Gay "Sis": How Language Fre Us to be Ourselv | Psychology Today

Contents:

• WHICH EAR IS THE GAY EARRG? WHICH EAR IS THE STRAIGHT EAR?
• WHAT IS THE GAY SI FOR EARRGS?
• 5 FACTS BEHD THE "GAY" EAR
• WHAT SI IS GAY FOR EARRGS?
• GAY "SIS": HOW LANGUAGE FRE US TO BE OURSELV
• COME TO THE GAY SI: EARRG WORKSHOP

WHICH EAR IS THE GAY EARRG? WHICH EAR IS THE STRAIGHT EAR?

You might rell hearg that if a man wore an earrg on the right ear, that meant he was gay. Around the 1960s, people began to tch on that a right-ear earrg was effectively a for beg gay. It soon beme clear that the "gay ear" was no longer a reliable way to tell if a man was gay or not.

By the late 1960s, wearg an earrg the right ear was a pretty clear sign that a man was gay.

Over time, beme a kd of open secret that more and more non-gay people were beg aware of. It's important to note that the "gay earrg" was only ever nsired to be a signal for gay men.

WHAT IS THE GAY SI FOR EARRGS?

Wh people of all sexual orientatns havg one or both ears, beme impossible to e an earrg to tell if a man was gay.

5 FACTS BEHD THE "GAY" EAR

But hasn't disappeared entirely -- you n fd plenty of fom posts onle om men askg which is the gay ear before gettg a piercg! The "gay earrg" wasn't the only thg ed for signalg that one was gay, although 's probably the most famo one. Now that piercgs have bee much more mastream, gettg a piercg the "gay ear" isn't the clear ditor that once was.

Men of all sexual orientatns now have pierced ears, and not everyone follows (or knows about) the history of the right ear as the "gay ear. That said, if you're gay, gettg a right-ear piercg n be a kd of homage to the history of g a gay earrg for signalg. Likewise, if you aren't gay, there's nothg wrong wh piercg eher your right or left ear.

WHAT SI IS GAY FOR EARRGS?

As you might already know, one of the advantag of an ear piercg (whether 's on the "gay ear" or not) is that 's very easy to re for pared to most other piercg typ.

If you've nsired gog for a gay earrg (or really, any ear piercg at all), we hope that you now have the rmatn you need to choose the right jewelry and piercg type. It was long thought of as beg a way of sayg you weren’t gay, wh the right ear beg the “gay ear” when me to piercgs.

While rock stars were most likely to sport the sgle earrg the 1960’s, beme more mon among gay people. The perceptn started that the right ear was the “gay ear”, so some folks began g the right ear earrg as a subtle way of showg their gay stat to other gay mal. In large urban centers, people would jt go to gay bars or fd other gay people through their work of iends.

GAY "SIS": HOW LANGUAGE FRE US TO BE OURSELV

It was a standard perceptn that gay men would pierce jt their right ear, so by the mid 80’s, everyone knew the sayg “left is right and right is wrong. Fortunately, while an earrg the left ear was still meant as a way of showg onelf to be straight, beg gay beme more and more acceptable. Pri paras and polil lobbyg for gay rights ma what had once been a silent subculture much better known.

Wh more wispread acceptance of homosexualy, the ia of havg to wear an earrg a certa ear beme a b tired. Havg a to signal for potential lovers wasn’t an issue anymore and beg thought of as gay is beg ls of a fear for straight men. While ’s now thought of as a myth that an earrg the left ear means “straight” and one the right means “gay, ” is te that over the ennia, people have ed jewelry to signal certa thgs.

In fact, one n fd referenc (particularly om the 1990s and 2000s) to the right ear beg the “gay ear. You live an urban area or one that is ee of your area or peer group, a variety of hair styl, piercgs and tattoos are prevalent and people honor the choic of are not aaid of beg thought of as gay. The ia of a sgle earrg the right ear meang homosexualy origated, at least the U.

COME TO THE GAY SI: EARRG WORKSHOP

As beg gay, bisexual or any other sexualy beme more acceptable, there was ls need to have signals the form of earrgs, bee who was gay and who wasn’t was no longer as big a al. Meang of earrg on the left ear noticeable accsory that was prevly thread to the ear is nsired a very timate symbol of the man’s belongg to the sexual majory or that they intify as gay. But to avoid attentn or cricism, most gay men wear earrgs on both you may argue that this is not how we should be thkg about people a world as civilized as ours, the tth is that this is one of those beliefs that is possibly gog to last a very long, you should know that an ear piercg and earrg on your left ear pots to you beg gay, and if you are not, you should be ready to have people mistake your sexual good news is that more people are now aware of the existence of different subcultur, and the left ear earrg don’t jt mean that you’re gay.

But when the morn era adopted the culture of men piercg was viewed as somethg only a gay would do. Get your right ear pierced if you are gay, and get your left ear pierced if you are straight. For stance Uk and USA, the left ear is nsired a gay ear and this mak the right ear for straight people.