Signs you were told meant you had "the gay".

[FirstNameLastName]

People are weird with purple, which is also my favorite color. I hear things said to children by adults like "purple is a girl color", or even better "only gay boys like purple!". I really wish people would stop doing two things. Gendering and sexualized colors. Seriously it's freaking stupid.

I'm not going to argue that pink isn't coded female in western society, but purple seems to exist in this sort of ambiguous zone between male and female.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

People are weird with purple, which is also my favorite color. I hear things said to children by adults like "purple is a girl color", or even better "only gay boys like purple!". I really wish people would stop doing two things. Gendering and sexualized colors. Seriously it's freaking stupid.

I'm not going to argue that pink isn't coded female in western society, but purple seems to exist in this sort of ambiguous zone between male and female.

You'll often see the symbol generally used for transgender people in shades of blue and pink fading to purple, usually at the part associated with gender queer people. If not the whole symbol done in purple.

Spoiler

So yeah purple often does have ambigious connotations with gender, and sexuality. Though if pressed most people associate it with female more in western society.

 

[GabeZhul]

Being in your 20s and having had no interest in a relationship thus far.

Living with a friend of the same gender and neither of you are in a relationship.

Basically if you prefer to move through life alone rather than with a partner, you must secretly be gay.[footnote]which makes no sense because nobody is getting interest from you, regardless of gender.[/footnote]

+1 this. I went through all of this, and my best (single) friend from uni also got accused to being gay by his own father because he was hanging out with me so much. I can only shake my head at society's obsession with getting into relationships and how if you are not interested in jumping into another person's pants there has to be something wrong with you. Hell, at one point my father pointedly explained to me during my second year at uni that I should get a girfriend because I'm embarrassing him by being single at my age. Seriously. -.-'

Check this shit out:

Spoiler

The length of your ring finger compared to your index finger indicates how much testosterone you've been exposed to when you were in the womb. If your ring finger is longer, it means you've had quite a lot of it, so you're pretty manly. If your ring and index are the same length, you're more girly, meaning it can lead to being gay if you're a man (or something like that).

Anyway, my ring finger is shorter than my index, so either I'm ultra gay and I don't know it or it's some kind of biological anomaly, because I'm 99% sure I'm not gay as far as I'm concerned.

The whole finger-length ration thing is a bucket of piss as far as I care. Not the original research, that one was fine and I accept that there is a direct correlation between testosterone levels in the womb and the length of the ring finger, but I call bullshit on 90% of the effects people also correlate with it.

A high dosage of testosterone in the womb probably has an effect on a person's development, but so does half a million other environmental factors from his/her birth until the measurements are taken, and I can't even begin to see the causation link between testosterone levels at any time and sexual preferences. If anything this entire idea just plays on the stereotypes of the effeminate gay guy and the butch lesbian to hoodwink people into making the connection themselves.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Anywho, there's all kinds of goofy bullshit people say is a sign of being gay. I heard all kinds of especially unexpected stuff, like if you're a guy who fights by just tackling your opponent instead of doing the quite frankly stupid boxing stance, you've got the gay.

Speaking from various martial art styles that I've practiced over my life, the stance that you adopt usually aligns your kinetic chain for proper striking ability, if not centers your weight perfectly in case you need to back away but be ready to snap into a counter engagement.

I usually knee someone in the face if they try to tackle me. You can be 7'9"... a knee into the nose and you're rethinking every aspect of your life. And going in for the tackle, one does half my work for me.

...

no real feelings about fighting styles holding the gay, though. Everything is supposed to hold the gay. Being a 'pretty' black guy who doesn't want to stick his dick into women who are giving it away for free while being brought up in the AIDs/STDs aware 80's and 90's somehow made me the gay.

Also kept me from being the 'Baby's Daddy', so you take your trade offs.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

You can be 7'9"... a knee into the nose and you're rethinking every aspect of your life. And going in for the tackle, one does half my work for me.

With the reach that 7'9" offers I wouldn't be too worried about tackles from said person.

 

[geK0]

If you pierce a specific ear which is supposedly the "gay ear" but nobody seems to agree on whether it's the left or right ear.
If you prefer cats over dogs
If you dislike gym class
If you genuinely enjoy cooking anything that isn't on a grill
If you perform poorly in league of legends (your team will always let you know about it)
If you pee sitting down
or
If you put any amount of effort into looking presentable

You are super super gay

 

[Blacklight28]

If your hand is bigger than your face you've got the gay. Also means you have cancer, too.

 

[Eddie the head]

"Having the index finger longer than the middle finger" was one I heard at school. "Being in the RAF regiment" was one I heard considerably later in life.

I've never heard that. I've heard your index finger being the same length your ring finger is a sign of a hormone imbalance during fetal development. Not a huge imbalance mind you. That could affect your personality in some way. It's not going to be the only thing though.

Anyway I have long hair, I'm a dude. Men call me gay, women say they wish they had my hair. Or as Branden would say "chicks dig it."

A high dosage of testosterone in the womb probably has an effect on a person's development, but so does half a million other environmental factors from his/her birth until the measurements are taken, and I can't even begin to see the causation link between testosterone levels at any time and sexual preferences. If anything this entire idea just plays on the stereotypes of the effeminate gay guy and the butch lesbian to hoodwink people into making the connection themselves.

Yeah we're pretty sure at this point that testosterone has something to do with someone's sexual preferences. The finger thing as well as younger male children being more likely to be gay due to the moms immune system reducing the testosterone levels during development. It's not due to the effeminate gay stereotype, it's just what a lot of evidence seams to suggest. It's certainly not the only factor, and it might even be non present in some people, because there are other factors that might "push you over that edge."

 

[Petromir]

4. This one I always found particularly weird but, using my fork in my left hand while cutting food with a knife in my right, and NOT switching the fork to my right hand to eat the piece of food later. You heard that right folks. If you are cutting food, and have the fork in your left hand to stabilize the meat, and cut it with your knife in your right hand, you better switch the fork over to your right hand to eat the bite of food, or you are into the gay.

Well this (the "gay" way according to this is a common way of eating in the UK. I do recall hearing that at one point at least in polite society everyone kept a rigid fork in left hand, knife in right system, it became fashionable in Europe (inc UK) to switch the fork to left when not actively using the knife (as you describe being apparently the non gay way) but at some point after the fashion made it across the atlantic to the US it fell back out of fashion east of the Atlantic. No idea why, and not really heard comment on it while actually eating other than to mention its an american thing.

Leg crossing or other poses and gestures more commonly associated with women are the common ones I've heard, though being a twin, being noticeably fat or thin (as a man) are all reasons I've heard.

 

[sageoftruth]

By working in immigration, I learned that in parts of El Salvador, Guatemala, or any number of "Machista" sub-cultures south of the border, getting sodomized by a guy means you're gay, regardless of whether or not you asked for it. Best part is that the guy who did the sodomizing is still considered straight, because of the dumb stereotype about all gays being effeminate pansies who only receive. It's really dumb. It still baffles me why homophobic straight men would choose sodomy as a way of harassing gay men.

 

[sageoftruth]

Apparently, beating a 12-year old in Call of Duty makes you gay.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Turning a spoon around and licking it from the underside. Nobody told me, I saw Will from Will & Grace do it and always assumed ir was shorthand for 'gay'.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

If your hand is bigger than your face you've got the gay. Also means you have cancer, too.

It may actually be a sign if you have cancer in your hand. Lots and lots of cancer. Although, as far as I can tell from google images, there may be slightly more telling signs at that point.

EDIT:

By working in immigration, I learned that in parts of El Salvador, Guatemala, or any number of "Machista" sub-cultures south of the border, getting sodomized by a guy means you're gay, regardless of whether or not you asked for it. Best part is that the guy who did the sodomizing is still considered straight, because of the dumb stereotype about all gays being effeminate pansies who only receive. It's really dumb. It still baffles me why homophobic straight men would choose sodomy as a way of harassing gay men.

Also heard this is a thing in some countries in the middle east, Lebanon being the specific one I was told about. It's always struck me as the weirdest thing

 

[NemotheElvenPanda]

Liking "girls' toys" like barbies and dresses when you were little, which is a true in my case growing up even though I pretty much played with anything I could get my hands on. Even when I was a kid I didn't give a fuck about gender roles.

Being sentimental and compassionate. Real men only have two emotions: barely contained rage and horny, so any emotional depth is a clear sign on being more in touch with your feminine side, which means that you like dick. Obvious machismo bullshit unless if your life goal is being a sex robot. This leads into the stigma on having many women as friends and (shocker) viewing them as something more than living sex dolls. I guess seeing a woman as a person first with a personality and ideas means you're not into them. Now this one I think is pretty accurate; gay guys for some reason manage to click into things like girl talk, sleep overs, and girls' night out more so than straight dudes, kind of like how tomboys are part of a lot of "guy things" like watching wrestling or drinking beer on the porch. I myself pretty much only had girl friends growing up, but once I got hit with the puberty bat I became both homosexual and homosocial which is probably one of the worst combinations to ever have.

Having a lisp and/or a soft voice. Probably true with how testosterone plays a role in sexuality since your cords may not get enough exposure to masculinize them. My own voice has been described as being deep and loud but also gentle, so I guess it's bicurious or homoflexible.

Being good at anything other than sports or hating sports and guns. There are literally people who think anyone that likes anything other than shooting targets or hoops, also likes taking it from behind....which is odd since I like it all. Both gay guys and dude bros love playing with balls, shooting hot loads, and smacking man-ass after all, and that's why I'll never get this stereotype. Lots of gay guys tend to have a wider perspective on what it means being a man since gendered behavior is tied to gender roles which don't really apply to two dudes, but masculinity is something that we're attracted to and try to have. I just don't believe in being a douche that can't take "No thanks." for an answer.

Having some sense of taste or appreciation when it comes to food, art, music, clothes, dance etc. If your idea of a good meal is anything more than microwaved meat with cheap beer, you clearly like the other kind of hot meat. There does seem to be an element of refinement in a lot of gay culture and artists have always been more open to queerness for some reason. Since gay people tend to congregate in cities to get a more open environment and a larger dating pool, the wider exposure to other cultures is inevitable. I like things like wine, cuisine, art, and going to museums, but that's got more to do with being raised by parents that are into those things than being into dudes.

Liking pop music of any kind, and this one has been a good indicator in my experience since pop has such a massive presence in gay pride, which is also one of the reasons I could never really get into it.

Being a liberal and/or atheist.....which makes plenty of sense when you consider how conservative ideology and most religions are when it comes to anything outside the status quo in general.

 

[Something Amyss]

Apparently, beating a 12-year old in Call of Duty makes you gay.

In my experience, beating anyone in Call of Duty will raise those accusations.

 

[jamail77]

[li]Not liking watching sports all that much (I prefer to play them hence why I'm a big gamer - interactivity vs passivity)[/li]
[li]Not having ever had a girlfriend by this time (I'm 22 years old)[/li]
[li]Talking about non-macho topics, anything from submissive sexual desires with a woman to the possibility of

Spoiler: could make you uncomfortable so click at your own risk

female on male rape

[/li]
I've never been accused seriously though as far as I can tell, but I may have missed signs of seriousness with a few of my accusers. Who knows?

I also got called gay for sitting with mostly girls during school lunch. That was funny, because the guys were super jealous of my ability to socialize with *gasp* girls!! I remember one of them stopping me on the way to my lunch table and asking me how I did it. My response: "Um...I walk up to the table, ask if I can join them, they say yes. I sit down, and we talk." He seemed baffled by this.

Those guys were probably of the negging variety as XKCD would say:

 

[mad825]

"Being in the RAF regiment" was one I heard considerably later in life.

Oh please, who are you? Everyone knows it's meant to be in the Navy
tut tut, people these days.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Oh here we go...

I'm a pacifist who likes comic books and drawing over watching/engaging in sports.
I like playing Nintendo games.
In fact i've been dancing for 7 years, and am studying in the field of animation and production behind it.
I enjoy Michael Jackson's work, and tend to cross one leg over the other when sitting.
Whenever I go to an ice cream place I always order the insanely colored looking ice cream with gummy bears cause I enjoy that aesthetic.
I'm very picky about my hair, spending up to 10min in the bathroom till it comes out right.
I tend to show emotion when I get hurt/see a really sad thing; in short, I cry.
Disinterest followed by getting weird looks from testosterone junkies because I didn't have the proper opinion of a passerby's "great ass!"

And most recently having a pansexual girlfriend. (This one came from my MOM)

Wow, reading all that back makes you reeeeeeeeally dislike people.

 

[Ryotknife]

well, in my case its because im not married nor have children, so many people suspect im a closet gay (especially in the South...what the hell). It always fun when your family is convinced that you are gay but you are not.

 

[Skatologist]

Hmm...I swear I was making a list of these things somewhere. Guess I'll just go off memory.

Anyways, things that some person or another thought meant I was gay:

1. Usually enjoying cherry or strawberry flavored stuff

2. Leg crossing

3. Being left handed

4. Liking the occasional chick flick/musical/thing for girls

5. Being super awkward around girls my entire life

6. Wanting to wear make up for a cosplay

7. My general mannerisms and way I walk

8. Having this sort of hugging reflex I have with pillows/stuffed animals

9. Flirting with dudes

and the one that still gives me the most shit from my family...

10. Kissing a friend on the cheek on St. Patrick's Day.

Spoiler: Oh and...

I enjoyed it, his skin was so soft.

But I'm still like 90% sure I'm straight though.