628
True Ally (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 135 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

there’s a lot more to what it means to be perceived as gay in this society than just that person, personally hating gay people.
i had someone say that to me and i’m just extremely self conscious so i was just trying to figure out why….
was it my tone of voice? mannerisms?
all these penises in my mouth?
Is that why women are seldom romantically interested in me? Do they all think i’m gay? is that the key to my loneliness? (probably just the ugly part).
if you tell someone, “oh i figured you like country music” and they don’t, they’re going to wonder why.
and i don’t know if they stopped, but kids used to be pretty mean calling people gay… it can be kind of a “touching on childhood trauma” thing.

my advice: don’t “trick” people with clever “tests” and try to be genuine with your friends. If you’re gay and you have straight friends, those friends probably aren’t the problem even if they have a problem with being misidentified as gay.

[-] n0respect@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Agree. Let's approach this from the rational angle. "If they don't react how I think they should react, then they must be..." But that's clearly not a rational process. Its not even a decent heuristic.

load more comments (19 replies)
[-] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 91 points 6 months ago

Why is this okay because they are straight? Imagine saying you thought your Trans friend was a man, when they are trying to present as a woman.

These kind of tests are so toxic, and serve nothing but to spark an argument and hurt feelings.

You are part of the problem.

[-] KAtieTot 21 points 6 months ago

I don't see how those two are related at all and honestly treating them as interchangeable is... cringe.

There is no harm in suggesting you thought someone was gay or straight, especially because sexuality has nothing to do with outward appearance and can be kinda nebulous to infer at all. If you're not comfortable with the idea of being lgbt+, how are you an ally? Nothing differentiates a gay man from a straight one, outside of attraction to other men.

Whereas so much of trans struggles and validity relate to how they're/we're perceived. Do I pass enough to shit in the restroom that conforms to my identity?

[-] LwL@lemmy.world 15 points 6 months ago

So you think there isn't a lot of extremely toxic male culture that will make men feel invalid for not being perceived as straight? Because that shits everywhere. It's perfectly normal to struggle with that, feeling insecure about your self image has nothing to do with your support of others.

And insecurities can come from very personal things and no one should be judged for them. Lying about how you perceived someone as a "test" is toxic as fuck.

load more comments (9 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[-] zeca@lemmy.ml 11 points 6 months ago

Crappy comparison...

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 52 points 6 months ago

I don't think that would be my reaction as a straight man, but I could see why some people could be upset by others thinking that they were gay. It means you are not projecting the kind of appearance and energy you are trying to. It's like telling a trans man "oh when we first met I thought you were a woman." Maybe they can laugh that off but it probably stings still. It doesn't mean they think being a woman is inferior to being a man.

[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 24 points 6 months ago

Yeah, this kinda feels similar to the whole "you can't be racist against white people/sexist against men" that tries to turn it into a cycle of revenge rather than bring anyone together.

It seems just like false flag division tactics. On the surface it seems like a good point, but you peel it back a bit and see it's more likely to just drive away people who might otherwise be on your side for not being "supportive enough".

load more comments (5 replies)
[-] EldritchFeminity 12 points 6 months ago

There's more to it than that, being gay 30 years ago was enough to ruin your career - even if there wasn't any proof. This is where the term "metrosexual" came from in the 2000s. Being gay was so bad that men came up with a word that meant "I'm straight but I like to shower and dress nicely."

So if you're a Millennial or older, odds are that you still carry the scars from that stigma to some extent, even if you're an ally. When I was a kid, calling something gay was the worst you could get without swearing.

load more comments (11 replies)
[-] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 44 points 6 months ago

Exposing people's insecurities is not a test of allyship.

[-] davidagain@lemmy.world 36 points 6 months ago

I feel like this is more of a test for confidence than for supportiveness.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 35 points 6 months ago

I'd say "because I'm stylish and I work out?" (Context: I'm fat and wear jeans and graphic tees year round)

[-] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I mean guys are socially conditioned to feel inferior and less worthwhile as men for that kind of thing, I try not to hold it against folks as long as they're kind and choose to act in support

It takes some people a looong time to unlearn that internalized rubric. Sometimes it even takes gay guys a long time to unlearn it

[-] Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago

My brothers friend came out to his group, and apparently one of them just went "gayyyyy" and they had a laugh and that was that.

[-] jaschen306@sh.itjust.works 15 points 6 months ago

A gay dude hit on me and I was super flattered. I told him that he looked good too without saying "No Homo"

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 14 points 6 months ago

I'd be interested to know why they thought that too. Not sure why that's a bad thing

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

My queer kids seem to think I am lesbian. The girlfriends "are you sure your mom isn't lesbian?" I literally have birthed 4 of kids , half of that set queer, and myself had only 2 long term relationships, both with men. I'm only into men, as far as I can tell. Am not offended in the least, as I get older I do wish it was so, women hold up better; and they obviously mean it as a compliment, it's just funny.

[-] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 11 points 6 months ago

I'm a straight guy. I don't wish I was gay, but being bi would be pretty cool. Twice the options.

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

sadly it still equals zero

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 11 points 6 months ago

"Yeah, lots of people do. My parents did, too."

I actually get this fairly frequently. I don't read as terribly cis, but I am.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 11 points 6 months ago

I used to get it a lot when I was young because I didn't have a girlfriend. I was always like "....Yeah it's not because I'm 5'3, shy as fuck, got the shit bullied out of me at school for 6 years straight, and don't go to social activities, I'm just gay..." Assholes.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 10 points 6 months ago

I mean yes but no. I think a lot of gay people would also react poorly if you called them straight and thats why you shouldnt.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

If a gay friend told me that, I would have said “you have shit taste in men”

[-] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

Scalped?! Wtf kind of racist-ass slang is that?

[-] belluck 23 points 6 months ago
load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] fartographer@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

When people tell me "I thought you were gay," or whatever, I reply, "I'm not, but thank you for noticing me."

My gay friends have told me that I'm one of the least gay people they've ever seen. I don't totally know what that means, but it weirdly hurts.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2025
628 points (100.0% liked)

Tumblr

445 readers
745 users here now

Welcome to /c/Tumblr

All the chaos of Tumblr, without actually going to Tumblr.

Rule 1: Be Civil, Not CursedThis isn’t your personal call-out post.

  • No harassment, dogpiling, or brigading
  • No bigotry (transphobia, racism, sexism, etc.)
  • Keep it fun and weird, not mean-spirited

Rule 2: No Forbidden PostsSome things belong in the drafts forever. That means:

  • No spam or scams
  • No porn or sexually explicit content
  • No illegal content (don’t make this a federal case)
  • NSFW screenshots must be properly tagged

If you see a post that breaks the rules, report it so the mods can handle it. Otherwise just reblog and relax.

founded 8 months ago
MODERATORS