# Gay men and long (shoulder length +) hair **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 5, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886 "2012-02-05T20:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/21 "2012-02-06T05:56:36Z")
I’ve known many gay guys with long hair. I think gay men seem to follow trends more than straight men, this is why you don’t see many today, as long hair has been out of fashion for men for 20 years now. I remember I cried when “Uncle Jesse” (John Stamos) cut that beautiful hair of his. In the 70s, when I was little, seems all the men had long or longer hair. I can’t recall anyone having buzz cuts. Of course guys didn’t wear shorts that came down to their ankles. Or when they did we called them “floods” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/22 "2012-02-06T06:06:23Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > I’ve known many gay guys with long hair. Did they have beards, too? I’m a straight woman and I don’t know if a guy is gay unless they say they are, but my impression is that longish hair _without a beard_ is even rarer among gays. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/23 "2012-02-06T10:19:36Z")
It changes with generations. The generation of gays that had long hair is now approaching the point where their hair has mostly disappeared. Probably means that in a few years long hair will again be the ‘in’ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/24 "2012-02-06T14:37:56Z")
A co-worker who worn the worst toupee you have ever seen once remarked “I don’t like guys who have long hair. It makes them look like faggots.” I remarked that at least they are wearing their own hair. Total crackup. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/25 "2012-02-06T20:32:38Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I’m a (political, but not religious) conservative, and have been such since I was in high-school, when Carter was president. From about '78, up until I broke my shoulder about 4 or 5 years ago, when it would have become embarrassing to have to ask total strangers to help me put my hair back into the pony-tail hairband if it got messed up (because I couldn’t do it myself with only one working arm) I had longer-than-shoulder-length ‘hippy-freak’ hair. I also don’t hate “homosexuality, transgenderism and crossdressing” people, or even care what floats their sexual boat. And I subscribe to “National Review” \. Your stereotype of conservatives _badly_ needs updating. It’s a bit flawed. He said “many” conservatives, not “all” or even “most.” Should I take it, then, that your contention is that, in fact, “very few” conservatives harbor strongly negative opinions about homosexuals? Because that seems a rather extraordinary claim. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/26 "2012-02-06T21:19:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > He said “many” conservatives, not “all” or even “most.” Should I take it, then, that your contention is that, in fact, “very few” conservatives harbor strongly negative opinions about homosexuals? > > Because that seems a rather extraordinary claim. Miller, Miller, Miller… Conservatives don’t hate homosexuals. They just don’t want them to be able to get married (42 states). Or in some cases adopt children (5 states explicitly). And in other cases, even have anything even remotely resembling marriage, including being barred from having any of the same rights as married people have (18 or 19 states). Some even want to ban sodomy again so that gay people can’t even have sex legally anymore (Official Texas GOP platform, probably many others too). That doesn’t stem from having a “negative opinion” about homosexuals, it just stems from having a positive opinion of traditional marriage and relationships and procreation rights! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/27 "2012-02-06T21:38:23Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The _Colour By Numbers_-era George O’Dowd might qualify. Not sure about Ziggy Stardust’s red mullet. Yeah, but wasn’t Bowie only a wannabe? I thought he was just saying that for shock value. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/28 "2012-02-06T21:40:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Yeah, but wasn’t Bowie only a wannabe? I thought he was just saying that for shock value. Yep. That’s why I was hesitant to include him. All I had to go on was that during the Ziggy Stardust era, Bowie was publicly identifying as some flavor of queer or other. Turned out to have just been hype, though. (I think…) Besides, does a mullet really count as long hair? Seems like they’re trying to have it both ways. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/29 "2012-02-06T21:44:39Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Yep. That’s why I was hesitant to include him. All I had to go on was that during the Ziggy Stardust era, Bowie was publicly identifying as some flavor of queer or other. Turned out to have just been hype, though. (I think…) > > Besides, does a mullet really count as long hair? Seems like they’re trying to have it both ways. This is starting to sound like “no true Scotsman”. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/30 "2012-02-06T22:02:31Z")
Nope. Englishman. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/31 "2012-02-06T22:27:21Z")
> [@grude](#): > > This is starting to sound like “no true Scotsman”. I actually approve of this line of reasoning. Argent Towers: No gay guy ever has shoulder-length or longer hair. Faggot Hippie: Well I’m a gay guy and I have shoulder-length or longer hair. Argent Towers: No \*truly \*gay person ever has shoulder-length or longer hair. Faggot Hippie: Screw you, man! (No offense to Faggot Hippies anywhere, I only used the term as a joke in a sort of ironic and dark-humor sort of way, and not as a pejorative) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/32 "2012-02-07T00:19:46Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Yep. That’s why I was hesitant to include him. All I had to go on was that during the Ziggy Stardust era, Bowie was publicly identifying as some flavor of queer or other. Turned out to have just been hype, though. (I think…) > > Besides, does a mullet really count as long hair? Seems like they’re trying to have it both ways. Bisexual hair? 😃 Or maybe Bi-hair? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/33 "2012-02-07T02:57:48Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I actually approve of this line of reasoning. > > Argent Towers: No gay guy ever has shoulder-length or longer hair. > Faggot Hippie: Well I’m a gay guy and I have shoulder-length or longer hair. > Argent Towers: No \*truly \*gay person ever has shoulder-length or longer hair. > Faggot Hippie: Screw you, man! What the F are ya talkin’ about? I never made that argument. I think you’ve got my name mixed up with someone else’s in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/34 "2012-02-07T15:07:20Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Bisexual hair? 😃 Or maybe Bi-hair? Yeah, that was my thought too. Bowie and Angie both wore mullets and both proclaimed bisexuality back in the early 1970s. It all fits the theory… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886/35 "2012-02-07T15:38:34Z")
The point was that calling someone a “faggot” in the 60s was an insult. It had absolutely nothing to do with how homosexuals wore their hair, especially since more people using the insult had probably never met a gay man (well, they had, but they never knew they had; most gay men stayed in the closet). Especially since the insult was often just plain “hippie faggot” with no mention of the hair. But back then, people of a certain mindset were prone to call other men “faggot” as a general insult. In many contexts, it was completely divorced from homosexuality and just meant “weak and disgusting.” Not everything in the world is to be taken literally, you know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-men-and-long-shoulder-length-hair/611886.md?page=1)