is it true that gay men speak differently from straight men?

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(clicky)is there any truth to this [gay men speaking differently from straight men], or not? please enlighten me with your thinking on this matter.

Yes they often speak in the "gay accent".

*found this thread on the front page*

It seems that it's common for them to have a similar accent regardless of the region they are from, but not all of them have it. It also seems like the ones that are least likely to stick out in a group are least likely to have it. Also, a lot of the more effeminate straight men tend to have a similar accent.

What "accent"? I'm gay and until I tell people, they have no idea. This is a pointless and offensive question.

Effeminacy does not make a man gay.

Please can this be removed? I'm fuming.

^^^
it was not my intention to offend you, rabryst- why did you not indicate your displeasure by clicking "HUMBUG!" on the poll? at the same time, i resent your mean-spirited attempt to censor my question.

Let me clarify, I didn't come here to fight.

A lot of gay men have the same kind of accent as a lot of effeminate men. It's just an observation. I'm not even aware of any studies that researched any possible connection between the two groups.

Probably true. For example, in the UK a language or dialect called Polari is/was common among the gay community.

(clicky)interesting.
however the original newslink i provided at the top of the thread, indicated a preliminary study showing that some gay folk pronounce some of their vowels with a different accent and duration, compared to a control group of straights. but the gay subcultures in many places long have had their own argot. for example, rock hudson used to describe the "gayness" of people he was describing to his friends, in terms of how "musical" they were. clever on his part.

Hmm, I thought this was about verbal content or perhaps speaking in a more feminine tone. My brother is gay and this does not apply to him at all. He's just a guy who talks about stuff.
I clicked for ice cream.

I have 2 gay male friends and a bi male friend. They all dont talk like my normal male friends.
They have a more femine voice rather than a testosterone induced one.
one also has a kind of raspy lisp.

Auntblabby, it's more of a case by case basis. Some of what you hear is affected and some of it is natural and sometimes it doesn't exist at all. I would venture to say that the 'gay accent' is not applicable to everyone who is gay and assuming so can be viewed as being insensitive at best and downright bigoted in general if one is not careful in how it is approached.

I've met gay men at university who speak just like everyone else and effeminate straight men who have the "accent". Mainly the gay men I've met who have that accent were exaggerating it on purpose.

i used to wonder why some gay men have a flauncy accent. it is a distinct accent that they seem to acquire at a time later then their fundamental accent that they had as a child.

i am talking about the accent often associated with hairdressers and makeup artists. they seem to like to talk in a kind of eloquent drawl where they pronounce their "S" 's in a deliberately sibilant way.

i have never heard a child (i.e. < 14 years old) with that accent, and i expected that they adopt it through assimilation with gay people as they grow older. they also gesticulate more, and they move their bodies in a feminine hip rolling way. also, their facial expressions are rather fanciful.

i have no idea why they would want to sound feminine considering that they are not interested in women. i did suspect for a short amount of time that they "market" themselves in a way that appeals to women even though they are sexually gay. i think some of them like women more than men, but they may have some deep rooted insecurity about actually having sex with them.

some women are very attracted to obviously gay men to a degree where they think "damn! what a waste", and they spend much time trying to appeal to these men who have all the attention they want, but not the guts (?) to make love to those women.

i used to deal with this following man on occasions because i was involved in processing the sound of some of his video commercials, but he confused me seriously, and he did not like me because i was not interested in his personality.

he was very gay, but he spent all his time charming and grooming women. he seemed to not be interested in men in reality.
who knows? the world is too complicated for me to understand.


i[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJxDg2FoK34[/youtube]

anyway, i have no idea, and that is all i can contribute.

I'm not "shamed", I'm deeply offended. My issue is with gross generalisation. If you had substituted "black" instead of "gay", it would be considered stereotypical racism.

I'm quite happy to have a separate discussion thread about why some gay men feel the need to speak with an affectation that draws attention to them (as noted above), but the question itself must go.

You know nothing of my spirit. I resent that you made a poll with a gross generalisation. The article itself makes it quite clear that it is stereotypical, and based on a very small selection.

I don't want to censor the discussion. It has some merit, and is based on an article. But the way the poll question was written, is what offends me.

More people have answered your poll (at this stage) for scientific evidence pointing to a different "accent", which just set the gay rights movement back forty years.

Look, I know we're all on the spectrum here, and this whole website is a healthy way to discuss different points of view. I have expressed mine. You have expressed yours. They differ. Now we fix it, by changing our respective points of view.

The question can stay if the wording is changed. I cannot allow it to stand in its current form.

As for why I didn't vote: I have now, but originally I was too shocked to vote. My original thinking was to avoid the poll altogether, since I feel so strongly about it.

We want the world to stop perpetuating stereotypes about autism, AS, and other spectrum-related behaviour, but we can't even begin to expect that if we ourselves perpetuate stereotypes.

you are insecure. just believe what you believe and go to sleep.
no one else has to agree with you if you know you are right.