Voice gay

Not liking how we sound is criticizing a very core aspect of ourselves. But each act of self-recognition, each acknowledgment of a part of ourselves we were taught to hide, brings us closer to a version of masculinity that is our own.

Reclaiming masculinity doesn’t mean giving up strength or resilience. I internalized early lessons about masculinity from my stepdad and from the religious messages in my family that labeled being gay as deviant or “a cross to bear.”

As a result, for many years I hid who I was and tried to play the role others expected of me, even acting “straight” to fit in.

But pitch alone doesn’t do the term justice.

There are two vocal devices commonly used in the queer community: uptalk and vocal fry.

Uptalk, also known as rising inflection and high-rising intonation, is a way of speaking in declarative sentences but with an intonational rise at the end, as if they were questions.

They want to know how men acquire this manner of speaking, and why – especially when society so often stigmatizes those with gay-sounding voices.

Rogers and Smyth are also exploring the stereotypes that gay men sound effeminate and are recognized by the way they speak.

They can do it for the same reasons, like to sound more authoritative, but they may have been culturally conditioned to sound straighter in uncomfortable situations, and more bedazzled with their close friends.

My other official gay senior queerrespondent, Lawrence Winnerman (pronouns: fierce/fabulous), had this to say about his relationship with and use of ‘gay voice’:

“Now we call it code switching, but speaking in a slightly higher, more sibilant voice is just a thing that happens around other queer folks.

Plus, because they're YouTubers, there's plenty of high-quality audio of them talking available online for analysis.

Coming out isn’t actually over. It’s also popular with millennials and Gen Z, although no matter who uses it, it is often seen as a negative attribute of speech.

‘Gay voice’’ goes even farther beyond pitch, uptalk and fry.

After identifying phonetic characteristics that seem to make a man’s voice sound gay, their best hunch is that some gay men may subconsciously adopt certain female speech patterns. You’re an asshole.” — Morgan Freeman

And I dearly hope that one day, we’ll live in a world where people can be their true, authentic selves — with no code switching required.

For years, he tried to sound less stereotypically gay, aligning his voice with masculine ideals. But as with any change we want to make, bringing awareness to the parts of ourselves we judge is the first step toward healing them. I don’t think about the fact that I have more than one voice any more than I think about the fact that I have more than one finger.”

Typically, ‘gay voice’ is less pronounced amongst strangers, stronger amongst friends, and strongest of all around other gay males.

They shape the way we move through the world, how we let ourselves be seen, and the ways we measure our worth.

Many gay men still carry the messages they learned growing up about masculinity and hold them as a standard to compare themselves and others. If I’m around people who I think are gay or queer, I’ll playfully use it in a way that can be denied as a joke later, if needed, but which often reveals that my gaydar is in fact correct, and allows for coming out and a freer and more comfortable conversation,” says Winnerman.

But sadly, it is still commonly used to hide sexuality, especially in areas that aren’t as welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.

And they also likely feel comfortable and safe with you. "Whether we are correct or not, we do form impressions of people's sexuality from their voices. Overall, she hopes her viral thesis has encouraged more people to embrace their curiosity.

"I love that this whole thing has just had loads of people commenting their ideas," she says.

A Doppler for drag, if you will.

‘Gay voice’ is sometimes referred to as a gay accent; however, there are vast variances between individuals because the gay community isn’t a monolith. Sammy is straight, and Niki's gay. They asked people to listen to recordings of 25 men, 17 of them gay. But gay men, of course, have the same amount of testosterone as the straighties.

An interesting point that these researchers studying straight male versus gay male voices found was that both groups modulate their voice depending on who they’re talking to.

A study found that many straight men speak more stereotypically ‘masculine’ with strangers than friends.

The closer the bonds, the higher the falsetto range and vocal glitter.