How do you know if someone else is (possibly) gay? Are there certain things, certain "codes" in gay society that can mark people out? I'm totally new to this, so thought I might ask...
Just recently I met a gay guy. I know because he actually has a boyfriend. When I see him, I just raise my eye brows to acknowledge. I noticed he holds his gaze longer than most guys. Stares more intensely too. I sort-of compared this to many other "straight" guys. They look, but don't avert their eyes abruptly as if nervous--nervousness being another sign they are possibly gay. Look at whether they stands closer to guys when there's a mixed group of guys or girls. Our body language tends to naturally orient our bodies towards people we are subconsciously drawn to even if we start out otherwise. If they flirt, notice how genuine they appear. Often, this behavior is used to conform or mislead. Just some things I look at even though the most obvious thing is to ask. Not something I'm comfortable with I'll admit, but I take my own advice. Hope it works for you. What if you use something only a LGBT person would know? Often straight people are not interested in our community so in essence we have special vocabulary for certain things they may not know about, but in hindsight the gay person may know. It puts you on their radar in a way. "Code Rainbow"?
You don't know for sure until they tell you directly. Until that time, you can only guess based on stereotypes. One thing I've started noticing is to observe them looking at a third person of the same gender, especially a very attractive person. That can give away their leanings, but don't rely on it.
I know this probably wouldn't really help you, but usually what I do is imagine that the person was dating a girl that I know. Then, I imagine that the person is dating a guy that I know. Based off what I already know/see of the person, usually one of the situations seems weird or unnatural. Sometimes, I can legit imagine the person dating both genders, and that person may be bi, pan, or just really open and flexible. If I can only imagine them with the same gender, they're probably gay, and if I can only imagine them with the opposite gender, they're probably straight. This works for me 90% of the time.
