Gay Stereotypes by Nick

Over the past twenty to thirty years homosexuality has become a cornerstone of mainstream American Culture. The fact that homosexuality is openly talked about in most social circles has, for the most part, had positive effects on the gay community; but the move to the mainstream from obscurity has not been completely beneficial. Along with a general “acceptance” of the gay lifestyle came stereotypes about gays and lesbians.

For one reason or another gay men were stereotyped as flamboyant, sensitive, fashion loving, and frivolous. An intensified version of the traditional female stereotype was projected onto all gay men who identified themselves as gay. Lesbians, on the other hand, received a distinctly male stereotype: gruff, good at manual labor, and uncaring about physical appearances. Someone looking at the homosexual population for the first time might come to the conclusion that these stereotypes are not unfounded but were based on the ways most gays and lesbians actually act. For instance, there do seem to be a lot of flamboyant gay men working in both the fashion industry and the art world, and there also seem to be a lot of lesbians with short hair who we are quick to write off as “butch.” I’d venture to say that it is not the people that define the stereotype but the stereotype that defines the people.

It’s the classic question of the chicken or the egg. But this time I think the answer is quite obvious. The heterosexual mainstream, when forced with a new group, placed the new group in a box and went on with their lives. By doing this, the mainstream did not have to feel like they were discriminating the homosexuals and at the same time had an easy way of labeling them. It must have been easier to define each homosexual by their group than to admit that every gay person was an individual in their own respect. This would have meant admitting that gay people are actually human beings.

These stereotypes have clearly had lasting effects on the gay population. It doesn’t seem plausible that such a large population of the gay male population is so zealous about fashion or that so many lesbians choose on their own to disregard society’s definitions of beauty. I think that a lot of gay men and women simply conform to the accepted stereotypes because it makes their lives easier. If they fit themselves into the box provided for them then they don’t have to answer any questions. They further confirm the mainstream’s assumptions and as long as its assumptions are not defied the mainstream is satisfied. Homosexuals, instead of being free to live as individuals, must constantly conform to society’s image of them. If gay stereotypes had never been created would there be more, gay, male mechanics? Would there be more lesbians working at fashion magazines? I guess we’ll never know.