A Documentarian Wonrs: 'Do I Sound Gay?' : NPR

Contents:

• A DOCUMENTARIAN WONRS: 'DO I SOUND GAY?'
• FILMMAKER DAVID THORPE DISCS HIS NEW DOCUMENTARY THAT EXPLOR THE ‘GAY VOICE’ PHENOMENON
• IS THERE A “GAY VOICE”?
• DO I SOUND GAY?
• IS THERE A 'GAY VOICE'? DIRECTOR DAVID THORPE ON HIS OUTFT DOCUMENTARY
• THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLAS WHY 'GAY VOICE' ISN'T REALLY A THGTHE REASON OUR VOIC SOUND THE WAY THEY DO HAS A LOT MORE TO DO WH NURTURE THAN NATURE. {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}ISSUBY KATHERE SPELLERJUNE 25, 2015/12:08 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GETTYBY KATHERE SPELLERJUNE 25, 2015 / 12:08 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLAS WHY 'GAY VOICE' ISN'T REALLY A THG","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2015-06-25T16:08:40.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2015-06-25T16:08:40.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"KATHERE SPELLER","ARTICLESECTN":"ISSU"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DAVID THORPE ALWAYS WONRED WHY SOME MEN "SOUND GAY" AND OTHERS DON'T. AND, AS A GAY MAN, HE'S HAD HIS OWN ANXIETI ABOUT HIS VOICE AND THE WAYS OTHER PEOPLE HEAR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SO, AFTER A BREAK-UP WH HIS BOYIEND AND A B OF SOUL-SEARCHG, HE WENT AHEAD AND MA A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT . "DO I SOUND GAY?" EXPLOR HOW CERTA VOIC E TO SOUND THE WAY THEY DO AND WHY OUR CULTURE HEARS THEM AS "GAY."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THORPE RELEASED A SHORT NEW YORK TIM OP-DOC ADAPTED OM THE FILM THAT TRODUC YOU TO TWO OF HIS IENDS WH VERY DISTCTIVE VOIC. KRIS MARX SCRIB HIS VOICE AS "KD OF SOFT, [WH A VOLUME THAT] OFTEN DI AT THREE FEET," WHILE MATTHEW BERNARDO SAYS HIS VOICE AND STYLE OF TALKG IS TOTALLY -LE WH HIS TRADNALLY MASCULE, SPORTS-LOVG FAY (HIS VOICE IS PRETTY EP.){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}RIGHT AWAY, THORPE SAYS THAT, TO HIM, MARX SOUNDS GAY AND BERNARDO SOUNDS STRAIGHT. BUT, HE WONRED WHAT MAK A VOICE SOUND ONE WAY OR THE OTHER? HE TALKED TO BENJAM MUNSON, A SPEECH SCIENTIST AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARG SCIENCE AT UNIVERSY OF MNOTA TO FD OUT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"EVERY ONE OF IS PRENTED WH LOTS AND LOTS OF MOLS OF WHAT LANGUAGE SHOULD SOUND LIKE," MUNSON TOLD THORPE. "... AND ALL OF THE TERACTNS WE HAVE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNI TO EMULATE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THOSE PEOPLE'S SPEECH."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AS THE SHORT GO ON, YOU EVENTUALLY MEET MARX'S WIFE AND DGHTER AND HEAR A LTLE MORE ABOUT BERNARDO'S STGGL AS A GAY MAN WHO "SOUNDS STRAIGHT." THEIR BACKGROUNDS KD OF POT TO THE THEORY THAT THE VOIC THEY HAVE ARE LARGELY ED BY THE PEOPLE WHO FLUENCED THEM THEIR LIV — MARX BY ALL THE WOMEN WHO RAISED HIM AND BERNARDO BY HIS HOE FULL OF BROTHERS. IT HAD NO NNECTN WH THE GENR OF THE PEOPLE THEY DATED — THAT WAS JT PART OF A LARGER CULTURAL STEREOTYPE THAT EQUAT BEG GAY WH BEG FEME (AND HAVG A MORE FEME-SOUNDG VOICE.){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SAN NET, ONE OF THE FILM'S PROMOTERS, TOLD MTV NEWS THAT THE SHORT ISN'T NECSARILY A FULL REPRENTATN OF EVERYTHG THE FILM VERS. IN ADDN TO BUNKG THE IA OF A "GAY VOICE," THORPE LOOKS CLOSER AT THE WAYS AND REASONS PEOPLE MAY (OR MAY NOT) HAVE WANTED TO CHANGE THEIR OWN VOIC, TALKG TO CELEBRI LIKE DAN SAVAGE, GEE TAKEI, DAVID SEDARIS AND TIM GUNN ABOUT THEIR OWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"IT’S A VERY NUANCED AND TLY EYE-OPENG LOOK, WH DAVID [THORPE] AS THE GUI, THROUGH HIS OWN JOURNEY -- 'S ABOUT SELF ACCEPTANCE," NET {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THORPE'S PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE IS ONE THAT'S REALLY RONATED WH YOUNG PEOPLE, NET SAID, WH A NUMBER OF EMAILS AND MSAG OM YOUNGER FANS REGULARLY FLOODG HIS BOX. IT'S NOT SURPRISG THAT KIDS -- PECIALLY ON WHO MAY HAVE BEEN BULLIED OR "OUTED" BY THEIR VOIC -- SEE A B OF THEMSELV THORPE'S NARRATIVE, SHE SAID, AND MAYBE THEY N FD SOME FORT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"IT IS BOTH A PERSONAL AND UNIVERSAL STORY," NET {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}LOOK OUT FOR THE FULL-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, SHOWG SELECT THEATERS STARTG JULY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FOR MORE ABOUT ANTI-LGBT BIAS VIS LOOK {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• Q&A: IS THERE A ‘GAY VOICE’? DIRECTOR DAVID THORPE ON HIS OUTFT DOCUMENTARY
• “WORD IS OUT”: A PNEERG DOCUMENTARY OF GAY VOIC
• A LGUISTIC INVTIGATN OF "THE GAY VOICE"
• REVIEW: ‘DO I SOUND GAY?’ EXAM A MANNER OF SPEAKG
• FILMMAKER AND SPEECH PATHOLOGIST WEIGH IN ON WHAT IT MEANS TO 'SOUND GAY'
• DOCUMENTARIAN ASKS, 'DO I SOUND GAY?'
• ‘WHO SOUNDS GAY?’

A DOCUMENTARIAN WONRS: 'DO I SOUND GAY?'

In the wake of a bad breakup, journalist and gay activist David Thorpe did what many of do: He took tense ventory of his own flaws and securi, then stepped up one of them to a Thg. A good Thg, as turns out, whose end rult is the charmg documentary Do I Sound Gay?, which Thorpe wryly treats his anxieti about his "gay" voice as an exercise self-improvement, and wds up wh a pellg portra of ternalized homophobia and liberatn. Back South Carola's Bible Belt, where Thorpe grew up, relativ and childhood iends pot out that he didn't sound gay until he me out of the closet llege.

Friends wh his tight-kn gay circle are more divid: Some nfs to hatg their lispg, anoidal voic; others own gayspeak wh varyg gre of fiance and jubilatn.

The explanatn that pleas him most is that gay speech has s origs ls blogy or nro-chemistry than early female fluence: Men who grow up mostly around women tend to mimic feme speech styl — which, Thorpe argu, would expla why some straight men sound gay, and why gays who grow up wh brothers often velop basso profundos.

FILMMAKER DAVID THORPE DISCS HIS NEW DOCUMENTARY THAT EXPLOR THE ‘GAY VOICE’ PHENOMENON

Is very good on the way many gay men who were bullied as children have learned to turn the hatred of others ward, which helps expla s of gay hyper-masculy and ternal ostracism of effemate men. Takg his cue om the swellg ranks of gay celebri (among them Gee Takei, Margaret Cho and the effably funny and ndid David Sedaris) who are willg to speak on mera about liberatg themselv om their own fears, Thorpe realiz he's been askg the wrong qutns. While he was by tryg to iron out his gay voice, New York State legalized gay marriage, and the film's release jt weeks after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the natn.

IS THERE A “GAY VOICE”?

Thorpe sets out to change the way he sounds wh the help of a vol ach, who will aid him tamg his gay voice and give him the abily swch to a more mascule tone, or “ swchg.

I spoke wh Thorpe about the his journey to a new voice, what he learned about gay inty, and how almost everyone has an secury about the way they sound. ” They uld really intify wh my own qutns about swchg and why do I sound gay sometim and not other tim, and was I puttg on or was really who I am?

DO I SOUND GAY?

As far back as the later 17th century, you had gay men who would mp up, who would sound effemate, sometim drs drag, sometim have mock weddgs. Tabloid culture has bee part of the fabric of London, and the tabloids portray the men as soundg gay and actg gay, soundg effemate, actg like women and soundg like women.

My voice was always a symbol of how I felt about myself and pecially about how I felt about beg gay, and, as the urse of makg the film, I’m more nfint for a lot of different reasons.

IS THERE A 'GAY VOICE'? DIRECTOR DAVID THORPE ON HIS OUTFT DOCUMENTARY

Before Sean Penn played the charismatic, martyred gay polician a dramatized film, we got to see the real Harvey Milk this documentary om director Rob Epste. Director Marlon Riggs chronicled the experienc of Black gay men this 1989 documentary, wrten by Joseph Beam, Essex Hemphill, and Chris Harris. The team of Rob Epste and Jefey Friedman me up wh another important documentary 1996's The Celluloid Closet, based on the classic book by Vo Rso and explorg how Hollywood has portrayed homosexualy.

"Hollywood, that great maker of myths, tght straight people what to thk about gays and gay people what to thk about themselv, " says narrator Lily Toml.

He had strong opns on uture but was hard to p down about his sexual inty; he's been scribed as gay, bisexual, or fluid, but he exprsed disda for labels.

THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLAS WHY 'GAY VOICE' ISN'T REALLY A THGTHE REASON OUR VOIC SOUND THE WAY THEY DO HAS A LOT MORE TO DO WH NURTURE THAN NATURE. {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}ISSUBY KATHERE SPELLERJUNE 25, 2015/12:08 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GETTYBY KATHERE SPELLERJUNE 25, 2015 / 12:08 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLAS WHY 'GAY VOICE' ISN'T REALLY A THG","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2015-06-25T16:08:40.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2015-06-25T16:08:40.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"KATHERE SPELLER","ARTICLESECTN":"ISSU"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DAVID THORPE ALWAYS WONRED WHY SOME MEN "SOUND GAY" AND OTHERS DON'T. AND, AS A GAY MAN, HE'S HAD HIS OWN ANXIETI ABOUT HIS VOICE AND THE WAYS OTHER PEOPLE HEAR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SO, AFTER A BREAK-UP WH HIS BOYIEND AND A B OF SOUL-SEARCHG, HE WENT AHEAD AND MA A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT . "DO I SOUND GAY?" EXPLOR HOW CERTA VOIC E TO SOUND THE WAY THEY DO AND WHY OUR CULTURE HEARS THEM AS "GAY."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THORPE RELEASED A SHORT NEW YORK TIM OP-DOC ADAPTED OM THE FILM THAT TRODUC YOU TO TWO OF HIS IENDS WH VERY DISTCTIVE VOIC. KRIS MARX SCRIB HIS VOICE AS "KD OF SOFT, [WH A VOLUME THAT] OFTEN DI AT THREE FEET," WHILE MATTHEW BERNARDO SAYS HIS VOICE AND STYLE OF TALKG IS TOTALLY -LE WH HIS TRADNALLY MASCULE, SPORTS-LOVG FAY (HIS VOICE IS PRETTY EP.){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}RIGHT AWAY, THORPE SAYS THAT, TO HIM, MARX SOUNDS GAY AND BERNARDO SOUNDS STRAIGHT. BUT, HE WONRED WHAT MAK A VOICE SOUND ONE WAY OR THE OTHER? HE TALKED TO BENJAM MUNSON, A SPEECH SCIENTIST AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARG SCIENCE AT UNIVERSY OF MNOTA TO FD OUT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"EVERY ONE OF IS PRENTED WH LOTS AND LOTS OF MOLS OF WHAT LANGUAGE SHOULD SOUND LIKE," MUNSON TOLD THORPE. "... AND ALL OF THE TERACTNS WE HAVE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNI TO EMULATE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THOSE PEOPLE'S SPEECH."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AS THE SHORT GO ON, YOU EVENTUALLY MEET MARX'S WIFE AND DGHTER AND HEAR A LTLE MORE ABOUT BERNARDO'S STGGL AS A GAY MAN WHO "SOUNDS STRAIGHT." THEIR BACKGROUNDS KD OF POT TO THE THEORY THAT THE VOIC THEY HAVE ARE LARGELY ED BY THE PEOPLE WHO FLUENCED THEM THEIR LIV — MARX BY ALL THE WOMEN WHO RAISED HIM AND BERNARDO BY HIS HOE FULL OF BROTHERS. IT HAD NO NNECTN WH THE GENR OF THE PEOPLE THEY DATED — THAT WAS JT PART OF A LARGER CULTURAL STEREOTYPE THAT EQUAT BEG GAY WH BEG FEME (AND HAVG A MORE FEME-SOUNDG VOICE.){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SAN NET, ONE OF THE FILM'S PROMOTERS, TOLD MTV NEWS THAT THE SHORT ISN'T NECSARILY A FULL REPRENTATN OF EVERYTHG THE FILM VERS. IN ADDN TO BUNKG THE IA OF A "GAY VOICE," THORPE LOOKS CLOSER AT THE WAYS AND REASONS PEOPLE MAY (OR MAY NOT) HAVE WANTED TO CHANGE THEIR OWN VOIC, TALKG TO CELEBRI LIKE DAN SAVAGE, GEE TAKEI, DAVID SEDARIS AND TIM GUNN ABOUT THEIR OWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"IT’S A VERY NUANCED AND TLY EYE-OPENG LOOK, WH DAVID [THORPE] AS THE GUI, THROUGH HIS OWN JOURNEY -- 'S ABOUT SELF ACCEPTANCE," NET {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THORPE'S PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE IS ONE THAT'S REALLY RONATED WH YOUNG PEOPLE, NET SAID, WH A NUMBER OF EMAILS AND MSAG OM YOUNGER FANS REGULARLY FLOODG HIS BOX. IT'S NOT SURPRISG THAT KIDS -- PECIALLY ON WHO MAY HAVE BEEN BULLIED OR "OUTED" BY THEIR VOIC -- SEE A B OF THEMSELV THORPE'S NARRATIVE, SHE SAID, AND MAYBE THEY N FD SOME FORT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"IT IS BOTH A PERSONAL AND UNIVERSAL STORY," NET {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}LOOK OUT FOR THE FULL-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, SHOWG SELECT THEATERS STARTG JULY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FOR MORE ABOUT ANTI-LGBT BIAS VIS LOOK {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

The San Francis Gay Men's Chos went on a journey of renciliatn at a divisive time -- durg the 2016 printial mpaign -- tourg the Deep South, nsired hostile terrory by many LGBTQ+ people. Not long after Thorpe broke up wh his boyiend, he began thkg about the way he speaks, and the way other gay men speak, and why both sudnly bothered him so much. Gay adolcents, Thorpe pots out, often learn that the “tell” of their sexualy is their voic, even more so than physily—a limp wrist is easier to straighten out than an flectn.

Thorpe talks to a straight iend who sounds “gay” (he grew up on an ashram, surround by women), and a gay iend who sounds “straight” (he has jock brothers). “For many gay men, that’s the last vtige, that’s the last chunk of ternalized homophobia, is this hatred of how they sound, ” Dan Savage tells Thorpe. As gays and lbians ga cultural pal, helped along by equaly victori like the one jt hand down by the Supreme Court, “gay voice” will surely evolve, too.

Q&A: IS THERE A ‘GAY VOICE’? DIRECTOR DAVID THORPE ON HIS OUTFT DOCUMENTARY

More a display for David Thorpe's ternalised homophobia than an actual documentary explorg the so-lled "gay voice", which has ptered almost all of gays at one time or another, Do I Sound Gay?

“WORD IS OUT”: A PNEERG DOCUMENTARY OF GAY VOIC

Never outstays s wele and featur some tertg tellectual nourishment but s slight nature and rather limed subject matter renrs this stantly fettable, if ed notable for s great terviews wh the lik of Dan Savage (the go-to terviewee every gay documentary ever), Gee Takei and Margaret Cho. It's not so much about the orig of the "gay voice" (I'm not that satisfied by the "Gay men listen more to women growg up and imate those feme speakg patterns" bee I don't know if that's te and even if is the qutn of how feme vs.

A LGUISTIC INVTIGATN OF "THE GAY VOICE"

Mascule speakg patterns emerged still remas) but more about ternalized homophobia that often aris om the gay voice which is fe but there's, like, enough projects out there about ternalized homophobia and I want somethg actually, like, amic and…. Is an enthiastic documentary that wants to unver the tth behd the stigma and ternal homophobia the stereotyp of gay voic while hypocrilly mak seem personal enough to go through a journey to change his gay voice to a straight one that feels like gog agast what wanted to be, and only follows the end makg like a drama where he gets a remptn arc to realize he is fe wh his gay voice.

A lively, entertag documentary about one man's (producer and director David Thorpe) stggle to unrstand the so-lled "gay voice" and where om, and to also e to terms wh his tratns wh his own voice and his stat as a sgle gay man his 40s. " A termg factor of the characters' sexual inty, he says, are the voic created by actors Jeremy Irons, Gee Sanrs and Jonathan 's film, which premiered Monday night durg the Outft LGBT film ftival and opens Friday at the Sundance Sunset Cema Los Angel, explor the historil and cultural ias behd what he lls "gay voice.

Interspersed wh his journey are terviews wh gay celebri cludg humorist David Sedaris, CNN anchor Don Lemon and "Project Runway" star Tim Gunn, who share their personal stggl wh their voic. Instead the film centers on gay men's voic as maniftatns of nsc and unnsc efforts to exprs gayns, or effemacy, a culture that champns talked about the phenomenon of "gay voice" for this eded Q&A:What do a "gay voice" sound like? I n speak wh more ease bee my mcle is speakg wh people, did you fd that a lot of gay men, nscly or unnscly, had this issue wh how they sound?

REVIEW: ‘DO I SOUND GAY?’ EXAM A MANNER OF SPEAKG

Some people have no issue wh and love who they are off the bat, but there are a lot of people for whom 's been background noise, sort of static the film you talk about a performance of gayns and how your iends say your voice changed after you me out llege. At first when I learned about , I thought I'd be able to swch to sound ls gay when I feel vulnerable or want to, but I thk for most people swchg is very role has the media played the creatn of the stereotyp of what a "gay voice" is or, at the very least, the proliferatn of what gay men theoretilly sound like?

I didn't realize that people weren't talkg about , but I'm glad the film giv a jumpg off pot for this, ultimately, there's no such thg as a "gay voice" that every gay man has.

I hope people engage wh the issu the film rais and ask themselv qutns about their own voice and their own dividualy as well as how they see gay people. And, as a gay man, he's had his own anxieti about his voice and the ways other people hear, after a break-up wh his boyiend and a b of soul-searchg, he went ahead and ma a documentary about . "As the short go on, you eventually meet Marx's wife and dghter and hear a ltle more about Bernardo's stggl as a gay man who "sounds straight.

FILMMAKER AND SPEECH PATHOLOGIST WEIGH IN ON WHAT IT MEANS TO 'SOUND GAY'

It had no nnectn wh the genr of the people they dated — that was jt part of a larger cultural stereotype that equat beg gay wh beg feme (and havg a more feme-soundg voice. In addn to bunkg the ia of a "gay voice, " Thorpe looks closer at the ways and reasons people may (or may not) have wanted to change their own voic, talkg to celebri like Dan Savage, Gee Takei, David Sedaris and Tim Gunn about their own voic. ” A termg factor of the characters’ sexual inty, he says, are the voic created by actors Jeremy Irons, Gee Sanrs and Jonathan ’s film, which premiered Monday night durg the Outft LGBT film ftival and opens Friday at the Sundance Sunset Cema Los Angel, explor the historil and cultural ias behd what he lls “gay voice.

DOCUMENTARIAN ASKS, 'DO I SOUND GAY?'

Interspersed wh his journey are terviews wh gay celebri cludg humorist David Sedaris, CNN anchor Don Lemon and “Project Runway” star Tim Gunn, who share their personal stggl wh their voic.

Instead the film centers on gay men’s voic as maniftatns of nsc and unnsc efforts to exprs gayns, or effemacy, a culture that champns talked about the phenomenon of “gay voice” for this eded Q&A:What do a “gay voice” sound like? Some people have no issue wh and love who they are off the bat, but there are a lot of people for whom ’s been background noise, sort of static the film you talk about a performance of gayns and how your iends say your voice changed after you me out llege. At first when I learned about , I thought I’d be able to swch to sound ls gay when I feel vulnerable or want to, but I thk for most people swchg is very role has the media played the creatn of the stereotyp of what a “gay voice” is or, at the very least, the proliferatn of what gay men theoretilly sound like?

‘WHO SOUNDS GAY?’

I didn’t realize that people weren’t talkg about , but I’m glad the film giv a jumpg off pot for this, ultimately, there’s no such thg as a “gay voice” that every gay man has. TV tends to be slightly more progrsive than mastream film, but the se of amplifyg queer stori, took televisn que a while to part om g gay characters as a punchle and givg them center stage of the small screen. Visible: Out on Televisn chronicl that history, wh moments like the first openly gay character on TV (on All In the Fay) to Ellen DeGener g out on her show the 1990s.

This 2014 documentary looks at how havg a voice that is d as gay has impacted the life of the filmmaker, David Thorpe, where that voice me om and his attempt to change . In fact, as we see stris towards gay liberatn Ameri, ’s easy to fet some parts of the world are at a standstill or are even regrsg terms of acceptance and equaly. In Chechnya, Rsia, people are tortured and killed for beg gay and this film follows a group of people tryg to pe persecutn Rsia and the people who are helpg them do .