I’m not sure I would call gaydar — which Dutch researchers say does exist — my “sixth” sense. It’s more like my eighth or ninth sense, after “Knowing you’re too big to pull off skinny jeans” and “My mother is going to nag me about my hair.”
heightened senses
Science Proves Gays Can Identify Other Gays
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SSCHIEFRSHA
Might explain why closeted men are particularly hostile to gay men–for fear of being sniffed out LOL!
Michael vdB
Wow…gaydar. Maybe now I can use my powers for good instead of evil!
Greg Ever
I’m not sure I’m totally convinced of this, but after reading some of the comments at the link that outright rejected this notion because straight people can detect gay people as well, I would make the counterpoint that it’s possible straight people can only detect stereotypical gays rather than all of them. In other words, if someone has a preconceived idea of what a gay person looks like or how they act and they see someone who matches this idea, they will assume that the person they are observing is gay. However, they would likely miss a person who is gay but doesn’t fit the stereotypical description of a gay person. Furthermore, they might suspect that a well-dressed “metrosexual” heterosexual is gay just because he appears somewhat gay, even though he is not.
The point is that making judgments about someone’s sexuality solely based on whether or not they match the gay stereotype is not gaydar. It’s just a predetermined reaction. I suspect this study is suggesting that true gaydar uses much more subtle notions than simple observation to detect sexuality that most straight people wouldn’t even notice, thereby allowing gay people to detect even nonstereotypical gays.
alan brickman
ignorant and stupid….just full of jealous mojo…most gays are better than this…
CJ
This is actually inconsistent with other findings regarding this matter:
Here is a smattering of articles that DO NOT support this claim of ‘gaydar.’
Ambady, N., Hallahan, M., & Conner, B. (1999). Accuracy of judgments of sexual orientation based on thin slices of behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 538-547
Berger, G., Hank, L., Rauzi, T., & Simkins, L. (1987). Detection of sexual orientation by heterosexuals and homosexuals. Journal of Homosexuality, 13, 83-100
Shelp, S. G. (2002). Gaydar: Visual detection of sexual orientation among gay and straight men. Journal of Homosexuality, 66, 1-1
One research study indicating this is hardly “proof.”
ChrisM
I’m pretty sure most people have gaydar. It’s useful to all orientations.
The thing is, most straights – no matter how gay-friendly – will hesitate to even let themselves wonder if someone is gay if they aren’t flamboyant. So I’d say the difference is straights are more cautious to admit it to themselves, for fear of offending a straight person. A lot of times I come out to somebody they’ll say “I never would have guessed” as if complimenting me – yet I can see it in my eyes in all of my pictures. How could they not?