Reply #17: SCBeeland, I'm frankly gobsmacked at your comment [View All]

[FarrenH]

about the absence of stereotypes. Granted there are a few stereotypes, not just one, but come on. There are straight male and straight female stereotypes and lots of people conform to them. My 39th birthday bash flopped last week because most of my male friends ditched me for some apparently super-important rugby match (I'm from South Africa where that's a big deal). So why not gays? For the record, I'm straight, but grew up with so many gay friends I feel like a male fag hag (I hope that term isn't offensive in your neck on the woods 'cos it isn't here). And I think I've met four gay people who weren't obviously gay in my life.

To be completely honest gay guys are a lot easier to recognise than lesbians (for this straight male at least) and non-stereotype elements may come into it. I read about a study recently where both gay and straight men could recognise who was gay and who was straight from voice alone at accuracy rates way above statistical chance, which interests me because I've recognised a difficult to pin down "gay" way of speaking in at least half the gay men I've ever known.