Does Gaydar really exist?

[Whight]

I'm honestly curious. People always joke about it, but the only gay guy I really know other than me is my boyfriend. And we're both very straight acting, so much so that girls constantly hit on us.

And as much as I try to suss out other gay boys, I can't seem to identify any. The only ones I can identify, are the very flamboyant "gay" acting ones (Don't mean that as an offense or anything, I just mean that there are some people you know just by looking at). And even then, I could be wrong and they just act at what i'm characteristically always told is a gay behavior. (Which means i'm broken on both counts lol).

So, can anyone here actually tell who's gay and who's not by looking at people?

[CosmicNoodle]

I can tell, but only by using steryotypes, something I hate doing.

[Karkat]

By looking at people? I'd hardly think so. I've guessed that a couple people might be gay, and ended up being more or less correct to some extent or another, but they were kinda based on stereotypical assumptions I'm not proud of.

I think gaydar is kinda one of those stereotypical things that don't make a lot of sense when you really think about them. That's just my opinion though.

[Whight]

Yeah, exactly. I can only guess by stereotype and it's weird.

Which always brings me to the thought of how the hell will I get a boyfriend (if god forbids, my current one ever breaks up with me). I mean i'm not attracted to the stereotypical gay at all (huge turn off for me).

Which pretty much leaves me at hitting on a whole lot of hot straight guys to find that one gay guy. :S
(God I wish my BF won't leave me! :P)

[ConsiderMeDead]

well gay is a label soo ya i dont label but anyway i can tell kinda its all the small stuff u kn lik how they dress,act,talk,walk, ect.

[Rayquaza]

Gaydar is one of those things people use for novelty. It can be accurate to an extent by using stereotypes to define someones sexuality, or to someones advantage by not needing to ask a potential date if they're gay if the person wondering was of the same sex.

[TheN3rdyOutcast]

I have a sort of "feeling" when I'm around a gay person. I had the feeling about my 9th grade Spanish teacher's colleague, and he turned out to be gay. I got the same feeling, when I hadn't seen a friend since the third grade who's now in my 6th period World Lit. Class, and he came out to me and a acquaintance as bi.

If gaydar is actually a thing, it could probably be explained as people emitting pheromones that can only be recognized by a potential mate.

[AdamS]

Yeah i think it's a silly word used to explain being good at being chemically attracted or noticing body language or behaviour.

Stereotypes can also be like so wrong. There's camp straight people. Michael Mcintyre for example lol

[Cognizant]

Gaydar is one of those things people use for novelty. It can be accurate to an extent by using stereotypes to define someones sexuality, or to someones advantage by not needing to ask a potential date if they're gay if the person wondering was of the same sex.

I think the same way on the matter. I see nothing wrong with doing it, as long as you're not using it in a negative connotation (e.g. saying "Oh, he's totally gay what a fag")

[Mastretta]

I'm honestly curious. People always joke about it, but the only gay guy I really know other than me is my boyfriend. And we're both very straight acting, so much so that girls constantly hit on us.

And as much as I try to suss out other gay boys, I can't seem to identify any. The only ones I can identify, are the very flamboyant "gay" acting ones (Don't mean that as an offense or anything, I just mean that there are some people you know just by looking at). And even then, I could be wrong and they just act at what i'm characteristically always told is a gay behavior. (Which means i'm broken on both counts lol).

So, can anyone here actually tell who's gay and who's not by looking at people?
http://cdn.madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/12-Kandi-Eye-Roll.gif
Straight acting is when you're straight, being gay is not being straight acting being DL is maybe straight acting but you're gay/bi etc. You can't be straight acting. Only masculine and feminine. And I can look at guys and tell if they're gay easily even if they are "Straight acting"

[Living For Love]

There was this guy in my class that acted quite flamboyantly, always hanging out with girls, wore some weird outfits and stuff, had his tumblr filled with images of half-naked guys, etc, and I was almost 100% sure he was gay, but then I found out he had a girlfriend, and I was like: "What!?". There are really some stereotypes that are pretty accurate when describing gay people, we can't deny it, and sometimes we can determine someone's sexuality using those stereotypes. It's not 100% accurate, but sometimes it works, and I guess that's where the "gaydar" expression comes from. I generally prefer straight-acting gay guys, even though I have nothing against flamboyant guys, everyone's free of acting the way they want. And one thing I noticed is that girls are much better than guys at telling whether someone is gay or not, I don't know why :P.

[Matt_97]

One huge tell is if they flirt with you for one, thats how i figure if a guy is gay. But to go as far as a "gaydar" its not all that true but not all false. Some people you tell off the bat straight away because their personality just shines through them. But mostly people just go with stereotypes and make assumptions - true and false - based on them.

[maddogmj77]

ya know, things would be a lot fucking easier if it really did work that way. sadly, it doesn't

[Abyssal Echo]

I don't know if you'd call it gaydar or not but I usually get a feeling if someone is approachable.

[Wheatley]

I wouldn't beat yourselves up by saying you can tell through stereotypes. From my experiences, people who label themselves as gay turn them self into the stereotype.

I believe it is possible to tell. I can - very loosely- suggest a few theories. Firstly, it's something to do with biology and pheromones (people subconsciously emit and pick up such scents - so they could get an idea based on that). Secondly, if life is about finding a "mate", somewhere along the lines people around you will notice that they aren't doing things to attract the opposite sex (but rather the same sex) - I won't go into detail, but you should be able to see where I'm coming from.

[Wyatt 13]

this matter really intrigue me because I'm gay NOT out yet and I act like the most str8 guy in this planet, but in some way gay guys knows better and that's the way I ended up messing around and never had to call myself gay in front of them.

[allisonmyers]

yea it does exist even straight people have it if they are in tune with their world

[justarandomteen]

I suppose (I'm not proud of it) that Gaydar is based off of stereotypes, or specific actions of the person. Sometimes they might be right, sometimes completely off

[Dalcourt]

It's kind of a silly expression and mainly based on stereotypes as the others said. Usually I'm really good at noticing whether someone is gay or not but not just from looking at them...it's kinda hard to explain, though, I just know...and that you don't is probably cuz there aren't many gay guys around you?

And well, a lot of straight people tell me they never assumed I'm gay cuz I'm not "acting gay"...it's a wtf thing for me...acting would mean playing a role...why would I want to play a role according to gay/straight prejudices and stereotypes...I am how I am...so I really hate the expression acting straight or gay.

[Ben_Frost]

I can't, I can only have suspicions. Some people say there is something as a Gaydar, I think it's more skill at social engineering, and observation.

[Body odah Man]

It only exists on Yugioh the Abridged Series. Other than that it's just a silly little joke

[lionpinewood]

it exist in a sense. if you are consciously aware of people around you and the way they behave, you can guess almost 100%. there are things like stereotypes (which ARE derived from reality) but also just looking at the way they behave around men and women. there is always sexual tension between straight guys and girls, even if the guy is very open and friendly. gay people are the opposite. they are completely open with girls in every way, but won't notice them on the street. when they hang out with guys, however, there is always a vibe you can pick up on, and they ALWAYS check out guys on the street, it's just involuntary. there are of course different kinds of gay guys - outed and open about it, in the closet but okay with it, in the closet and confused, in denial etc. etc. it kinda depends on their approach to their sexuality.

[JusticeandMercy]

I really can't even say for sure if I think it exists or not.

Sometimes I can guess when someone's not straight, but sometimes I'm way off.
I don't know what it is, exactly. For me, I think it's just kind of a gut feeling. I've been right quite a few times.

[Urban]

I'm not sure if "gaydar" in specific exists, but I can tell when someone is interested by their eye contact. Gays or straights will provide the same sort of eye contact so you can just tell by that when it does happen!

[James Dean]

Sometimes. It's just a gift that some people have. I don't know whether it is good or bad. I can usually tell if a guy is gay just from his face. I'm not always right, but if I'm wrong, it's a guy that has gay ways about him. Most of it is crap though, just playing on stereotypes. The only way to fully know is by asking, even then they could lie to you.

[Throwaway24]

If it does exist I need a new one cuz mine's never worked xD

[SethfromMI]

lol maybe to an extent. there are different things you can pick up on to make an accurate guess. the only way you can know for sure is if they tell you though. but I mean if they are wearing a shirt which says gay pride or something, things like that can be good indicators.

like some people have said it can be based on stereotypes. honestly, if you saw me at school and I did not tell you I was bi-sexual (different than gay I know) you would not have the slightest clue I liked guys as well. even if we were in the locker room, you wouldn't be able to tell. so got to be careful about stereotypes

[ThePhantasm]

I can't tell unless they are stereotypical...

[Saint of Sinners]

I heard about some scientific stuff that said that ovulating females have some sort of gaydar...

[NiceGuyDave]

i'm straight.. and i have "Gaydar" - well my friends think i do.
its just picking up on mannerisms, dress, gestures, body language - some are subtle and others are not. a few of my gay friends have complimented me in my ability to pick straight and gay guys. But like Ben_Frost says, its mostly just keen observation.