He says sexual orientation is something people are born with, and this orientation makes some gay men more feminine. Northwestern University psychology professor Michael Bailey has spent years studying human sexuality. The show's most famous character, Jack McFarland, is flamboyantly feminine. And the writers of the show "Will and Grace" made their main gay character, Will Truman, a high-powered attorney.īut the stereotypes do persist. Barney Frank is an openly gay congressman from Massachusetts. Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres are high-profile lesbians working in comedy and daytime television. Increasingly gay people are visible in every profession. "Whether you work, you know, as an artist or a singer or a dancer, those are all really creative places where gay people are embraced," Kressley said
Researchers say it's because lesbians, on average, are attracted to more masculine occupations, and gay men tend to prefer more feminine occupations.īut it is true that hostility toward gay people drove many away from some other professions. There is research that suggests gay men do prefer certain professions, like fashion, interior design and hair coloring, and that lesbians are more likely to prefer sports and the military.
Not all straight men are bad dressers," he said. But, says Allen, the stereotypes are not always true. "It's that you're obsessed with fashion, and that you tan a lot and that you color your hair," they said.
What, we asked, are the stereotypes about gay men? We talked to Carson Kressley and Ted Allen, two of the stars of the hit television show "Queer Eye" about the stereotypes.