h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I saw this subject line and I knew it'd be in your journal, Egon.

Does it have something to do with the fact that you spent several weeks calling yourself 'Bovril Boy'?

B

Would you say it's your female friends or your male friends that think that you have this 'gay' image, Egon?

Can't say that I noticed anything gay about you at the January meet-up (just how tall you were!)

Bottletop, the folk in that photograph are, from left to right...

Titania, GreyDesk (ie me), Z, Candi, Bald Bloke, Egon, a girl called Ben, boots, Phil and finally Solnushka

Desky, I shall have to call on you to caption up my pissed meet photos when I finally get them online.

B

Titania- it's not my friends who tend to think it, it's really people I've never seen before- I've only been told it by men.

Gay men?

B

On several occasssions, yes.

Admittedly, the first time it happened I did have a ginger mohican and a feather boa, but I can't blame it on that every time.

This may be a first, but I'm lost for words...

B

Egon, first of all I don't think you're gay - in fact if I met you at a gay club I'd assume that you were straight. But here's the reasons for and against as I see it.

For - the slightly growing out bleached blonde hair, that's quite fasionable on the gay scene at the moment.

Being slighlty uncomfortable with your height, although you seem to feel that there's too much off you and you're not quite sure where to put yourself.

Against - the beard, definately a faux paux on the gay scene - it's not long enough to be "bear" and besides we don't get that many of them around thesedays, but too much to be "causal scene queen". In fact it's the reason that I'd assume that you were straight if I met you in the gay scene, well either straight or "just come out and not qutie got the hang of being gay yet"

An intrest in football, just not done in gay men, and if it is, not mentioned in public, well some have a fetish for footballers and football kit, but they tend not spend hours discussing the intracties of the game itself.

I tend to counteract people assumeing I'm gay by talking about women loudly, if they look shocked I add in "yes I'm actually hetrosexual, you assumed otherwise didn't you" which usually raises a laugh.

If you want my advice on changing things.. try to stand at your full height and not be ashamed of it all, straight back etc, talk about girls, and who you like and don't like, if you feel uncomfortable talking about that mention football, actually the details of the matches.

Ben, I think my gaydar is fairly good,but only on account of the fact I've been on the gay scene for () 6 years, so I recognise a lot of people that I know. I'm also in touch with the current fasions on the scene, so I know if they are following a scene trend - but I know that sometimes straight men "accidently" buy something that is in fasion on the gay scene. For instance at the moment it's scafts worn indoors with tee shirts, wrapped in a certain way so it's a trangluar fold at the neck. If something gets fasionable on the straight scene it's usally quickly dropped from the gay one. In fact I can't remember the last time that I was surprised by findingout someone was gay. But a lot of the gay men aim for the "straight acting looK"

Ooh yes one more thing Egon, Sportswear, it's considering acceptable in gay nightclubs (because some people have a fetish for it,) and a lot of people seem to be trying for the "14 year old thug about to steal your car radio" look on the scene at the moment - so I'd say you'll look straighter if you didn't wear sportswear to pubs - or indeed places where you don't play sport - but that particualar fasion isn't going to be picked up on by queer bashers, or straigh people. If it's mainly gay men assuming that your gay I think it may be to do with the sportswear.

And there speaks the authority.

"Against - the beard, definately a faux paux on the gay scene"

Oh, dear God! **runs off to shave**

B

That's in Birmingham, mind you, Master B.

Here, it's all about Queer Eye. Smooth, polished, waxed plucked and immaculately put together. Basically, the gay porn star look.

Z- all very interesting, thanks. It is nice to know what it might be that people notice about me, that I don't notice about myself.

And I agree my beard could certainly never be mistaken for a fashion statement- just the fcat that I don't like shaving...

Oh, and the ginger mohican and feather boa thing is entirely the fault of three things: Altrincham ice rink, The Miller Brewing Company, and Scottish and Newcastle Breweries.

I'm well acquainted with the second two, but what does the first one make? Is it available on tap?

B

The first one was responsible for the injusry to my ankle, which was responsible for me spending three hours in the Ice Rink Bar with the second, before going to the house of someone with hair dye and clippers.

The third was consumed in vast quantities before I adorned myself with the boa.

MR - I assume it also applies to the scene in other parts of the Uk as well, it's about the same in Manchester the last time I was up there. (Pride in August Bank holiday)

Well, England then. But here in the US, it's all about the Queer Eye/metrosexual look.

I've just noticed, re-reading the thread a few people seem to be under the impression I have dress sense. I'll have to check my pictures out- if eel i may not be giving an accurate impression of myself!

Yes, people mainly do go for that look,but there are subcultures in the gay scene as well.

The sportswear look is a sub culture of the scene, as is the bear/leather look, but that's nearly always associated with a fetish, - yet the sportswear isn't always.

Ooh Egon I've just had an idea, the Indy kid sort of long, you know flares, longish hair, tee shirt isn't very common at all amougst gay men - could be useful knowledge. (but it's very popular with lesbians)

I know at least four gay people who are big football fans: my uncle, for one, who would make a number one choice for any pub-quiz lacking a footy-freak, and one of the others can knock me for six in a game. (Though that's not hard - I'm about as co-ordinated as a sparrow on stilts!) Another was a member of our college football team... so perhaps disliking football isn't universal?

Hmm... it seems like it's mostly gay men who think you're gay, perhaps because they see you as a potential partner? In which case, it's simply a compliment.

And hooligans will call anyone anything if they think it's an excuse for fighting. A friend and I were accosted by two completely random people who suddenly accused us of being gay. (They seemed a bit stoned at the time, as I recall...) I walked away from that in complete confusion with a newly burst lip.

So... perhaps it's not that you look gay - you're just desirable?

- Jordan

Oh, I do take that as a compliment- as I said, I'm not particularly bothered by it- although the itrony of a straight man being a victim of gay-bashing was interesting- I was just wondering what it was about me that could give the impression.