I am not proud to admit I, too, believe there is a “gay” accent. I’m ashamed, but I’m not alone, am I? Tell me you don’t have an idea when I say, “picture a gay accent.” Tell me that’s something completely foreign … you’re not hearing a playful lisp, deliberately affected speech, statements that end with upward intonation, or some distinctly feminine manner of speech. You aren’t thinking about any of these things? Good for you. Now go away.
Like many homosexuals, David Thorpe has been bullied. He attributed the bullying (at least in part) to his speech and now seeks to 1) identify the characteristics of that speech which made him a target and 2) change them. Can he sound more “masculine?” What does that mean? It’s sad that he’s felt the need to change himself over something which should be so benign. Well, that’s what I felt at first. As Do I Sound Gay? progresses, however, it seems pretty clear that David Thorpe is fascinated by David Thorpe and probably will take up any self-serving fad that ultimately drills down to some deeper understanding of his favorite subject, himself. He’s like one of those guys who can’t take enough of those “Which Vice President Are You?” kind of quizzes.
Oh, David talks to many opinionated people, including three of my favorites – David Sedaris, Margaret Cho and George Takei. And often, he unearths (albeit randomly) some interesting truths – for instance, we trust men implicitly more than women because of the definitive downbeat ending the statements men (in general) make. Content is irrelevant; we like to know that whomever gets our trust has no question in the statements he/she makes. David also interviews actual scientists on the objectivity of gay appearances. Did you know that you can’t accurately guess sexual orientation from disembodied speech more than 60% of the time? I didn’t.
For all the sound investigation taken by David Thorpe, the science of Do I Sound Gay? often defers to David’s personality. He approaches this potentially insightful scientific study the way a college freshman takes Psych 101 to figure out why he’s so messed up. And then he interrupts the findings with something self-indulgent. 
Most of the interviews go like this:
“So David, I’ve done many studies and I’ve found that speech pattern is tangentially linked to many factors including parental influence, sexual preference, genetic composition, political beliefs, childhood trauma, and whether or not the speaker owns a dog …”
“Yeah, that’s fascinating. I wonder what I sound like gargling into a fan …”
(Film cuts off to show David gargling into a fan)
This isn’t great science and it’s perhaps a tad demeaning to many, but certainly not all, homosexuals. I think what I learned most here is the exaggerated speech pattern of gays in my mind is not necessarily a fiction, but a deliberate exaggeration for the purposes of homosexual self-pride. Odds are you’ve heard such on television, but never in person because most people, homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals or something else entirely, just sound like people.
A generation past offers thought to posit
Much observed icons did certainly cause it
A magnificent wind
Liberace and Paul Lynde
Was life more fun with us in the closet?
Not Rated, 77 Minutes
D: David Thorpe
W: Sounds like it wasn’t
Genre: (pseudo) Science!
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: David Thorpe
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: People who cannot stand David Thorpe
