New Doc Explores the Dreaded Purse-Falling-Out-Of-Mouth Phenomenon of ‘Gay Voice’

“For many gay men, that’s the last vestige of internalized homophobia. This hatred of how they sound,” says Dan Savage in a new and smart-looking documentary that’s put out a Kickstarter call.

It’s called Do I Sound Gay?, and the director, New York-based David Thorpe, has already got a lot of good people on camera discussing the topic of “gay voice,” why so many of us have it, and why it remains a sticking point and point of shame in our identities as gay men. In addition to Savage, he’s got talking-head moments with David Sedaris, Margaret Cho, Tim Gunn, and the great George Takei.

For instance: How many times have you heard a hot porn star open his mouth and immediately think, “a purse just fell out.” We don’t associate gay voice with being sexy, and most of the nellyest porn stars know better than to use their natural speaking voice in a scene. They butch it up, say “Fuck yeah,” and you don’t find out what they really sound like until they do an interview.

This could also be part of the enduring fetish for straight men, and straight men who fuck guys — they don’t have to worry about “sounding gay.”

Anyway, give this guy a couple bucks if you’re so inclined.

 

[Kickstarter]

16 thoughts on “New Doc Explores the Dreaded Purse-Falling-Out-Of-Mouth Phenomenon of ‘Gay Voice’”

  1. When it comes to sex I don’t care. As long as the guy looks like what I want. Dating is different. Definitely don’t wanna date a fembot.

  2. “the last vestige of internalized homophobia” … stupid.

    but we’ve come a long way baby if this is the next field of battle against homophobia.

  3. Not this again. Having ‘that voice’ doesnt make you gay, there are plenty of straight men with that voice. Its not internalized homophobia, its just a matter of not liking your own annoying voice or the annoying voice of others. There are plenty of voices i dont like, the so called ‘gay voice’ is just one of them, not because it ‘sounds gay’, but because its just annoying.

    I really wish idiots like Dan Savage would see the bigger picture. They are just as guilty of stereotyping as the full on homophobes.

    1. His voice is somewhere between Victoria Jackson’s and a silent dog whistle. Makes Armond Rizzo sound like Jodie Foster.

  4. To speak with a gay voice is like to have a foreigner accent. I don’t have a gay voice but I have accent and till now no matter how hard I work on it to minimize or get hide of it appears to be very difficult ( quite impossible )to me. It’s the long usage of the first language that we identify as part of us ( who we are) that mingles with the ‘ new ‘ language and change the pronounce and we can do little or nothing to correct it. Maybe I’m wrong but it’s like a brunch that was bent when new and can’t totally be distort when older. Just a little bit.
    Although there are exceptions:( Few ) people can speak other language without accent or people can get accent too when exposed to it ( same language but other place )so maybe ‘ gay voice ‘can be mitigated. For me the problem isn’t less how the voice sounds ( high or low ) but the way it is used: In a feminine or masculine mood.

    1. Repeat after me “the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains” Kudos if you get the reference!

  5. This sounds like an incredibly interesting topic. I too fear the dreaded ‘gay voice’ when meeting other gays. It would be interesting to hear the psychology behind why some guys get this and others don’t, and why some guys / people are immediately repulsed by it.

  6. Guess it makes me self-loathing to dismiss a guy with a gay “accent” or lisp as a credible top. Ever cringe when watching a military themed porn video where the drill sergeant barking orders evokes Paul Lynde? Isn’t it funny that Eric Stonestreet is so convincing as a gay man that absolutely none of us can be offended? For a primer on straight voice/gay voice, watch that old video starring Girth Brooks and Seth Knight again. Fascinating.

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