Invisible to Gaydar: Difference between revisions

|'''Ryan North''' on Utahraptor, ''[[Dinosaur Comics]]''<ref>in title text for comic 1129.</ref>}}

 

 

 

 

In some cases—especially [[Soap Opera]]s—this may be because of a [[Suddenly Sexuality]] switch for a previously heterosexual character.

 

{{examples}}

* Kajiwara in [[Kanon]], is a textbook case. Everybody, even the readers, is taken by surprise when they find out.

* Shinobu Sensui from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'', by [[Word of God]]. It doesn't stop him from being [[Nietzsche Wannabe|an insane nihilist intent on destroying all of humanity...]]

* ''[[Ai no Kusabi]]'': Pretty much everyone in the main cast.

* ''[[Legend of the Blue Wolves]]'': Leonard and Jonathan.

 

* Probably{{verify}} the best-known gay comic book character is Northstar.

* Obsidian, the son of the [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] [[Green Lantern]]. He did once help solve a crime using nothing but his vast knowledge of show tunes, however.

** Shortly before Wiccan and Hulking outed themselves, he was still calling himself Asgardian. The potential for jokes stemming from this name compelled him to change it. Even the stoic Patriot got a chuckle out of that.

* Bryan Hand from ''[[Ms. Tree]]''.

* X-Men's Anole, his love of theater notwithstanding.

* Walden Woods from ''[[Dork Tower]]'', whose most notable mannerism is his constant more-[[Goth]]-than-thou demeanor, while his sexual orientation was mentioned only as a passing gag.

* Pretty much any gay character written by [[Gail Simone]], including [[Wonder Woman|Achiles]] and [[Birds of Prey|Creote]]

{{quote|'''Duncan:''' Hey Bri, there's a club up the beach that might be-

'''Brian:''' Playing Cher or some other crap I don't want to listen to. }}

 

* There's a [[Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls|definite tendency]] within the ''[[Good Omens]]'' fandom to write Crowley like this.

* Generally very common in [[Slash Fic]]: as the characters are often intended as straight in canon or [[No Hugging, No Kissing|it's just not given much thought]], [[Slash Fic]] characters tend not to have the stereotypical gay traits most gay characters in media tend to have, if they're kept in character. That's a ''very'' big if, of course, see [[Wimpification]] for details. Moreover, while [[Camp Gay]]s and [[Butch Lesbian]]s are not terribly prevalent in [[Real Life]], many, if not most, queer people are not altogether Invisible to Gaydar (queer women often note that even [[Lipstick Lesbian]]s often [[Important Haircut|cut their hair very short]] when they [[Coming Out Story|come out of the closet]]), but if a fictional character is written as straight, they will, naturally, tend to act straight. Thus, this trope is incredibly common in [[Slash Fic]].

** Or, just as often, paired [[Crack Pairing|with each other]].

* A non-slash example could be found in ''[[Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With The Light]]'', where Anna Watson's lesbianism is briefly mentioned by Mary Jane when she's explaining to Liz Allan why her cousin Kristy's father is not Mary Jane's uncle. When she appears in the story, Anna Watson is typically serving as a [[Parental Substitute]] to Mary Jane. She fills in for Mary Jane's mother, a [[Broken Bird]] who's in no shape to do the job herself because of everything she's been through at the hands of Phillip Watson, Mary Jane's father and Anna's brother.

 

* [[Val Kilmer]]'s detective, "Gay Perry" in ''[[Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]]''.

* The stars of ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''.

* "Weekend" is about two straight gays, one who is more comfortable with his sexuality than the other.

* Zac Beaulieu from ''[[C.R.A.Z.Y.]]''. But that might have to do with being an [[Armored Closet Gay]] who grows up in the 1960's to 1980's.

 

* Renly and Loras from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' are this in-universe, being manly knights and not-so-secret lovers. However, they just so happen to have a lot of character traits that would associate them with modern gay culture. Renly enjoys romantic chivalry, bright colors, witty banter, and even creates an order called the Rainbow Guard to act as his bodyguards. Rainbows have religious significance in his culture. Loras is called the Knight of Flowers because his fashion usually incorporates flowers, the ancient symbol of his house. Noblemen of their stature are generally expected to [[Real Men Wear Pink|wear expensive costumes]] that display their wealth and status.

* In ''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]'', most people are unaware that handsome film actor Tracy Bacon is gay. Clay is also a closeted gay man himself.

* Drew, hero of ''The Gumshoe, the Witch and the Virtual Corpse'' as well as it's sequel ''Gumshoe Gorilla''.

* {{spoiler|Captain John Granby}} from [[Temeraire|the Temeraire series]] is revealed to be this in book 7. Prior to this, there was no real indication as to his preferences.

 

* [[Armored Closet Gay|Riley]] and [[Closet Key|Zane]] from ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]]'' are pictured above. Riley's [[Coming Out Story]] has been his major arc since his introduction, because he struggles with being both gay and the school's star athlete. His boyfriend Zane often gets painted in fanfiction as much [[Camp Gay|campier]] than he is in-universe because Riley is so much more masculine by comparison. Get Zane alone and he's as butch as the next guy...[[Anime Hair|except for the hair]].

** There's also Dylan, Paige's brother who is also a gifted hockey player. [[Really Gets Around|Bit of a player though]].

* Michael Boatman's character on ''[[Spin City]]'' was gay; aside from being overly fastidious, and his dressing habits, he had no obvious 'gay' mannerisms at all—though occasionally he showed a few signs, such as a deep knowledge of musicals and his treatment of his dog.

* The short-lived series ''Normal, Ohio'' featured John Goodman as a gay male who, homosexuality aside, would have passed for a standard heterosexual sitcom dad (love of beer, football, etc).

** In a fifth season episode, "Abomination", Huang says something about how gay people grow up hearing the same insults and stereotypes about gays "as the rest of us do", suggesting that either he was closeted or it was a [[Throw It In]] case inspired by actor BD Wong's real-life sexuality.

* A rather strange case is Tom from ''[[Lost]]''. In three seasons, the only hint of any kind of sexuality from him was his telling Kate "You're not my type." Then, a season and a half after that (a few episodes after his death), he's confirmed as gay. This was a [[Sure Why Not]] when the writers learned that the fans thought he was gay.

* Subverted in ''[[The War at Home]].'' While Kenny doesn't dress [[Camp Gay]] and has interests ''[[Star Wars]]''-esque interests, he also secretly has knowledge on musicals and keeps a journal in which he writes poems.

* ''[[Emmerdale]]'''s trainee mechanic and fully qualified juvenile delinquent Aaron is Invisible to Gaydar to the point that half the village initially thought he was faking it to avoid a prison sentence for a homophobic assault. His current love interest, a builder named Jackson, also qualifies, something that's [[Lampshade Hanging|discussed within the show]], as Jackson mocks Aaron for thinking he's the only gay man in the world with a manly job or personal angst about his straight gayness.

** In the episode "Tucked, Taped and Gorgeous", Charlie and Alan both (separately) deal with insecurity about their sexuality after Alan befriends a gambling, cigar smoking, single gay dad.

* On ''[[Numb3rs]]'', Amita's parents arrive with a (male) childhood friend of hers, clearly trying to match them up. He appears to be courting Amita throughout the episode. A jealous Charlie finally confronts her, and she tells him that the friend is gay. (Unintentionally?) [[Lampshaded]] when an exasperated Charlie asks, "How was I supposed to know that? Do your parents know that?"

** See also Dr. Reid Oliver. Before he starts dating Luke, the protagonist accuses Reid of being homophobic when appearing uncooperative about hastening Noah's surgery. Complete with a soft chortle, [[The Reveal]], and then a jab about not knowing the gay handshake.

** Come to think of it, none of the minor gay characters from Luke's college days did anything particularly gay either. Might be because Oakdale's a small town in the Midwest that, despite its latent progressiveness about gay teens, relied primarily on farms, sports, and leisure for hobbies.

** The webisodes confirm him as [[Bi the Way|bi]], actually.

** ''[[Caprica]]'' gives us an example in Sam Adama, though.

* {{spoiler|Dave Karofsky}} on [[Glee]], who doubles as [[Armored Closet Gay]].

* Season three of ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' introduced former ATF agent Steve Jinks to the team. After Claudia misinterpreted his interest in her, he blurts out that he's gay.

* ''[[Soap]]'' has an odd example with Jodie. For much of the first season, he's [[Camp Gay]], what with cross-dressing, being a good decorator and tales of putting on makeup as a child. In later seasons, however, he's just Invisible to Gaydar. Then there's his [[Armored Closet Gay|closeted]] on again, off again boyfriend Dennis (a football star), and his lesbian roommate Alice, both Invisible to Gaydar.

* Don Finlayson from the Australian 1970s soap opera ''[[Number 96]]''. Notably, Don was the first ever openly gay main character in a television show.

 

* Joe Pitt in ''[[Angels in America]]'', who tries early on to repress his homosexuality, and in fact doesn't even consciously recognize that he's gay until "[[Mistaken for Gay]]" by his future lover.

** Said future lover, Louis, can be played many ways certainly, but it's worth noting that in their first scene together, Prior tells him: "You don't notice anything. If I hadn't spent the last four years fellating you I'd swear you were straight."

** Mind you, just before that, Louis says, "I always get so closety at these family things", and Prior replies, "Butch, you get butch." Also, one of the first things Louis says to Joe is "run in my nylons", and when he gives his name he adds "but my friends call me Louise." So Louis obviously tends to act differently depending on his company. He has issues with drag queens (he claims they're sexist—yet he obviously feminizes himself in a self-deprecating way in the scene where he first meets Joe). Basically, Louis' gender presentation (and attitudes about same) is another way in which Kushner points up his anguish which tends towards hypocrisy.

* Rod from ''[[Avenue Q]]'': "[[I Have This Friend|My friend's not like that]]. [[Gay Conservative|He's a Republican]]."

 

* One of the intimidating armoured guards in ''[[The Longest Journey]]'' mentions that he's gay if you try to get your (female) character past him by flirting. Unless it was just a [[Sorry, I'm Gay|quick way out]].

* ''[[Fable]]'' and especially its sequel present the player with the option of same-sex dating, but only with NPCs that are themselves gay or bisexual. These NPCs are not obviously gay - this is discovered by flirting with them and getting a positive response. Otherwise, they dress and act the way the straight townspeople do.

* Kevin Smith from ''[[Killer7]]'' had a romantic relationship with another man according to [[All There in the Manual|companion book]] ''Hand in killer7'', although you wouldn't know this by just playing the game.

* Arguably, Urick in ''[[Drakengard]]'' 2. It's heavily, ''heavily'' implied that he and Yaha were more than just friends, and Urick doesn't display any overly-effeminate traits, unless being the former guardian of what basically amounts to a magical flower garden counts. [[Camp Gay|Yaha, on the other hand...]]

* In ''[[Mass Effect (video game)|Mass Effect 1]]'', a female [[Player Character|Shepard]] romancing Liara [[Discount Lesbians|comes off as this]].

** Certain data files in {{spoiler|Lair of the Shadow Broker}} heavily imply ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'''s {{spoiler|Gavorn}} is this.

** Aside from Shepard, there's Steve Cortez, the pilot of the ''Normandy'''s shuttle. Seen getting in debates with other Alliance officers about which patrol craft is better than the other. Was married, but sadly, his husband was on one of the colonies targeted by the Collectors. On the other hand, he does talk about that dead husband [[Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?|an awful lot]].

*** It could be justified by the fact that he found that he never truly got over his husband's death and he was reminded of it when he picked up that last recording before leaving Earth. Things like that, some depressed people tend to want to get off their chest. Also, he enjoys his conversations with Shepard and Vega on unrelated things, like [[Fandom Nod|Mako vs. Hammerhead.]]

** Tony Prince is more of a double subversion than a straight trope, no pun intended. While he isn't interested in fashion or speaking in a perpetual lisp, he is a drama queen who snorts coke and runs nightclubs, and even calls himself an "old queen" at one point. That said, he tends to play this angle up more when in a group of people or at his clubs than when interacting with Luis, to whom he is cynical, rational, mature, and at one point in the game, {{spoiler|even self-sacrificing.}}

* ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' has Conrad Marburg as one of the most dangerous nemeses in the game. A life-long black ops [[Psycho for Hire]] who's gotten ''very'' good at [[Badass Grandpa|killing people over his long career, whether by guns or bare fists]]. [[Made of Iron|Tough as nails]] and a [[Consummate Professional]]. The only clues that he has ''any'' sexuality are the statues adorning his mansion, and if you have the right handler for that mission, she points out that he doesn't invite ''female'' guests.

* [[Fallout: New Vegas|Arcade Gannon]] is gay. You can flirt with him if you're of the same orientation; otherwise, he just reveals it in some blink-and-you'll-miss-it lines.

* Most of the male cast of ''[[Morenatsu]]'', and especially the main character and all nine [[Dating Sim|potential love interests]].

** And even then, the line goes by so fast that it could be mistaken for a smart ass comment.

** His penthouse has a post it with a girl's phone number and a "Forever Alone" doodle, meaning he could be [[Bi the Way|bisexual]].

 

* Vinci from ''[[Vinci and Arty]]''. Although he isn't specifically gay ([[Word of God]] says he doesn't pay much attention to physical details), at least in regards to his relationship with Arty he technically qualifies.

** Though his occasionally being mistaken for female somewhat overshadows this.

* ''[[Bob the Angry Flower]]'' plays it straight (ha ha) with [http://www.angryflower.com/homose.gif Homosexual Robot Cop].

* Ethan of ''[[Shortpacked]]'' describes himself as gay, but puts a whole lot more energy into thinking about toys than about sex, sexuality, and fulfilling stereotypes.

* [[The Woobie|Justin]] from ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', to the point where the girl who inadvertently outed him [[Clingy Jealous Girl|still thinks she can win him back]].

** Justin's initial appearance (longer hair, earring in his right ear, and a frickin' ''purple'' martial arts uniform) would easily set off gaydars (and indeed this might have been the intention), but he has since lost the earring, and his hair has steadily been getting shorter and thinner. He's also tall ([[Word of God]] says he's 6 feet), [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-08 physically strong, good with martial arts], and [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-09-24 occasionally] [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-09-27 badass]. By now, [[Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?|it would be very difficult to tell that he's gay if it weren't for occasional references to this fact]].

* Josh of ''[[Honeydew Syndrome]]'' fits this trope (though he's more straight bisexual than straight gay, it seems). There isn't ''anything'' about him that could be called stereotypically gay or effeminate.

* Colin from ''[[Goodbye Chains]]''. If anything, he might be more manly then the heterosexual Banquo.

* Most of the men in [[Blur the Lines]], including the two protagonists, Drew and Rick.

** [[Parodied]] when Drew mocks Rick for asking his mother for a flannel shirt for Christmas. [http://www.blur-the-lines.com/?p=107\]

* Neil Ortiz of ''[[Multiplex]]''. See, you can tell he's gay because he brings it up occasionally and he wears a pink shirt. Besides that there's nothing to go on.

* Most of the gay cast in [[Red String]]. Fuuko, Hanae and Igarashi are all normal young people who happen to be gay. The author even completely caught the fandom off guard when she introduced Igarashi's boyfriend for the first time.

* Liam Williamson from Kytri's ''[[This Is the Worst Idea You've Ever Had]]'' and its prequel Sin Parase. The fact that he's been in a relationship with his partner Gabriele De Luca for five years is the only clue you get.

* Dirk Strider of ''[[Homestuck]]'' is gay, but doesn't think its a big deal, and doesn't understand or like it when people insist on labeling him as such.

* ''[[Goblins]]'' has a short gag with Big Ears being visibly embarassed when a magic wall reveals to Minmax, Fumbles and Complains Of Names that he is attracted to male goblins. This is the only time his sexuality is ever hinted at.

 

* Sean O'Cann from ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'', who somehow managed to be ''more'' effeminate in the closet than when he came out.

* Many of the guys in the video ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsjOlsG9ZG4 Yes, We're Gay But...]'', though one or two are [[Camp Gay]].

* The eponymous Gay Guy in ''[[Robot, Ninja & Gay Guy]]''

* From ''Sims Big Brother'', Keegan at least ''looked'' like a flaming queen Stereotype. McKenzie meanwhile? You can probably not even ''guess'' she was gay until you see her ''say'' she is.

** From the original season seven; there was a guy who was openly gay in the house. However, he said, "I'm not like your average gay guys - I like beer and football."

* The protagonist of ''[http://youtu.be/txg9PBGy7FY The Gay Who Wasn't Gay Enough]'', a mockumentary created by the Toronto Gay Rugby Team.

 

* Lexington of ''[[Gargoyles]]'', via [[Word of Gay]] declaration from Greg Weisman. In volume 2 of the comic continuation he meets a London gargoyle named Staghart who obviously would have been his [[Love Interest]] if the comic hadn't been cancelled.

* Gus and Wally from ''[[Mission Hill]]'' are an elderly gay couple who only display their sexuality when appropriate and are an early example of a gay couple on in a cartoon being portrayed in a wholly positive light. Gus is [[Manly Gay]], while Wally is Invisible to Gaydar, if a bit wimpy.

** And let's not forget to mention Colonel Gentleman, who is every bit the dashing [[Sean Connery]]-esque gentleman agent, except that he's also famous for his homosexual conquests and his young male lover Tiki, despite showing no stereotypically gay traits at all and, according to the creators on the Season 2 dvd, transcends sexuality. As Jackson Publick said in his Genlteman voice, "Of course I'm having sex with Tiki. Look at him, he's gorgeous, what the hell else would you do with him?! That doesn't make me gay, it makes me smart!"

* Similar to Lexington, Richie from ''[[Static Shock]]'' was confirmed to have been gay like his counterpart from the comic.

** One of the comics had an army of Smithers clones performing Hello Dolly on Broadway.

 

* [[Chuck Palahniuk]], the author of ''[[Fight Club]]''.

* [[William S. Burroughs]] loathed the queer culture of his day, which influenced his manner and dress toward the hard-boiled and "banker drag" respectively.

* Bob Mould, guitarist and singer of the influential 80's alternative band Husker Du. The band's drummer Grant Hart was also gay, but that revelation wasn't as jarring as Mould's confirmation of his sexuality in the early 90's.

** Interestingly enough, the one member of Husker Du that isn't gay, bassist Greg Norton, was the one that most fans in the 80's thought ''was'' gay, almost entirely based on the fact that Norton had a handlebar mustache.

* George Michael kept up a clearly straight persona for the majority of his career in ''Wham!'', and was largely thought to be straight until the incident in [[Los Angeles]], when he was arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public restroom. After that, he embraced his sexuality publicly.

* '''Sir''' [[Ian McKellen]].

* Neil Tennant of [[Pet Shop Boys]] fame. The "sexual orientation" angles of "It's a sin", "Was it worth it?" and "Can you forgive her?" may have gone over the heads of many fans. If you look at him in Interviews or on the stage he does look quite effiminate in his gestures (not overly camp but it is pretty much visible, especially if you compare him to his music partner Chris Lowe who is again of the ambigiously straight gay.

* Lee Daniels, Oscar-nominated director of "Precious." Yep, he's into dudes.

* Walt Whitman is either this or [[Bi the Way]], depending on what scholars you listen to.

* [[wikipedia:Richard Chamberlain|Richard Chamberlain]], the actor who played John Blackthorne aka "Anjin-san" in ''Shogun'' and Father Ralph de Bricassart in ''The Thorn Birds''.

** In the mid-1980s, several of the more militant gay groups were doing "gotcha outings" where they would involuntarily out gay celebrities who were still closeted. When this happened to Richard Chamberlain, his reaction was "I haven't been closeted since the early 70s, and I've never denied being gay. What's your point." Chalk that up as a personal Crowning Moment of Awesome for the always classy Mister Chamberlain.