He enrols in voice coaching that promises to give him a “powerful and authentic” voice. With these feelings of self-loathing, Thorpe sets on a journey to see if he can become more comfortable with his voice again (and presumably, with himself). “Who could respect, much less fall in love with, an old braying ninny like me?” he asks. He’s just gone through a breakup and is feeling unconfident and low. ‘Gaydar’ works - and conservatives have more of it, says U of T researcherĪs the film begins, Thorpe is disturbed because he realizes he doesn’t like his voice anymore. It raises a complicated discussion about gay pride, lingering homophobia, disguised misogyny and the extent to which we all alter the image that we present to the world. These are the questions in a new documentary, Do I Sound Gay? It’s a fascinating and nuanced film, in which the director, David Thorpe, uses his feelings about his voice to look at attitudes toward homosexuality.
The man might pronounce his p’s, t’s and k’s very crisply, or have what’s sometimes (incorrectly) described as a “lisp.” Think Nathan Lane in The Birdcage, or Buddy Cole of The Kids in the Hall.īut is there any reality in this stereotype? Do gay men actually sound different than straight men? And if so, why?
Most of us are familiar with the stereotype of a “gay voice.” A man speaks at a higher pitch, and in a more melodious fashion.
