Question about gay lisp

What causes a gay lisp, and how does being a gay male cause some gay men to have a stereotypical lisp - I'm aware that not all gays have a lisp, however why would sexuality have anything to do with it? I'd just like to know, thanks.

 

People form subcultures around common traits especially if they're in a minority, in this case homosexuality. Elements of subcultures can seem weird to some people, in this case the lisp. Not all homosexuals have the lisp because they don't all identify with the subculture.

 

I have always thought that gay men that try and act feminine tend to act like a stereotypical female that men conceive, not like real women.

 

I've heard that before, wasn't sure if it was something they consciously tried to affect or if it was learned subconsciously.

 

Is it an act? Or do some men possess a different balance of feminine & masculine traits from others? What do we know about the origin of those traits? Very little, actually. There has been research that purports to show differences in some brain structures between gay men and straight men, while others they share in common. Where they differ, those differences in gay men share more in common with straight women. But to say this explains why some gay men lisp is an oversimplification.

It may have started as behavior picked up subconsciously by 'newcomers' trying to fit in with gay peers already well established in the local community, and spread from there. Just one theory. I don't know that anyone has actually studied it.

And I fail to see why it merits its own thread. Seems like just more negative gay obsession by certain people on the forum.

 

My brother doesn't lisp. lol

 

Nor do I, nor does my partner. In point of fact, I can't say that I've ever known any gay men who actually lisp. Which isn't to say that there aren't other elements of speech that might make me think, "Hmm, that one sounds like 'family'". But it's the exception, rather than the rule, and usually paired with other non-verbal cues.

 

i know people with a lisp, none of them are gay.

i know gay folks, none of them have a lisp.

are you sure you aren't the victim of a media stereotype?

 

I never said all gay men lisp - I've known a few who did talk like that - I wasn't sure whether it was an acquired accent or whether they're trying to sound like a "Valley girl" or whatever.

 

Why do immigrants to Texas eventually develop a Texan accent?

 

Because it's an accent - so if lisping is an developed accent, then where does it come from?

 

Well, gays are a heavily-targetted group. I suppose they hang out together to seek communal acceptance, and pick up each others' mannerisms that probably are originally a reflection of cinema and other media's portrayals.

 

I'm a man, when I was a teenage boy and I'd see a movie/cartoon where it was the woman kicking everyone's butt, it made me feel like a wimp.

 

I think you're replying to me in the wrong thread.

But in movies and various other media, boys learn "how to be men" in conflict or in congruence with the model their father sets.

 

From my understanding from friends that have known men that came out of the closet, some affected an overstated lisp after they did which calmed down later.

 

It's just a form of expression within a certain cultural group. As far as the stereotyping about the same, that happens with virtually every cultural group. It can be done in great fun, or it can be expressed in the most cruel ways.

Certainly not ALL gay people can be placed into a single category (as some prefer to do).

 

I think the "lisp" has a few different origins. One plausable thought is that it could simply be a way of differentiation from heterosexual counterparts, and used by some gay men to help self-identify with others...almost like a linguistical way to identify other homosexual men. There have been studies done, as others have pointed out, that show at least some truth to this claim. In fact, those same studies were also conducted on lesbian females and resulted in fairly distinct linguistical differentiations between heterosexual and homosexual women. Many lesbians, as it turned out in the study, use speach patterns similar to men such as utilizing lower pitched tonal inflections and more "direct" speech patterns. Culturally, this is a fairly plausible theory. However, there might be yet to be discovered genetic traits that also influence the way homosexual speech patterns are related to the chemical structure of the brain.

Personally, having known many homosexuals thoughout my life, I can say that the percentage that talk with the "lisp" is fairly small. In fact, just in observation of this phenomenon, it seems to often be more associated with joking and humor between homosexuals; almost like a sort of self-mocking joke about how homosexual men are often stereotyped as being more effeminate. I know many gay men who have brilliant senses of humor who like to make of of "being gay" just as much as anything else.

 

whenever I apply for new jobs and get interviews... I lisp during said interview.... that way, if/when I don't get the job, I can sue for discrimination and not have to work for another year until the next job interview. If I'm offered a job, I turn it down and search out another interview I can lisp at and not get offered a job.

homosexual lottery

 

it's not much of a career plan, but it is a plan...

 

That's pretty much it. Of all the gay people I've known, only 1 has talked with a full on, non-stop, unambiguous "gay lisp". Nobody I've ever grown up with or been around identified any speech pattern with myself that made them think I was gay, I talk the same as anyone else. As does the vast majority of my gay friends and acquaintances.

That said, and exactly as you've described it, I will raise the pitch of my voice a couple octaves in jest, purely for humor's sake. I'm aware of the stereotype, and I mock it just to get a laugh out of some of my co-workers. If I think someone's being a little over-dramatic, I'll flip my wrist at them and say "Oh my god, like stop being such a queen". If one of my co-workers snaps her fingers at me and tries to sass me, I'll snap my fingers and sass her right back.

It's a stereotype, a largely false one, and most people are generally aware of this.

As for the one who did talk with the lisp non-stop, he was a little odd in many ways... too many hormones of some type or other running through im, nothing but non-stop drama, not to mention odd bodily features.

I've personally known far more straight people who I talked with and interesting lisp.

 

it is if you're the BEST at it.... lol

My first job, my boss, I KNOW, thought I was gay. I was 24, 5;10 about 125#, I had bleach blonde hair.... it came out shortly thereafter, that I was not but in my career that is completely ruled by political correctness and union litigation over such perceived injustices..... I wonder if my bossman gave me the nod over other applicants with the same experience and creditials because he THOUGHT I was gay and didn't want to risk an accusation of "he didn't hire me because I was gay" that could ruin HIS career?

 

I find that unlikely. I've been directly involved in the hiring process of my departments for the last 3 companies I've worked for, and fear of a potential lawsuit because of someone's sexual orientation was never a concern. Maybe we're just naive, but such lawsuits are very difficult to prove, not unless you blatantly ARE discriminating without shame. Hiring (or not hiring) based on qualifications alone has never been an issue in my experience. Much ado about nothing if you ask me.

 

"well we hired him because we thought he was gay then let him go because he wasn't..." <---yeah, that would sound good from a witness box!




do you stil work there?

 

I think its a subculture thing. A lot of gay men often have to hide who they are before they come out, so it might be some kind of reaction to that. I mean if you have to hide who you are your whole life, presumably you'd be extremely relieved and over the moon to just be yourself...personally though I don't have a lisp and I find it to be a huge turn off.

 

I wonder if that would work for a "nerd accent"?