Voice gay

She found the opposite − Niki actually had the shorter voice onset time.

That's not all. They also lower their pitch when speaking authoritatively in leadership positions, while giving orders, and around women they think are purdy. I can and have deepened my voice and maybe even grunted a time or two to throw off the queer scent.”

I hate that even in 2025, some people have to code-switch.

Self‑Esteem, Vocal Satisfaction, and Vocal Self‑Perception Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) and Cisgender Heterosexual Individuals. "To any little girl or boy or whoever who's just constantly told that they're asking 'why' too often and asking too many questions, don't stop asking questions, because you can learn such cool stuff if you foster that curiosity within yourself."

Advance online publication.

But what is it within their voices that we are thinking sounds 'gay'?"

'A tiny piece in a massive puzzle'

Prior research on "gay voice," Broadhurst says, has primarily focused on gay men's vowel duration and sibilance, or the way they pronounce "s" and similar consonants.

So, when Broadhurst brought her thesis idea to her supervisor at Oxford, he suggested she look into word initial voice onset time, something that hasn't been heavily researched in regard to gay people.

Broadhurst describes this as the amount of time between a stop consonant − such as an unvoiced "t" or "p" sound − and a sound that requires the vocal folds to vibrate.

Do gay people exhibit a shorter or longer voice onset time than straight people do?

After three years of research, linguistics professors Henry Rogers and Ron Smyth may be on the verge of answering that question. "Whether we are correct or not, we do form impressions of people's sexuality from their voices. 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.

True masculinity comes from strength in vulnerability, authenticity, and defining yourself on your own terms. 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.

We learn a narrow set of ideals about what it means to be a boy, such as being tough, stoic, athletic, or emotionally contained. I’d absolutely love your support at any level that’s comfortable for you…

$1 per month · $2 per month · $3 per month · $4 per month · $5 per month

Don’t have any money? One day, I promise things will get better and we can all be our pantastic, gayeriffic, poly-glamorous selves…with no glass closet.

Because nobody should live in a closet.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized masculinity isn’t about fitting into someone else’s box. Broadhurst also compared how each twin spoke when talking with straight people versus gay people. They speak the rainbow in a sense. The closer the bonds, the higher the falsetto range and vocal glitter. Journal of Voice.

They may soften their voice or adjust how they say something without conscious thought.
Small self-corrections accumulate over time and send unconscious messages to ourselves, reinforcing the negative beliefs we may carry about what it means to be gay and our ideas of masculinity. In a single sentence, some can go from a Barry White-esque bass-baritone all the way up to a Mariah-Carey-esque high note.

I think my “gay voice” contributes to the stereotypical signs that people associate with us, like talking with our hands, the “limp wrist,” constant eyerolls, a sashaying walk — all of which I have.”
Characteristic pitch used in ‘gay voice’ can be higher, but it’s much more varied than their straightie counterparts.

Their range and use of inflection for effect can give their cadence a more melodic flow, which is a commonly recognized sound of ‘gay voice’. 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.
There’s a scientific basis to what we’re hearing, and it’s often used as a sound-based detector, ‘gaydar’.
That’s right, gaydar is a scientific process.