Straight acting (also known as "straight-acting") is a slang term used to describe a person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype. Although the label is used by and reserved almost exclusively for gay and bisexual men, it may also be used to describe a lesbian with stereotypical feminine appearance and mannerisms.[1][2] The label is most often used by those who do not self-identify with the traditional, standardized perception of gay men.[3] Because the term invokes negative stereotypes of gay people, its application is often controversial and may cause offense.[4]
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Criticisms
Sex advice columnist Dan Savage commented on the popularity of the term "straight acting" in gay personal ads, criticizing both the practice and the idea that a man seeking a gay relationship through a gay personal ad is acting straight.[5] Use of the term itself has been labeled as damaging to the LGBT community, as it associates certain attributes with homosexuality.[4] Men in the "straight acting" community express resentment that the term implies they are acting and not being their true selves.[2]
Media
Filmmaker Spencer Windes explored the term and the definition of masculinity in his film Straight Acting. The film is a documentary about Windes' transformation from a closeted Mormon missionary into an openly gay man, through his involvement in the subculture of gays who play contact sports.[6]
Related terminology
Other terms are sometimes used to describe men who do not self-identify as gay or identify with the "gay stereotype".
Down-low
"The Down-low", or "DL", is a slang phrase used among African Americans for bisexual men who secretly have sex with men while maintaining romantic relationships with women.[7]
g0y
The neologism "g0y" is used to identify men who are affectionate with other men but do not participate in anal sex. They detest the ways in which homosexuality has been linked to effeminacy and so have opted to create a new facet of sexual orientation.[8] "G0y" proponents dislike the association of gay male culture with intersexed and transgendered people. The spelling of the term "g0y" comes from replacing the letter "a" — representing anal sex — with the numeral "0".[9] Both "g0y" and "Down-low" have been criticized as excuses for homosexual men to stay closeted.[10][8]
MSM
In the early 1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the term "men who have sex with men", or "MSM", to refer to an AIDS risk group. At the time, many criticized the term as being little more than a euphemism for gay men, but a survey of "MSM" in New York City shows important differences between gay men and non-"gay" MSMs.[11]
Miscellaneous
"Straight acting" in L33T or SMS speak is sometimes abbreviated as "STR8 acting."[12] In an interview with People magazine, former 'N Sync member Lance Bass referred to himself and his friends as "SAGs". "I call them the SAGs — the straight-acting gays," said Bass. "We're just normal, typical guys. I love to watch football and drink beer."[13]
Website
The "StraightActing.com" website launched in March 2000. It slowly became popular, as "I earned a level x at straightacting.com" began appearing in AOL profiles and web pages after people took the site's masculinity quiz. Later that year, the site launched additional "straight acting" quizzes, including, "How straight acting is your job", The "straight acting dog quiz", and a butch/femme quiz for lesbians. In 2003, the website claimed that over 1,000,000 quizzes had been scored. On the "Butch Board", visitors discuss the concept of "straight acting", as well as other topics.
References
- ^ Science Fair Projects - Straight-acting
- ^ a b Jay Clarkson, '"Everyday Joe" versus "pissy, bitchy, queens": gay masculinity on StraightActing.com.', The Journal of Men's Studies (2006): .
- ^ Straight Acting.com
- ^ a b Acting Straight
- ^ This American Life | Sissies
- ^ Straight Acting. A Story about Queers and Sports
- ^ The "Down Low" or "DL"
- ^ a b Imprint Online: The "g0y" phenomenon
- ^ G0YS.org - Spelled with a ZER0
- ^ 10 Things You Should Know About the DL
- ^ Independent Gay Forum - Gay Men Vs. ‘MSM’
- ^ Love@AOL Gay & Lesbian Singles & Dating- Decoding Gay Profiles
- ^ [1]
See also
- Butch and femme (includes "homomasculinity")
- Metrosexual
- Gender role
- Masculinity
- Femininity
- Classical definition of effeminacy
- Frot
