VIDEO: A trailer for the documentary "Do I Sound Gay?" by Director: David Thorpe ifcfilms.com (2:23) (from www.ifcfilms.com/videos/do-i-sound-gay) -- covers a sensitive topic to some gay men whose voices sound stereotypically gay (e.g. more effeminate, swishy, etc.) possibly because they were bullied for it when they were young and later as adults they have often been assumed to be gay because of their voice and then discriminated against. (I first heard about this documentary on the radio show by Bob Mondello, "Be Your Own Self: The Lessons Of 'Do I Sound Gay??'" NPR listened to on PBS KOAC radio Corvallis, Oregon, Jul. 10, 2015 )
As a child over a half-century ago, the first gay male voice I heard was of the famous Truman Capote, who had a stereotypically effeminate and swishy fag voice. Gay liberationists of the 1960's tried to deny the possibility of this type of queen-y voice as correlated with being gay because they were trying to break down the stereotype that all gay men are effeminate and therefore powerless as girls, which in the days before women's liberation was a serious insult to a person's sense of manhood and masculinity.
To counter the gay male stereotypes of being effeminate with a swishy voice, a famous TV program, "All in the Family," cast a macho football player character to come out as being gay to the homophobic and bigoted star of the show, Archie Bunker, which of course comically rattled Archie's perception of gay men.
In my experience, there are roughly half of gay men who have a more effeminate gay voice and the other half have a more masculine voice that is not detectable by most people as being gay. I have always been amused by how many gay men with effeminate voices will almost always deny it in a very emotional and angry manner, which I guess is because they were bullied for it growing up and they have internalized society's homophobia and misogyny that casts women as being inferior.
Another related stereotype I've seen is the idea that gay men who are more effeminate are always going to be the bottoms in a relationship. For example, one gay cartoon character in the 1970's was named "Helium Heels" because he was so "light in the loafers" (i.e. effeminate and gay) that when he would meet a masculine top, Helium Heels would instantly be on his back with his heels up in the air ready for intercourse.
See some of the following related links:
- "Top, bottom and versatile," wikipedia.org accessed Jul. 7, 2015 says "These terms may be elements of self-identity that indicate an individual's usual preference, but might also describe broader social, psychological, or sexual identities."
- "Missionary position," wikipedia.org accessed Jul. 12, 2015 says, "Before the release of Alfred Kinsey's work, the missionary position was known (as) . . . the male superior position . .. the classic missionary position involves a man and a woman, with the woman lying on her back and the man on top. . . Some women enjoy being passive . . The missionary position may also be appropriate for women who desire the feeling of being "taken" by the man and want to feel overpowered."
- Michael J Formica MS, MA, EdM, "Sexuality, Intimacy and the Masculine/Feminine Archetype Are you the man or the woman in your relationship?," Psychology Today psychologytoday.com posted Feb. 7, 2009 says, "I mentioned the differences in the way that men and women approach emotional connection and sexuality. A bit of reflection upon that model begs an exploration of the role of masculine and feminine archetypes in this, and how those constructs complement and conflict with socially defined gender roles."
- "Gender role," wikipedia.org accessed Jul. 7, 2015 says, "The term was first coined by John Money in 1955 during the course of his study of intersex individuals to describe the manners in which these individuals express their status as a male or female, in a situation where no clear biological assignment exists. . . "
- Similar gender stereotypes exists for gay females (e.g. lesbians have a low voice and are masculine bull dykes, etc.) (See previous post Closeted lesbian in 1961 TV show rejected for being too butch by CBS TV executive (3/6/15) about Sheila James who later came out of the closet as gay and became an influential politician in California for gay rights.)
- Gay acting stars often try to deny it even though as artists they look gay as hell. (See previous post Chris D'Elia confirms Justin Bieber is a 'power bottom' in their sexual relationship (4/2/15) about an interview that The TV sitcom star and comedian Chris D'Elia (35 years old) in a interview carefully noted Justin is a "power bottom -- "PROMISE!!!")
