Gaydar—Sendg Mixed Signals | Department of Lguistics | Universy of Colorado Boulr

Contents:

• IS THERE A REASON WHY A LOT OF GAY MEN SPEAK WH A LISP?
• WHY IS ANY GUY WH A LISP ASSUMED TO BE GAY?
• THE "GAY" LISP, IS REAL OR IS FORCED?
• THE PREVALENCE OF LISPG GAY MEN
• GAY PCH, LISP?
• THE GAY LISP?
• GAY LISP
• WHAT MEANS TO ‘SOUND GAY’
• IS THERE A “GAY VOICE”?
• GAYDAR—SENDG MIXED SIGNALS

IS THERE A REASON WHY A LOT OF GAY MEN SPEAK WH A LISP?

The prent study examed the popular stereotype that gay men lisp by evaluatg to what extent listeners associated ntal or ontal articulatn/lispg wh gayns. Based on the ratgs of the listeners of the prent study, lispg speakers were signifintly more often judged to be homosexual. This was te for the group as a whole as well as for the subgroup of homosexual and heterosexual men separately.

The rults of this study nfirmed prev prelimary fdgs that suggted that ontal or ntal articulatn/lispg is a feature that listeners associate wh gayns.

WHY IS ANY GUY WH A LISP ASSUMED TO BE GAY?

I am a gay man and this is drivg me crazy bee other aspects of the stereotypil "gay voice" are intifiable (even though they are still homophobic, I at least know what people are referrg to when they talk about them). idk why but the high pched voice and slight lisp (i dont thk lisp is the right word, there's jt somethg that stands out about the S but isnt a full TH noise like a lisp) is very stereotypil of gay guys, but only a uple of the gay guys i know irl actually speak like this.

THE "GAY" LISP, IS REAL OR IS FORCED?

It jt always seemed to me to be a flamboyant thg that immediately poted people out as gay and seems to be much more mon gay celebri famo for beg gay than actual real life people.

THE PREVALENCE OF LISPG GAY MEN

When media began to place more and more gay men to the spotlight they went wh stereotyped gay men ( you rarely see a gay man the media who isn't Obvly gay) and so the ial for a gay man to anyone growg up on this media was the flamboyant type wh that lisp.

I've been out for over twenty years and known hundreds if not thoands of gay men and I actually n't thk of any who spoke wh a lisp.

GAY PCH, LISP?

There are a large amount of gay men I've met that f the stereotype their speakg, but I've never thought "lisp" was the right word.

I have, however, met one boy who was a Sophomore high school who intified as straight who had "the voice" as well. Though I thk this uld be the se for some (as they take on "the voice" orr to be noticed and regnized by other gay guys) I have a iend I ma this year who is gay and has the voice, and jt spis gay stereotyp.

THE GAY LISP?

He hat drag, he hat gay guys who are overly "mpy" and is jt repulsed by all of , he says do nothg for him sexually and he also feels giv the rt of the gay muny a bad name.

GAY LISP

I fd tertg that there's no clear answer about the "gay lisp" (and y, I know isn't a te lisp, but that is what has e to be lled). Firstly, YES there are some gay men who talk wh a lisp, or as is probably more accurate to say, wh a certa "accent".

WHAT MEANS TO ‘SOUND GAY’

My theory is that this probably has somethg to do wh homophobia, or rather how some gay men al wh homophobia. I pos that some gay male kids are eher outright rejected by other boys, or choose to distance themselv om boys out of fear of nsequenc.

IS THERE A “GAY VOICE”?

I've met hundreds of gay men my life, and the only one that spoke wh a straight-up lisp was the one wh a cleft palate. I learned my psych class that there is a theory that if a man has a lot of olr brothers, he is more likely to be gay.

I thk the stereotyp may be exaggerated by some gay men as a way to rebel agast femy beg seen as weak or femy men beg seen as negative; hence the need to be "fierce" and "fabulo". I feel like if femy men was more accepted society, the stereotype would actually crease bee there would be ls for feme gay men to rebel agast. I mean gay men shouldn't be associated wh that annoyg stereotype of an effemate high pched voice and lisp.

GAYDAR—SENDG MIXED SIGNALS

Y, some gay men are keen on emphasis when speakg and rults a very clear and pronounced 's' or 'z', but we shouldn't mistake for a lisp. Two, I want to be visible and approachable to potential gay partners that I wouldn't otherwise get a chance to meet. When Richard Bright ttified before Congrs the other day, someone posted that he noticed Bright's lisp and qutned if he was gay.

I kd of agree wh R1's rponse, but I'd say 's more like 75% would be my, on a semi-related note, there's an tertg documentary about this topic DO I SOUND GAY?