# Is Diet Soda a Staple of Gay Culture? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199 "2011-09-22T15:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/21 "2011-09-22T17:59:54Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Mesh shirts were a staple of gay culture from mid-June till mid-August 1979. \*Maybe \*late August in Baltimore. I still see a few here…but that says more about Omaha than it does about mesh shirts. Still and all, GaGa did play some after-hours shows at the gay clubs after her big concerts here, so that has to count for something. ETA: if \*The Simpsons \*said it, that settles it for me. Its canon. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/22 "2011-09-22T19:52:59Z")
This is a new one on me. I always thought it went that adults drank diet soda and the regular stuff was for kids. Adults didn’t need their drinks to be sugary sweet and didn’t care for the extra empty calories. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/23 "2011-09-22T19:57:38Z")
Most of my friends drink diet soda, straight or gay. I really don’t see it has a gay culture component. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/24 "2011-09-22T20:05:57Z")
I’ve been wondering for a long time about 78rpm records and vintage phonographs. They’re a 100 per cent male passion, and it seems as though there’s a strong core cohort: the guys with the best collections and the best taste in music are also into stuff like opera, musicals, bodybuilding, and the worship of bygone stars (male or female). ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/25 "2011-09-22T20:28:04Z")
so, thhis is how they are spreading the disease - thru the consumption of diet soda and sugar substitutes! everyone thought it was cancer - nope - its the gay! (I drink close to a case of diet coke a day, and while I feel fabulous - and maybe a little jittery - my hetero nature is not in question) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/26 "2011-09-22T20:28:10Z")
I grew up drinking diet soda and that’s what I’m used to. To demonstrate how twisted I am, I actually like Fresca, although I do draw the line at Tab. I also prefer diet tonic water; after all the label on the Bombay gin bottle itself says to use “the least sweet tonic water available.” I hardly ever do have mixed drinks, but when I do, I like the bite of the alcohol. Why would I want to mask it with sugar? There does seem to be an idea in the popular mind that gay men are less likely to be overweight, and more likely to wear the kind of clothing that advertises that fact. Whether there’s anything to that, or it’s just a stereotype, I don’t know. I can see how someone who accepts that idea might make the association of being gay and drinking diet soda. I don’t know if there’s a kernel of truth to that idea, or if it’s just blatant stereotyping, but in this context it doesn’t make much difference. A popular notion doesn’t have to be based on fact for some people to accept it and build upon it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/27 "2011-09-22T22:20:40Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Mesh shirts were a staple of gay culture from mid-June till mid-August 1979. \*Maybe \*late August in Baltimore. Labor day in Cleveland. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/28 "2011-09-22T22:30:59Z")
I heard about Tab being a “gay drink,” but not all diet sodas as a whole. Even the Simpsons alluded to it in _Homer vs. Patty and Selma_. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/29 "2011-09-22T22:53:27Z")
Maybe it’s more a matter of shunning diet soda being a staple of homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/30 "2011-09-22T22:57:47Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Maybe it’s more a matter of shunning diet soda being a staple of homophobia. This could be it, coupled with a bit of sexism. Premise: Only women drink diet.\* Premise: Some men drink diet. Conclusion: Men who drink diet are queers. - which is apparently a real sentiment, since it led to the creation of [Coke Zero](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_Zero). ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/31 "2011-09-22T23:35:27Z")
Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Pepsi, Tab… It’s like the handkerchief code, right? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/32 "2011-09-22T23:35:43Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > - which is apparently a real sentiment, since it led to the creation of [Coke Zero](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_Zero). Ironically, in one of the [early commericals](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmyiY4VXMj8&feature=related) for Coke Zero, the eyeball’s French accent makes “real Coke taste” sound a lot like “real cock taste”. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/33 "2011-09-22T23:56:44Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Ironically, in one of the [early commericals](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmyiY4VXMj8&feature=related) for Coke Zero, the eyeball’s French accent makes “real Coke taste” sound a lot like “real cock taste”. But it doesn’t taste like … uh, I mean, hmmm that’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/34 "2011-09-23T19:29:46Z")
I used to think diet soda was for gay men too, till I turned 30 and my metabolism changed. Now I drink it as it’s better than water. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/35 "2011-09-23T19:45:30Z")
What. The. Fuck. I didn’t realize just how insidious and evil this gay movement was. They got me. I’ve been brainwashed. I’ve been drinking diet soda for years now. I’m halfway crossed over to the dark side already. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/36 "2011-09-23T20:00:18Z")
Hmmm…I’m a guy that’s lost about 20 pounds since switching to Pepsi Max (0 Calories). Does this mean I have to tell my wife I’m gay now?And I really do not want to have sex with men. Dammit! 😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/37 "2011-09-23T20:06:21Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > What. The. Fuck. I didn’t realize just how insidious and evil this gay movement was. They got me. I’ve been brainwashed. I’ve been drinking diet soda for years now. I’m halfway crossed over to the dark side already. ☹ I know how you feel. In addition to diet soda I’ve been listening to extended dance mixes for years. I don’t know how I’m going to break the news to my wife. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/38 "2011-09-23T20:28:10Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > But I thought wussy=gay? Not at all. Complaining that a McDonald’s hamburger is too spicy is wussy, but not gay. Wearing leather chaps with no pants is gay, but not wussy. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/39 "2011-09-24T11:12:15Z")
I like Coke Zero, especially the cherry version. It’s sort of diet, but not the same. So, am I bi? My wife will be surprised to hear it, but on the other hand I do fine Mike Rowe dreamy, so I guess it should have been obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199/40 "2011-09-24T12:09:51Z")
If you go into a grocery store in West Hollywood (gay neighborhood) you will see as much shelf space allocated to Tab as you do Coke. Coke Zero is the company’s attempt to market a diet drink to hetero men. So, basically yeah. Just like if you go into those stores, you will see Benson & Hedges cigarettes, a brand I didn’t realize was even still around until I was in the Gelson’s on Santa Monica Blvd. Similarly, a lot of lesbians smoke Marlboro. Certain brands have definately been glommed onto by the gay community. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diet-soda-a-staple-of-gay-culture/597199.md?page=1)