (dad has the standard newscaster/New York accent-very fast, very clean, and very flat, and mom sometimes has a New England accent when saying words like "artery" or "Eleanor"), and my brother and I have a mix of those two accents. My gay brother, on the other hand, has that gay accent in full effect.

I think it might be media-most gays you see on TV and hear on the radio tend to be the fashion queens and wedding planners. You don't see too many gay clerks, scientists, cops, truckers, action heroes, programmers, etc. a anywhere in the media. Major gay characters are fabuleth and bubbly, with masc. gay characters only seen when they come out in an episode, which makes it seem like masculine gays are a rarity. Thusly, they gravitate towards that image, and pick up the stereotypical gay mannerisms. When I do a "gay impression", it's usually just my dumb white-girl impression with more lithping and "honey"s and "girrrlll"s and finger snapping.

 

I know a couple guys who are gay, and have a more higher pitched voice. But I also know one who doesn't, and my voice is pretty deep too.

At the same time, there's people I've talked to before who definitely had the stereotypical "gay voice" and they are straight.

 

so I guess you guys are positive I wear nothing but flannel and shave my head?


I have known quite a number of gay men in my life, not nearly the number of lesbians, since I tend to hang out with more of them, but really it is mostly the drag queen set that acts that way - they are a tiny minority - and when they are in non-dressed up mode and presenting male - they butch it up perfectly well.

 

Interesting. For the longest time I was convinced it was for the most part genetic, since there are plenty of studies confirming the differences between the brains of straight and gay men, plus everyone who says it's just how they are and can't help it -- why would anyone want to out themselves in a homophobic environment, for example?

Now I think some people might play it up, to get a reaction, feel accepted, or whatever else. You often hear guys saying they feel more free to express their feminine side after coming out, but there's also the possibility that they knowingly adopt these traits, sometimes as a part of the whole "rainbow phase". It's usually a very similar dialect and expression, too.

There's an entire field called Lavender Linguistics, dedicated to study language used by LGBT communities, and I'm taking a course on gender and language sometime next year, so hopefully I'll be able to contribute to this topic with more later. When I was younger and raised by all women, supposedly I spoke in a very high "Mickey Mouse" voice, and I sometimes hear transwomen practicing something similar, so that's another reason I'm interested.

 

I tried to fake it recently, I couldn't. At all. I'm terrible at it.

 

Mine just kinda happened.

I hate it. I don't know how it started, I just know it did. ._.

 

I don't sound that way (as far as I know!) but even though I hate to say it, it's kinda true.

Nine times out of ten, gay youtubers have the voice you describe - elongated vowel sounds, slower speaking and high pitched. Example: instead of simply saying yeah, the type of voice in question would pronounce it more like yeAAH.

Since I think gay men (some) are naturally more feminine than straight men, I assume they're born with it. I believe we have born feminine traits due to the reason we are gay - possibly due to some kind of hormonal fluctuation in the womb.

Damn that got scientific. Generally I don't believe many gay 'stereotypes' are actually stereotypes - they're existing traits in gay men. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.

 

I really would like to know this as well. My voice isn't high pitched at all. In fact it's the total opposite. But I know a number of gay guys with really effeminate voices. I would like to say you're born with it. But I guess part of it is exaggerated.

 

I think some gay men tend to be more expressive and have less emotional inhibitions lending to this characteristic known as "gay voice." I think emotions in the form of speech (i.e. emphasis on words) is associated with feminine traits. I know I was made fun of and judged as a young school aged child for my "gay voice" and I honestly was quite unaware of it until people kept making fun of me...it was certainly not something that was purposefully done on my part and, at the time, I was unaware what "gay" even meant.

Also, it does not apply to all gay men, as we see in thread.

 

Plenty of other gay guys I've talked to tend to be pretty shocked when they finally get around to actually talking to me and point out how my voice is a lot deeper than they expected. It's pretty funny, even more so considering I'm a pretty small guy.

 

Here we go again! Sigh..

Look, when I was young, I decided I didn't want to be normal, so on top of choosing to be gay, I decided to make my voice even higher and act even gayer, to stick out even more.

*facepalm.*

Joking aside, you have to look at this in what's true and what isn't. No, a lot of gay men don't do the valley girl thing - but a good amount do, and a lot have a voice that's pretty evident. I don't think it's specifically the voice - like the body and the vocal cords kind of thing - I think it's the brain and how expressive we are.

 

Yep, I have been teased for my gay voice my entire life even when I tried to "butch up" my voice, I was teased. I have had straight and gay people make fun of my voice, when I was in middle school, my brother told that if I didn't stop "talking like a girl" he was afraid I was going to be beat up. I had spent the whole summer hanging out with my friends who were very expressive women, and I had picked up more flamboyance. I tried to quickly cut that out of my language to fit in, but since, I came out, I don't really try anymore.

I have never really tried to talk in a gay voice, and I hated my voice for a long time, I still kind of hate my voice. I have a small lisp and I remember when, before I had come out, people a few times told me they liked my lisp, and I was mortified. I DO NOT lisp on purpose. HAHAHA. I don't have a really strong lisp, but people have still said that they hate my voice for one reason or another. I avoided words that I thought I might even potentially lisp speaking.

So sadly, I can say that for a lot of my life I have been tormented for my gay voice. I do not put it on. I do not say WHAT-EVER and snap my fingers. Though if you want to, do it.
But I am the gay your parents warned you about, I love fashion and in many ways am more flaming than even I am comfortable with. But I can also list off a ton of masculine qualities that I feel like also make me who I am. I am not a caricature or a stereotype.

But enough people already dislike my voice because they think it is too feminine or "annoying" or it seems fake or whatever. So, while I'm not feeling attacked because I don't think that's anybody's intention, please be aware, that I got to choose my voice even LESS than I got to choose my sexuality. You can't keep your voice in the closet.

 

:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap Preach it! Love this! I know that people don't mean any disrespect (or I hope they don't...) but please try and realize that we are who we are.

 

*HUGS MOTTO*

I have heard people say that I sound like a politician and news anchor. So I have a serious voice.

 

I have the "gay voice." Somewhat. My voice is higher pitched (not necessarily high pitched, like, for example, my father, who is always mistaken for a woman over the phone or through the drive-thru), and I do speak in a stereotypically feminine manner a good chunk of the time (usually when I'm excited or feeling neutral to happy). I kinda hate that I speak like this, but it has more to do with my actual pitch, as I've always desired a deeper voice. I'm technically a tenor, but I only ever go into baritone range when I'm either upset or have just awakened from sleep. I was originally worried that it'd be a turn off to other guys (I don't mind the "gay voice" or "lisp" thing, but I know that others find it a turn off), but my ex absolutely loved it, so I guess I was worrying for nothing. I'd still like a consistently baritone voice, though.... >_>