Reply #131: stereotyping is making judgments based on oversimplified criteria [View All]

[fishwax]

To say "person A looks gay because he's wearing a pink shirt," or "person B looks gay because he spikes his hair with gel," or "person C looks gay because of the way he crosses his hands" is stereotyping. That doesn't mean that any mention of a person looking gay is stereotyping. Two gay friends, seeing an attractive guy across the room, and wondering amongst themselves if said attractive man is gay are not necessarily engaging in stereotyping.

Most of the time when we hear the comment in public discourse, it probably relies on stereotypes, because it is often intended as vaguely demeaning--a result of our society's homophobia. But I think what Mondo Joe is arguing is that there are a number of people who might give the impression that they are gay, based not on any single factor but on a number of factors, and to recognize or to draw a conclusion based on such a conflux of factors is not inherently stereotyping.

I don't think what MJ said could be honestly or logically construed to mean that there is a "gay look" that is definable and universally applicable.