Gay first names
“Gay” sounding!?!
lfox22881
This is ridiculous to me…
I’ve been told that the name I decided on for my 2nd born son ([name_u]Kieran[/name_u]) sounds “too GAY.”
I’m sorry but I didn’t realize a call could sound gay… not that there is anything at all wrong with being gay in the first place.
According to child name websites [name_u]Kieran[/name_u] is of Irish origin, meaning “dark.” I really enjoy the nickname [name_m]Kier[/name_m]. And I Cherish the way the names of my 2 boys sound together:
[name_u]Julian[/name_u] [name_u]Timothy[/name_u] [name_u]Fox[/name_u] and [name_u]Kieran[/name_u] [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] [name_u]Fox[/name_u] (still deciding on mine or fathers LN.)
Both middle names are honor names, [name_u]Julian[/name_u]’s uncle who passed shortly before he was born, and my father who is still with us but I just adore him so much and want my son to haul on the name.
But I believe they flow perfectly, together and respectively. And both sound good with either my last call ([name_u]Fox[/name_u]) or the father’s. Which is also monosyllabic.
Has anyone else gotten this kind of response to their chosen boy name? Too “girly,” too “gay”?
4 Likes
tallemaj
Gay aversion to diminutive names?
Mister_Rik1
Just so this doesn’t sound like a complete generalization, permit me state that I’m referring to tendencies among gay men with whom I have been acquainted over the years, as well as among some homosexual characters I’ve seen in movies and TV shows, and certainly doesn’t apply to all English-speaking gay men everywhere.
Why do lgbtq+ men tend to shun compact versions of given names? It seems that gay men choose to go by their entire given names, ala Michael, James, Robert, Emmanuel, Richard, Thomas, etc, whereas their straight peers will usually go by the shortened versions, ala Mike, Jim, Rob/Bob, Manny, Rick/Rich, Tom, etc. I’ve known two exceptions, both lgbtq+ men who go by Jim or Jimmy rather than James.
I’ve also noticed that these equal gay men will address linear male friends by their occupied given names, even when that straight friend ordinarily goes by the diminutive. For example, a friend of mine who was called “Mike” by just about everybody was always called “Michael” by a gay friend.
Is there any significance to this? Is it a small clue to identify yourself to other queer men?
John_Kentzel-Griffin2
I’ve never heard o
Gay aversion to diminutive names?
OxyMoron21
This something that friends & I include remarked upon, and I think even gay comedians own joked about it. I’m emblematic myself - around the time I came out, I started using “Christian” instead of “Chris.” And every damn homosexual boy I knew at the second used a entire name: I recall being in a room of six and being the only one not named Michael.
My theory? For at least some gay men, the short forms of their names have a butchness quotient that can feel really false. I suspect this is especially correct in the U.S., where nicknames are associated with masculinity. “Mike” symbolizes a guy who plays team sports, has girlfriends, etc. - all of which a gay teen may fake for a while. “Michael” can seem appreciate a relief.
This may be fading for younger people, though. As more kids come out in high school (and live to narrate of it) they may feel less of a disconnect between their names and themselves. Even my choice didn’t have much to do with coming out - I was losing patience with my records getting confused with other
Chris [Very Common Lastname]s, some of them female.
Not that any of the above makes for more than th
First Name GAY
Midwest States
State stats for the first mention GAY
| State | Pop. | Prop/100k | %Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 822 | 6.38 | 97.5% |
| Indiana | 528 | 8 | 96.5% |
| Iowa | 152 | 4.89 | 94.8% |
| Kansas | 380 | 13.08 | 94.7% |
| Michigan | 769 | 7.76 | 98.5% |
| Minnesota | 339 | 6.21 | 97.1% |
| Missouri | 632 | 21.09 | 96.5% |
| Nebraska | 145 | 7.68 | 90.6% |
| North Dakota | 96 | 13.05 | 84.5% |
| Ohio | 1,103 | 9.51 | 97.8% |
| South Dakota | 115 | 13.47 | 85.5% |
| Wisconsin | 326 | 5.66 | 96.7% |
West States
State stats for the first name GAY
| State | Pop. | Prop/100k | %Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 64 | 8.65 | 77.6% |
| Arizona | 719 | 10.68 | 96.4% |
| California | 3,235 | 8.34 | 99.0% |
| Colorado | 594 | 11.1 | 96.4% |
| Hawaii | 247 | 17.39 | 95.7% |
| Idaho | 328 | 20.06 | 93.8% |
| Montana | 157 | 15.33 | 89.1% |
| Nevada | 238 | 8.4 | 93.5% |
| New Mexico | 295 | 14.17 | 92.6% |
| Oregon | 453 | 11.41 | 95.7% |
| Utah | 729 | 24.76 | 96.4% |
| Washington | 681 | 9.64 | 97.9% |
| Wyoming | 140 | 23.94 | 88.0% |
Northeast States
State stats for the first name GAY
| State | Pop. | Prop/100k | %Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 199 | 5.52 | 94.1% |
| Maine | 81 | 6.13 | 85.1% |
| Massachusetts | 207 | 3.07 | 93.1% |
| New Hampshire | 47 | 3.52 | 81.8% |
| New Jersey | 521 | 5.83 |