Gaydar

I think you can sometimes tell, based on how people act, but I don't think there is any way to just know if someone is gay/trans/etc. or not.

 

If someone acts in a manner that is more stereotypically gay it's much easier to pick that person out as gay. If they don't, then it's much more difficult. Other gay men who think they have refined gaysdars do a pretty poor job of picking me out in a group of other guys as gay. So it comes down to one's actions, behavior, mannerisms, looks, etc.

 

I think that being lgbt can make it way easier to pick up on subtle hints, that most people wouldn't quite get. People look out for someone-something like them, so they are likelier to see it. Sorta like sometimes a woman is likelier to pick up on other women being pregnant.

 

I don't know if I believe in gaydar. Like AKindOfMagic said, being lgbt can make it way easier to pick up on subtle hints, that most people wouldn't quite get. But I don't think that anyone can just instinctively tell a person's sexual preference.

I'd liken it to a sort of militarydar that I joke about with friends sometimes. Being in the military for many, many years, I can often spot subtle hints (beyond short haircuts) that indicate someone is in the military - how they handle themselves, phrases they use in conversation, etc. But it is far from perfect. It works extremely well in military towns, but outside of military towns, it's probably only about 60-75% accurate at best.:lol:

 

Mine's very good. So's my husband's. We've had a lot of practice though...

 

Some people make it obvious. Milo for example.

 

OGS... Is your and your husband's gaydar equally as accurate everywhere you go? Or is it more situation/location-dependent, like my postulated militarydar? (Just curious.)

 

It's not situation dependent--I will say though that we're much better with men than we are with women.

 

It comes down to stereotyping, basically.

 

Interesting, OGS.

Thanks for the reply!

 

I half believe in gaydar. I do it with video game characters. xD You CAN'T deny it! Luigi is gay af.

 

:lol:GayPugs! What about cartoon characters? ...Porky Pig, perhaps...?

 

If gaydar's real then mine is awful. I mean my eight best friends were bisexual and I never knew until I came out to them. I did have suspicions about other people that were proven true.

 

Can't you buy Gaydar at Sharper Image? Downside is it's always sold out. Had to send mine back because it wouldn't turn on.

 

Mine is pretty broken. :lol: My boyfriend is like "he is not straight, I'm quite sure" and I'm sitting there, wondering why thinks that way. He responds with a "it's the way he acts" or even with an "it's so obvious". :lol:

... And he's usually right, too. So yeah, I do believe it's true. I guess that people who are/have been more conscious about hiding/pretending to be straight are much better at determining whether someone is not straight. And some are just better at reading people, too.

 

Pretty much, that's all it is.

Sometimes stereotypes work (as there can be some degree of truth in them), but it's a good idea to be flexible to changing your hunch when more facts come in.

The low hanging fruit (pun somewhat intended) is fairly easy to spot, but with the trendy new fad of striving for "straight acting" status, the degree of accuracy in the gaydar is inversely proportional to the acting skill of the target.

The previous poster who said all eight best friends weren't detected would be the closest analogy to me. I think nearly everyone who is straight is gay, and vice versa.

 

One of my old coworkers who's a lesbian claimed to have a strong gaydar once. She told me some of our other coworkers who are most likely to be gay. I asked if she thought I was, to which she replied, "f*** no!". Her gaydar needs a little adjusting.

So I guess I don't necessarily believe in it, but there are some truths to certain stereotypes - it's just they don't fit everyone. It more comes down to people being able to read others, which goes beyond telling if someone is LGBT.

 

:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: If that had been me, I might have been in serious danger of outing myself by rolling on the floor laughing!

 

I disagree, and frankly most of the out gay people I know would disagree.

As far as all the "gay people didn't know I was gay when I was in the closet" evidence--let me just say that in my experience most out gay people have a certain degree of respect for the rigors of the closet. In the event that I was asked by someone that I perceived to be closeted if they seemed gay (and I have been asked that in that situation) I say no--without exception. There is no point in telling someone who is trying to hide that they are not doing as good of a job as they think they are--anyone who was ever closeted knows that.