Where did the “gays are feminine and lesbians are masculine” stereotype come from?
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I’m bisexual, so I *may* have some insight to this question that others don’t.
I’m also out to basically anyone who will listen, in spite of how I’m married to a woman with two kids of mine. This is relevant because… Well you’ll see in a second.
It’s basically impossible to be in the closet when it’s fucking obvious that you’re different and strange. Some people just can’t hold in their queerness (in any form, not just sexuality) come hell or high water, and that’s where those stereotypes come from. The rest of us can keep our weirdness to ourselves and only let it out for certain company.
This is part of the reason why I’m out, in spite of the fact that I can 100% disappear into my seemingly heterosexual lifestyle. People need to see that “normal people” are queer, or they’ll just accept the stereotypes and the scapegoating. They’ll be taught to hate the different by people who can’t be good leaders, who can’t actually solve people’s problems. That’s what scapegoats are *for*.
I’m bisexual, so I *may* have some insight to this question that others don’t.
I’m also out to basically anyone who will listen, in spite of how I’m married to a woman with two kids of mine. This is relevant because… Well you’ll see in a second.
It’s basically impossible to be in the closet when it’s fucking obvious that you’re different and strange. Some people just can’t hold in their queerness (in any form, not just sexuality) come hell or high water, and that’s where those stereotypes come from. The rest of us can keep our weirdness to ourselves and only let it out for certain company.
This is part of the reason why I’m out, in spite of the fact that I can 100% disappear into my seemingly heterosexual lifestyle. People need to see that “normal people” are queer, or they’ll just accept the stereotypes and the scapegoating. They’ll be taught to hate the different by people who can’t be good leaders, who can’t actually solve people’s problems. That’s what scapegoats are *for*.
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I’ve never heard this so it’s not a thing and I’ve been a gay/lesbian/dyke for a LOOOOONG time. But in 1930s women who liked women and who dressed like men were said to have dyked up. The rest butch/fem etc is all about mimicking heteronormative relationships which thank goodness we are now starting not to do.
I’ve never heard this so it’s not a thing and I’ve been a gay/lesbian/dyke for a LOOOOONG time. But in 1930s women who liked women and who dressed like men were said to have dyked up. The rest butch/fem etc is all about mimicking heteronormative relationships which thank goodness we are now starting not to do.
A few things play into it:
* confirmation bias
There’s a few terms in the gay community to describe the various gay archetypes.
Like butch for masculine lesbians and femme for feminine ones, or bear for manly muscular gays and twink for skinny feminine gay guys.
A gay person that dresses more like the opposite sex is more noticeable, as straight-passing gay people won’t activate your gaydar. If you already expect gay people to dress like that then noticing such people just further enhances the idea that it’s generally true.
* LGBT culture
Your clothing style preferences will always be influenced by your peers. So the subconscious need to fit into your group makes people in the LGBT community to develop certain style to set them apart from others.
Standing out from straight people also helps them to attract partners. If you are looking to meet gay people you will first talk to people that give off clear gay vibes instead of trying to hit on someone that’s probably straight.
* pride
If you’ve hid your homosexuality all your life and felt ashamed of it, it can feel great to embrace it even more by making your clothes a public statement that you are gay.
* same root causes
Homosexuality and gender dysphoria are both caused by hormonal imbalances during pregnancy that cause parts of the brain to develop as the other sex.
If it’s only the part of the brain that’s responsible for sexual attraction you’ll be gay.
If it’s the part of the brain that’s responsible for self-identification and the internal body map it causes gender dysphoria.
If you imagine both homosexuality and transgenderism as a scale than a femme lesbian or a butch gay are high on the gay scale, but cis on the gender scale. A butch lesbian and a twink gay is more on the trans side of the gender scale, but not as high as transgender people are.
A few things play into it:
* confirmation bias
There’s a few terms in the gay community to describe the various gay archetypes.
Like butch for masculine lesbians and femme for feminine ones, or bear for manly muscular gays and twink for skinny feminine gay guys.
A gay person that dresses more like the opposite sex is more noticeable, as straight-passing gay people won’t activate your gaydar. If you already expect gay people to dress like that then noticing such people just further enhances the idea that it’s generally true.
* LGBT culture
Your clothing style preferences will always be influenced by your peers. So the subconscious need to fit into your group makes people in the LGBT community to develop certain style to set them apart from others.
Standing out from straight people also helps them to attract partners. If you are looking to meet gay people you will first talk to people that give off clear gay vibes instead of trying to hit on someone that’s probably straight.
* pride
If you’ve hid your homosexuality all your life and felt ashamed of it, it can feel great to embrace it even more by making your clothes a public statement that you are gay.
* same root causes
Homosexuality and gender dysphoria are both caused by hormonal imbalances during pregnancy that cause parts of the brain to develop as the other sex.
If it’s only the part of the brain that’s responsible for sexual attraction you’ll be gay.
If it’s the part of the brain that’s responsible for self-identification and the internal body map it causes gender dysphoria.
If you imagine both homosexuality and transgenderism as a scale than a femme lesbian or a butch gay are high on the gay scale, but cis on the gender scale. A butch lesbian and a twink gay is more on the trans side of the gender scale, but not as high as transgender people are.
Observation i would guess…like maybe they would notice certain things about a man’s mannerisms if he acts like how certain women would in a cultured society…like pampered women behave like they are pampered and so common women would replicate it and its like a trickle down effect….same for women….and I’m saying this regardless of orientation because there are women who are less effeminate who aren’t gay and there are men who might have certain effeminate mannerisms who aren’t either….so its just people making observations based on the societal “norms” within their immediate environment
Observation i would guess…like maybe they would notice certain things about a man’s mannerisms if he acts like how certain women would in a cultured society…like pampered women behave like they are pampered and so common women would replicate it and its like a trickle down effect….same for women….and I’m saying this regardless of orientation because there are women who are less effeminate who aren’t gay and there are men who might have certain effeminate mannerisms who aren’t either….so its just people making observations based on the societal “norms” within their immediate environment
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