# What are ALL the perceptions of being gay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 25, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368 "2011-12-25T17:41:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368/1 "2011-12-25T17:41:47Z")

</div>

What are ALL the perceptions of being gay? How is a person perceived as gay? Do these perceptions extend to homosexual women, or are they only limited to homosexual men? Is there a particular reason why the word “gay” has an ambiguous definition? First it means “being happy”. Then it means “being homosexual”. Now it means “being retarded or stupid”. WTF? What would an heterosexual person (who is always happy and has a high IQ) do if he or she were fired from the job due to the perception of being “gay” in the first sense? What do heterosexuals have to do to avoid the perception of gayness?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368/2 "2011-12-25T18:33:46Z")

</div>

Since anwers to the OP will involve opinions, let’s move this one from General Questions to IMHO.

**samclem** , Moderator

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368/3 "2011-12-25T19:32:20Z")

</div>

I would appreciate very much that you have written “There is no factual answer for this type of question.” instead, and then locked the thread. :rolleyes:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-all-the-perceptions-of-being-gay/607368/4 "2011-12-25T19:46:08Z")

</div>

> [@SDMBKL](#):
>
> I would appreciate very much that you have written “There is no factual answer for this type of question.” instead, and then locked the thread. :rolleyes:

Your wish is my command.

Closed. Feel free to start another thread in the proper forum.

**samclem** , Moderator