TotallyOz Posted February 24, 2008 Posted February 24, 2008 There is an article online talking about gaydar and it could be attributed to some scientific based rationale. I have always had a pretty good "gaydar" when I am in America and I think I am pretty accurate over 95 percent of the time. Of course that is my country of birth and I am so use to the prejudices and nuances of the people there. When I travel to Thailand, my gaydar goes into hibernation mode as I cannot tell at all which Thai boys are gay or not. It is almost impossible for me. The same clues that I use in the states does not work here at all. I have seen the boyfriend and he is able to tell which ones are gay and which ones are not much better than me. I think a lot has to do with this is his home. Have others seen the same thing? Does your "gaydar" work in LOS? Article: When people claim to have an acute “gaydar,” they may not be referring simply to their intuition. Long accepted as a fact in pop-culture lore, the ability to perceive homosexuality in others could be scientific. The Jan.-Feb. issue of Psychology Today (not available online) reports on a study by the Monell Chemical Senses Center where volunteers sniffed the armpits of sweaty T-shirts and rated how attracted they were to the scent. Lesbians were most attracted to the scent of other lesbians, gay men to the scent of other gay men, and straight people to the scent of straight people of the opposite sex. “This kind of scent-based gaydar enables gays to pinpoint potential partners instantaneously,” writes Psychology Today of the study. In the same vein, an article from Science Daily reported that homosexuals can be identified by gender-incongruent body types and walking styles. However, the way these ideas of gaydar differ from “straightdar,” if such a term existed, remains unclear. http://www.utne.com/2008-02-13/Science-Tec...ce-Technology++ Quote
Guest JoeM Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 Seems to work fine. Just got to be careful and let it ping a couple of times. That Thai male smile can be deceptive, but the eyes hardly ever lie. Quote
Gaybutton Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 sniffed the armpits of sweaty T-shirts and rated how attracted they were to the scent. That would be a novel approach, wouldn't it? "Pardon me, would you mind if I sniff your armpits?" Maybe that would work, although you might encounter a few people who feel that such a request is an imposition. Then, a few seconds later I suppose it could be somewhat deflating if you have to say, "Damn! You used scented deodorant! Why did you do that? Now how am I supposed to know?" Well, why not? After all, dogs seem to get away with walking up to strangers and sniffing crotches. Why can't we walk up to strangers and sniff armpits? Hey! If it's good enough for a dog, then it ought to be good enough for me. That article gives me an idea. I think I'll start rubbing my armpits with chicken. It may not attract those who wish to test their gaydar on me, if anyone would care in the first place, but at least I'll smell like soup. Actually, all kidding aside, at least in Thailand my own gaydar seems to work pretty well, even without benefit of armpit odors. It's difficult to be specific as to how or why it works, but I think JoeM has latched onto something when he says it's in the eyes. Now that I think about it, I think he's right. The eye contact seems to be the primary indicator, usually followed by a smile. That works pretty well for me. Quote
bkkguy Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 The eye contact seems to be the primary indicator, usually followed by a smile. That works pretty well for me. walk around any shopping complex or other cruise areas and every moneyboy in sight will catch your eye and smile and you probably don't need to sniff their armpits to know they are not "gay" except for pay! bkkguy Quote
Gaybutton Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 they are not "gay" except for pay! If you are talking exclusively about money boys, than of course I agree with you. But they're not all money boys. Anyone who has ever seen me would be sure to tell you that good looking and handsome are not even remote descriptions of me, and yet I regularly meet very cute guys who refuse to accept so much as a single baht. I don't understand why that happens, but I'm sure glad it does. Quote
Guest buckeroo2 Posted February 26, 2008 Posted February 26, 2008 My gaydar gets disconnected upon landing at the BKK airport. The tell tale signs that I use to spot gays does not work here. These guys are the most androgynous I have even encountered. Thai guys primp and prime more than most guys I have seen elsewhere. I kid with my Thai friends that I never want to get between a Thai guy, straight or gay, and a mirror. Most non-Thai guys I know take a shower , comb their hair and never look in a mirror the rest of the day. Here straight guys wearing girls head bands, pink or lavender watches, the latest fashions and hairstyles - I think about 80% of Thai guys look gay. I walked by a Karaoke bar the other night and there was a heavily tattooed worker, who I thought looked very straight, sitting oin his motor bike using its mirror while he applied a a curling iron to his hair. I haven't the foggiest idea how to pick out the gay guys here. nds If you are talking exclusively about money boys, than of course I agree with you. But they're not all money boys. Anyone who has ever seen me would be sure to tell you that good looking and handsome are not even remote descriptions of me, and yet I regularly meet very cute guys who refuse to accept so much as a single baht. I don't understand why that happens, but I'm sure glad it does. Quote
Gaybutton Posted February 26, 2008 Posted February 26, 2008 I haven't the foggiest idea how to pick out the gay guys here. It's terribly difficult to pinpoint anything. The best I can tell you is that once you've lived here long enough, you get to kind of just know. For me, I can "kinda-sorta" narrow it down to the eye contact and the smile. But there are subtleties to it that simply take getting used to. There are so many factors . . . demeanor, attitude, facial expression, body language, etc. It works for me. Quote
Guest buckeroo2 Posted February 29, 2008 Posted February 29, 2008 I have been coming regularly to Thailand for close to 20 yrs. I now live here six months every yr and my gaydar has never improved. I travel around Pattaya with a Thai lady friend and her husband and they always laugh at me when I think some Thai guy we see is gay. Maybe it has to do with gay culture/fashion back home - guys with tight capris, buttefly berets in their hair, pink flowered flip flops. lavender flower watches, etc should tip you off - but I guess they are just gender bending guys who are comfortable with their heterosexuality - and my friend always says "straight" when I look at her in a questioning manner. And like I said before, I do not come between any Thai guy and a mirror, straight or gay, doesn't matter - a dangerous proposition for sure. It's terribly difficult to pinpoint anything. The best I can tell you is that once you've lived here long enough, you get to kind of just know. For me, I can "kinda-sorta" narrow it down to the eye contact and the smile. But there are subtleties to it that simply take getting used to. There are so many factors . . . demeanor, attitude, facial expression, body language, etc. It works for me. Quote
Gaybutton Posted February 29, 2008 Posted February 29, 2008 my friend always says "straight" when I look at her in a questioning manner. Just out of curiosity, how do you know she's right? Quote
Guest jomtien Posted February 29, 2008 Posted February 29, 2008 guys with tight capris, buttefly berets in their hair, pink flowered flip flops. lavender flower watches, How dare you reveal my identity! I'll have to tell Art to spill beer on you the next time you go in his bar. Quote
Guest buckeroo2 Posted March 1, 2008 Posted March 1, 2008 I do not know for certainty but I trust she understands Thais better than do I. She worked in Boyztown at a gay club for more than a dozen yrs and sometimes she actually knows the people in question. Sometimes she introduces me to people I am sure are gay and she knows that not to be true. But , of course, nothing is 100% certain. Today she visited me with her teenage son and monthly he has the bands on his braces of his teeth changed - this month they are pink, his favorite color - and she looked at me and started to laugh as she said "not gay for sure". Just out of curiosity, how do you know she's right? Quote
Guest consumerismsux Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 My gaydar in Thailand is totally scrambled whereas in Australia, it's pretty accurate. I work in a Thai technical college (co-ed) with about 4000 students. There are some very obvious gay guys but I'm sure there are many who are gay but don't show it. What confuses me even more is that most of my students, male & female, sometimes show a curious (& strong) interest in me by way of prolonged eye contact while smiling. I'd love to "come out" in my job but I'm not sure if that would be a sensible thing to do. Generally, I wish to maintain the current level of respect that my students & colleagues have for me so I don't think that I'll be "coming out" soon. Quote
