Men Are Sharing The Everyday Things They Have Been Told Not To Do Because "It's Gay" And Some Of These Are WILD
Recently, a Reddit thread started by u/baetangarette went viral after this question was posed: "Straight guys, what is the strangest thing you have been told not to do because 'it's gay'?"
Soon after, makeup artist and activist Matt Bernstein (aka mattxiv) created an Instagram post highlighting performative masculinity, aka the adoption of traits considered to be “masculine” to achieve acceptance in society.
Here are some of the most top-voted responses from the post:
*Get ready for a whole bunch of anti-gay and misogynistic rhetoric.
1."Putting on sunscreen."
"FELLAS! Is it gay to protect yourself from UV rays?"
2."The strangest one I've heard is that two guys can't drive around in a convertible with the top down."
3."Eating soup. For some reason, a friend of mine thinks soup is gay and I love soup."
4."Get a vasectomy. I’ve seen it making the rounds of fundamentalist influencers as well. Apparently having tons of unprotected worry-free sex with my wife is gay."
5."I've heard before that two guys can't sit next to each other in a movie theater if it's not crowded."
6."Cleaning your house. I was getting ready for a big party and had cleaned the house spotless. A random guy said, 'Wow your place is so clean, what are you gay?' All my friends just stared at him and started laughing at him."
7."My dad called me gay for eating a salad at lunch one time. I was in the first grade."
8."Drink wine. In 'small-town Southern USA,' guys drink beer and girls drink wine. Some dude took my glass of wine and gave me a beer at a house party once."
9."I had a male friend who wouldn’t drink through a straw because you 'look gay' when you use a straw."
10."Designing a 'curvy' UI component, like a button, alert dialog, or text box. If it's too rounded, my coworker says it's gay."
11."I was literally tattooing on a guy and I said, 'Ok, just have magenta and gold then we're done' and he, I shit you not, said, 'Magenta?! What are you, queer? Just call it pink. Don't need to have fancy names for shit.' Like dude, I have 10 different shades of pink in this drawer."
12."When I was in a running club the trainer told me to close my hands to a fist while running or else it looked gay. I still don't understand his point. Are fists heterosexual and open hands gay? And also how does that have ANYTHING to do with running?"
13."Have a cat. My little buddy is so damn cool. Everyone loves Cosmo."
14."Going down on a woman. Seriously. Fellas, is it gay to have sex with women?"
15."Any leg cross that wasn't your ankle resting on your knee was considered gay."
16."Checking my finger nails with my palm facing away from me."
17."Moisturizing, using conditioner, or spending time on skincare."
18."Running for a train or bus."
19."Old guys at work said that liking avocado is gay."
20."Like flowers. I love lilacs and will not be shamed for going out of my way every spring to fall in love with the smell again and again."
21."Using an umbrella."
22."A Facebook friend posted she would never let her man wear flip flops because 'that's gay.'"
23.And finally, the most common response: "Wiping your own ass."
What other absolutely wild toxic masculinity have you heard from others? Let us know in the comments below.
Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
