# Straight woman with gay man = beard, so... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613 "2001-08-02T06:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/1 "2001-08-02T06:24:14Z")
If a straight woman with a gay man is a beard, what do you call a straight guy with a lesbian? ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/2 "2001-08-02T06:28:06Z")
_Hard up_. šŸ˜ƒ ā€¦Is she ā€œbutchā€ or ā€œlipstickā€? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/3 "2001-08-02T06:57:13Z")
I was under the impression that a beard was a male friend covering for the fact that you have a mistress. By taking her out and being seen with her no one is the wiser to who is dillying whose dally. Of course Iā€™ve been wrong twice beforeā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/4 "2001-08-02T07:14:27Z")
In my experience itā€™d be rare to hear someone refer to a straight woman out with a gay man as a beard. Fag-hag maybe - awful expression! **Monkeymensch** is right I think. The beard is the ā€œcoverā€ to confuse observers. Kind of the way a _chaperone_ is supposed to ensure that everyoneā€™s reputations stay spotless. None of the above have worked since 1960. Redboss ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/5 "2001-08-02T07:43:34Z")
According to this [Glossary of Sayings, Slang, Signs and Symbols for Gay Men](http://www.glinn.com/news/gaygloss.htm), I think the answer to the question in the OP would be ā€œa beardā€. > [@](#): > > Beard, ā€œA person of the opposite sex, either heterosexual or homosexual, who knowingly dates or marries a closeted lesbian or gay man to provide that person with a heterosexual ā€˜disguiseā€™, usually for family or career purposes.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/6 "2001-08-02T12:17:50Z")
If facial hair on the chin and of a man is called a beard, what do you call facial hair on the chin of a woman? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@The\_Mick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mick)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/7 "2001-08-02T14:05:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DMark \* > \*\*If a straight woman with a gay man is a beard, what do you call a straight guy with a lesbian? \*\* happy. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/8 "2001-08-02T16:11:48Z")
I have on a couple of occasions had the responsibility of escorting lesbian friends who were not completely out of the closet. We were under the impression that I was their beard. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/9 "2001-08-02T16:14:10Z")
A gay friend of mine recently grew an actual beard, which he has named ā€œSophie,ā€ after the wife of Prince Edward (aka ā€œDockside Dorisā€). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-woman-with-gay-man-beard-so/74613/10 "2001-08-02T17:59:21Z")
I think most of the usages mentioned are actually correct. The 4th definition in the AHD is simply ā€œOne who serves to divert suspicion or attention from anotherā€, and Iā€™ve heard it used in several contexts, not always sexual. The ā€œcoverā€ etymology seems natural, whatever the genders of the coverers and coverees.