# When Gay Culture Goes Mainstream **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989 "2011-11-15T06:58:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/1 "2011-11-15T06:58:56Z")
Listening to Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” the other day it occurred to me that there are times when something popular in gay culture makes it to the mainstream without straight people being aware. While the homosexuality of members of the group were hardly a secret, I really don’t think most women in the 20s who were wearing “Frankie Says Relax” t-shirts in the 1980s were aware of that fact. I’m just curious, for those of you who had very little knowledge of gay culture, was there anything you liked that you later became surprised to learn was connected to gay culture? For our LGBT folk, how did you feel when something from your community became popular in the mainstream? Odesio PS: For those who might be offended by the idea of a gay culture, well, I don’t know what else to call it. Nor am I trying to lump all LGBT people into one big lump. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/2 "2011-11-15T07:12:21Z")
Foam parties started out as a gay bar thing, and a rather racy one at that. Now they’re so mainstream that some high schools have them (albeit with more clothes and less touching). It doesn’t bother me in the least. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/3 "2011-11-15T08:22:14Z")
How’bout the band Queen? Freddy Mercury was about as queer as they get, and nobody gave a shit because of his pure, concentrated awesome. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/4 "2011-11-15T08:48:49Z")
_The Wizard of Oz._ I remain unclear on the gay-culture connection (not even the Munchkins look all that swishy), but apparently it’s obvious to gays. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/5 "2011-11-15T09:09:26Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > PS: For those who might be offended by the idea of a gay culture, well, I don’t know what else to call it. Does “gay culture” encompass anything any gay artist does ever, or does it have more specific defining characteristics? ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/6 "2011-11-15T09:35:07Z")
Virtually everything in our culture that had to be “created” can be traced back to either gays or blacks. The rest of you guys are just sheep. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/7 "2011-11-15T10:19:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Virtually everything in our culture that had to be “created” can be traced back to either gays or blacks. The rest of you guys are just sheep. Agreed. I hate to keep bringing up Justin Bieber but I think you’ll get a yuk out of this. For some reason his (adult) stylist has had him sporting a scarf or hankie out of his pocket for maybe two years now. For someone who is supposedly straight he certainly is into fisting/anal/watersports/etc. Whooooosh! ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/8 "2011-11-15T10:49:09Z")
The handkerchief/pocket thing hasn’t been a gay thing since the 70’s. In the 80’s it turned into single earrings but now that’s faded out too. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/9 "2011-11-15T11:04:25Z")
Wasn’t the entire rave scene of the '90s, which had a profound effect on UK culture, straight out of NYC gay clubs? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/10 "2011-11-15T11:13:09Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > The handkerchief/pocket thing hasn’t been a gay thing since the 70’s. Why do it then? It looks stoopid! > [@](#): > > In the 80’s it turned into single earrings but now that’s faded out too. Yup, I came of age in the “Left is right, right is wrong” era. Now everyone pierces everything as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/11 "2011-11-15T12:30:57Z")
And everything claimed by blacks or gays, can be traced back to someone else. That’s the one thing about the Internet, no matter what you think you invented or started, someone else always was there before, in one way or another ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/12 "2011-11-15T12:49:28Z")
YMCA and the Village People in general. Regarding The Wizard of Oz, the gay community at the time really loved Judy Garland. In addition, the general plot of the movie can be seen as a parallel to the struggle of being gay in a world where that wasn’t accepted. Unhappy person living in a drab world searches for and finds a bright, colorful place where she can express herself = pretty much the gay dream at that point (and still is). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/13 "2011-11-15T12:50:27Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > _The Wizard of Oz._ > > I remain unclear on the gay-culture connection (not even the Munchkins look all that swishy), but apparently it’s obvious to gays. It’s my understanding that this movie is only a gay icon (well, to the extent that it is) because of a fan base that attached to the lead actress decades later. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/14 "2011-11-15T13:18:22Z")
Well, there is the incredibly swishy Tin Man, and that Lion is a sissy. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/15 "2011-11-15T13:26:37Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Virtually everything in our culture that had to be “created” can be traced back to either gays or blacks. The rest of you guys are just sheep. Now wait: the French Revolution was definitely started by frumpy straight women, but by the time it evolved into the Napoleonic Wars, yes; it was high camp. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/16 "2011-11-15T13:31:38Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Virtually everything in our culture that had to be “created” can be traced back to either gays or blacks. The rest of you guys are just sheep. Tesla invented it, then the gays and blacks made is popular. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/17 "2011-11-15T13:50:12Z")
I was surprised to see our whole childrens swim team, like 150 kids, singing and acting out _YMCA._ A very peppy tune and the kids love it but what adult thought this would be a good song for kids to sing? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/18 "2011-11-15T14:11:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Does “gay culture” encompass anything any gay artist does ever, or does it have more specific defining characteristics? It would mean something that gay people did that straight people didn’t. Or things that are really popular amongst gay people, but not amongst straight people. It’s the same thing as anything else that goes from the niche to mainstream. Gay culture is like hippie culture which is like goth culture which is like… ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/19 "2011-11-15T14:13:54Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Virtually everything in our culture that had to be “created” can be traced back to either gays or blacks. The rest of you guys are just sheep. So, pet rocks, the macarana, cheeze whiz, planking, beer pong, parkour, feng shui, metrosexuality, microprocessors, tupperware parties, SUVs, atomic submarines … all gay! I see! And you WONDER why conservatives view gay culture with alarm! Of course, a gay probably came up with schools to teach not-gayness, too! I hope you’re proud of yourselves! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989/20 "2011-11-15T14:47:59Z")
> [@Stauderhorse](#): > > YMCA and the Village People in general. While the group used “gay culture” as a starting point, at least half of The Village People were straight and “YMCA” was not written about gay men. > **[Y.M.C.A. (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y.M.C.A._%28song%29)** > > "Y.M.C.A." is a song by American disco group Village People, written by Jacques Morali (also the record's producer) and singer Victor Willis and released in October 1978 by Casablanca Records as the only single from their third studio album, Cruisin' (1978). A medley with "Hot Cop" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, while the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979, placing behind both "Le Freak" by Chic and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Ro The... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-gay-culture-goes-mainstream/602989.md?page=2)