why do many of the gay community act more similiarly to stereotypes of the opposite sex?

Question

i was just wondering what ur thoughts were. with the risk of sounding ignorant, why is it that for example, many gay men act so feminine, whilst many gay women act very butch. as i am not part of tha gay community i cannot have a clear picture if this is the majority, ie do the majority of gay men have feminine attributes, or does it just seem this way, as obviously it wouldnt be as noticable. please note that i am not being homophobic in any way, i myself am bicurious. i am just curiosu about this social trend which i may have observed wrongly.

Answer 1

Because those are the ones you most easily identify as being LGBT.
Those of us, and we are the majority, who do not emulate those stereotypes aren't as easily identifiable to those outside our community.

It's a matter of perspective.

Answer 2

Here's the deal. When you see someone behave as you described, you assume they're gay. WHen you see someone behave otherwise, you assume they're straight until you find out otherwise. So, a major part of it is your perception. Another part of it is the way stereotypes work: they're all you notice, they're all you remember, and in some cases (though less applicable here) they influence your behavior to elicit the expected behavior. That's all backed up by research. So, if you know that someone IS gay, you're going to notice all the stereotpyical things, and only remember all the stereotypical things. Furthermore, the gender dichotomy in this society is also pretty bizarre. How many "feminine" things does someone have to do to get labelled as "feminine" overall?

And, finally, there are some decent reasons why men would do this. As hinted to above, when people see this, they assume said person is gay. This means a guy doesn't have go through any pleasantries (or risk emotional hurt in potential friendships) with anyone who's going to flip out over him being gay. This also means that other gay men know he's "available" (even if he's not available as such). And, sometimes it's just fun with stereotypes: because we find it funny, or because we're freaking out straight people, or whatever else. If you really break down the stereotype into seperate traits, you'll probably find that maybe about half the gay guys you'll meet exhibit SOME overbearing quality that would line up, but not the same stereotype necessarily. If that much.

Answer 3

Yes, there is a stereotype that gay men are effeminate. Indeed, some gay men are rather effiminate. Some gay men are rather masculine. And, of course, most gay men fall somewhere in between.

The problem with stereotypes is that they bias our perceptions in a way that reinforces the stereotype. People pay inordinate attention to the effiminate gay man (because his behavior is incongruent with traditional gender roles and makes him conspicuous), which feeds into the stereotype that all gay men are like that, when in fact they may have walked by several "butch" gay men without giving it a second thought.

Effeminate men may have somewhat of an easier time coming out as gay, as they fit the stereotype and people generally assume them to be gay anyway and treat them accordingly. It's the ones who could "pass" for straight who generally have a more difficult time giving up the privileges of being an assumed heterosexual.

Answer 4

I know of several people who are gay and they act like any other person. You would never know the difference. And I also have seen those that are gay act similar to the stereotypes.

On the same token, I have seen regular straight people act or have the mannerisms of a stereotypical gay person. It really boils down to that there is no true way how a person is to act.

It is possible that you, now I am not being mean, are just a little more aware of how peope act.

Answer 5

Only the ones you notice do there are just as many homosexual people if not more, that stereotypically act the way the same sex does, Infact I know many staight people who act like the opposite sex, It all just depends on person to person, don't listern to people who say we're all the same on the inside... it's not true... we are all different and thats what makes each and everyone of us speacial, we should celebrate

Answer 6

I'm gay, and I don't act feminine; Far from it.

You must watch too much T.V.
The "media" is the one who stereotypes. They are the ones who don't get out into the "real world"; You should too, it's the best way to see people for who (and what) they really are.

Answer 7

My thought on this question is how surprised you would be were you to know the extent of the inaccuracy in your observation.

Many do behave, after a fashion, as the opposite gender stereotpye. Most, do not.

Answer 8

"Many" don't. There are those who fit the stereotypes but they are the most obvious, most people would never even realize the majority of Gays and Lesbians were homosexual at all.

Answer 9

It's a simple answer but is hotly contested. The men and women who behave in this manner simply want to be what they are not. The boys want to be girls and the girls want to be boys.

Answer 10

Maybe it has alot more to do with the genes, then people want to believe.