A Look into Gaydar: Determining the Views of Homosexual Adolescent Males

This study was conducted by: Kim Arqueza, Raz Tan, Mae Teotico & Kaye Tirones

INTRODUCTION:

                Our research is about determining the views of adolescent homosexual gay men regarding Gaydar. Gaydar is the ability to accurately predict a person's sexual orientation (K, Moore, n.d.).  According to previous studies by Ambady, et al., women’s sexual orientation is easier to identify and judge which is contradictory to our findings. Our study is important because it helps us understand homosexuals more. Through our better understanding we get to know how our approach towards them should be and how we should interact with them. Through our study we get to understand why they are like that and therefore not make conclusions about homosexual men.

METHOD:

 Our participants for our research are adolescent homosexual men, ages 16 to 20, who are studying in private universities. We used phenomenology as our method to gather the essence and the experience of our participants and further analyzed our data through thematic analysis. To validate the data we have gathered, we conducted a Focus Group Discussion among our 6 adolescent participants. Thus, we utilized data triangulation in validating our individual interviews and that is by conducting a Focus Group Discussion.

RESULTS:

How do homosexual men develop their Gaydar?

  The themes present in this table describe how homosexual men develop their Gaydar.

THEMES	DEFINITION	EXPEMPLAR QUOTE
Adolescence Stage	Developmental stage in human life	High school . yun talaga, yun yung pag usbong ng lahat ng bagay. Diba? Diyan yung kung saan yung curiosity nagsisimula. (IC3)
Acceptance of own gender	Acknowledgement of own sexual orientation	Na develop ko lang. kasi dati im very ano eh, uhm, I started from being straight and then I realized that im gay so its developing. (IC2)
Curiosity	Desiring knowledge about gays	Uhhm, again like nasabi ko na to lahat may gaydar nadedevelop nalang siya kasi natural nalang yan kasi for me bottomline ng gaydar for me is curiosity(IC5)
Social Pressure	Force exerted by the community on a person	Parang yung sa friend ko din, mahilig sila mangulit “huy, ano bakla ba to?” kaya parang na pressure ako na matuto na pano malaman(IC3)
Experience with gays	Interaction and socialization with homosexual men	May mga tao lang mas malalim lang gaydar nila due to experience. Kasi ako eversince highschool, may interaction na ako sa mga bading. (IC4)
Practice	Habitual performance of Gaydar	Kailangan mo siya ipractice para madelop. (IC3)

              

                The themes and definitions present in the table were derived from the responses of our participants. The themes are also the most prominent answers that we got from our participants. They develop their Gaydar in the adolescence stage by acceptance of their own gender, through curiosity, social pressure, experience with gays and by practice.

What behavioral cues are used to determine the sexual orientation of others?

                These are the themes, its definition, and its quotes from our interviewed participants on the behavioral cues that our participants look for to use their Gaydar.

THEMES	DEFINITION	EXAMPLAR QUOTES
Gay conduct	Behavioral guide of gay people	mas dominating talaga yun feminine side pero mas… though yun ibang lalaki mas dominating yun femininity kaysa sa masculinity diba… pero mas define kapag gay men (IC3)
Smiling as a welcoming gesture	Approachable	Yung gay parang una..mataray muna. Pero pag lumapit ka ngngiti na yan. Tapos bigla nalang kayo magkakahiyaan. Pero kapag guy talaga ..uhmm hirap nilang iplease. Ang isang lang, pag lumapit sakanila, grabe makatingin parang lalamunin ka. (IC3)
Pitch of voice	Level of an individual’s tone of voice	the way they talk, if its very soft, quite soft “hey how are you doing” very sex and the city thing, (IC2)
Gay language	The unusual words or term while in a conversation	Kasi yung iba nakakatawa eh. Yung iba, buff na nga pero kapag sobrang lalaki ganyan pero kung magsalita “ano fang basa te bang”. Ganun sila magsalita! Kakaloka.(IC3)
Refusal belief of being gay	Gay resistance of action of being gay; in denial actions of being gay	Pag in denial ang person… mas masarap kasi i-identify pag in denial ang person (FGD)
flirting	making moves on people they’re interested in	Tapos nagtext siya na pag nalasing ka, I’ll take care of you, tapos sabi ko sa girl na kasama ko tinext ka niya? Tapos sabi niya hindi, bakit tinext ka niya? Tapos sabi ko oo sabi niya sabi na, __ eh. (FGD)
Gay gossiping	Gay people talking about other gay people	we know gay guys they’re somehow talkative at times. And some gay guys, they love watching other gay guys.(IC2)
Animated body movements	Lively gestures	yung iba nag popout eh *pouts* *laughs* kasi yung iba todo picture, yung super vain. (IC3) like mga pilantik ng daliri niya. Pag nginiti niya. Galaw ng paa niya. Kahit mga ganon. Pag naglalakad sila kumekembot sila. (IC5)
Close contact	Touchy; nearness when interacting; proximity	If you say hi *touches back* ganun, hugging the person, if you make beso.(IC1)
Intimate stares	Looking closely and slowly at the person to judge	If I would talk to him, I’ll see where his eyes would go and yun yun pinaka signs na nakikita ko, kung saan nagscscan yun eyes niya. (scan in the private part) (FGD) kapag tinignan ka na niya ng matagal, parang he’s checking you out, pero kapag ang straight guy, titignan ka lang niya ng saglit, baka kilala ka nito, tapos o, alis ka na… pero kapag gay guy yun titignan ka muna niya kung may itsura. (IC5)

                These themes show the most common behavioral cues that our participants are looking to judge other people’s sexual orientation. However, out of all these themes, intimate stare of a person is one important behavior and the most prominent behavior that our participants are looking for.

What physical attributes are used to determine the sexual orientation of others?

THEME	DEFINITION	EXEMPLAR QUOTE
Self Presentation	how an individual decides to physically present him/herself to the public.	“ they would really care how they look like” (ICPC1)
Neat look	the charactersic of being clean/ to be perceived as clean	“they always make sure na everything’s neat, everything has to be in proper, ganun.” (ICPC1)
Posture	How an individual projects himself through their body positions	“posture of the body is very important, makikita mo talaga kung gay siya. “ (ICPC2)
Fashion Sense	How an individual presents himself/herself through the clothing they choose to wear	kasi ako usually titignan mo kung… ako yun how he dress talaga eh,  titignan mo, ayun I always look at him na i don’t know kasi it’s important eh… it’s very very important… di ko alam (ICPC5)

               

                The table for Physical cues presents the most prevalent themes we found in the research and study we conducted. These themes and its definitions were also gathered from the interviews and the FGD we conducted.

What social attributes affect their judgment?

                The themes present in this table describe how social attributes affect homosexual men’s judgment of other people’s sexual orientation.

THEMES	DEFINITION	EXEMPLAR QUOTE
Social Background of subject	Environment of the target	So yung mga sinasabi ko sayo ngayon is like saying lang kung anong nakikita ko. Through my eyes, through whatever is happening in the environment.
“Pakikisama” with other people	How they deal with other people	Ng thorough na pakikisama sakanya. Kasi malay mo feminine lang pala siya pero lalaki pala talaga siya. (IC3)
Homogenous group	A unit composed of members exhibiting similar characteristics	diba may sinasabi nga sila na ano yun anong tawag dito yung tell me who your friends are and ill tel you who you are ganun(IC2) like…birds of the same feather flock together(IC5)
Personal profile in social networking sites	Information available in online websites: status, pictures, mutual friends	what they type as their status messages… and then on Twitter, like normal guys won’t say these things, like for example, parang oh my God I like, oh my God Jane Fonda’s so funny… kasi Jane Fonda’s an icon (IC1)
Participation in the arts	involvement in ballet and theater	the mere fact that he was doing ballet, for me, kasi diba guys don’t usually do ballet (IC1)
Family members	Those who are part of the immediate family	Napakalaking percentage sa studies na hereditary ang pagiging gay (FGD)
Occupation	Work preference	for me gay jobs..like my job, Im sorry. Design, arts like fine arts, like interior desing, fashion design uhm, what else yeah about painting, about clothes about uhm, furniture like that oo yun. (IC2)
Exposure to femininity	Susceptible to female characteristics	tapos ano rin.. yung.. kung san siya lumaki. Kunwari sa family siya lang yung lalaki.. Tapos yung mga kapatid niya puro mga babae. May possibility na maenhance niya yung pagiging gay niya. Pero meron din naman mga iba na matigas pa rin. Yung ganun.. (IC3)
Influence of peers	Impact of  friends	I think through my friends who also tells me na he’s gay ganun ganun, why, like I ask them like how do you know why ganon ganon, and when I tell na this person’s gay they also ask me why ganon, (IC1)
Gay stereotypes	Patterns of what is expected to be manifested in Gay	For me parang, first you have to rely on stereotypes (FGD)
Technological advancements	Applications that help distinguish one’s gender	Or you could use ‘Grindr’ it’s an application for sex or friendship whatever. You find gay guys in the area using that app

                The themes and definitions present in the table were derived from the responses of our participants. The themes are also the most prominent answers that we got from our participants. Social attributes like social background of the person, “pakikisama” with other people, homogenous group, profile in social networking sites, participation in the arts, family members, occupation, exposure to femininity, influence of peers, gay stereotypes and technological advancements affect their judgment.

In what context does one use their Gaydar?

                These are the themes, its definition, and exemplar quote from our participants to where they usually use their Gaydar.

THEMES	DEFINITION	EXAMPLAR QUOTE
Triggering Venues	context that people use their gaydar	Oh of course, everywhere its on. Sa parking lot, kahit saan. Kahit saan ka magpunta. (IC5)
Non-specific	No specific place or situation used to judge gays	Uh, actually there’s no specific place. If you see a guy right away, that’s the time that it turns on.(IC1)
School	Defined as a situation of having a less tendency to judge people by the participants; place where students go to learn	kasi pag sa school asaran ganyan *laughs* maghanap ka nga ng gay dito, parang ganun. Medyo hindi siya ano eh, ano siya, hindi siya yung parang gusto mo gamitin yung gaydar. (IC3)
Mall	Defined as a situation of having a less tendency to judge people by the participants; place where people go for variety purposes	Sa ano, sa mall mahirap din maghanap..Parang ano lang. medyo pnprioritize ko muna kung ano yung gusto ko. Kapag sinasabihan ko ng friends ko *murmurs* wala, seryoso ako maghanap ng damit, make up mga ganun. Mga gusto ko muna. (IC3)
Clubs	Defined as a situation of having more tendency to judge people by the perticipants; place to where people dance and drink	uhm kasi in clubs diba you’re all there to  have fun so it’s easier to tell kasi you’re  more wild ,more happy so it’s easier as in sa school people are more concentrated serious so I guess in school its harder but in public place  especially when youre having fun that’s when it comes out(IC1)
bars	Defined as the welcoming atmosphere by the respondents; place where people drink to socialize	Sa bar, pag nagiinuman kayo, mas maganda mauuna yung eye to eye. Tapos susunod na yung.. huli na yung pakikipagusap (IC3)

                To conclude, our participants use their Gaydar in situations like clubs and bars because their main agenda is to find people they are interested in rather than in schools and malls where they have other priorities rather than finding people they are interested to. Their agenda in judging depends on the situation they are in to.

How do homosexual men determine other people’s sexual orientation?

                Table of the constructed themes on how homosexual adolescent males identify other people’s sexual orientation

Themes	Definition	Exemplar Quote
Biased usage of gaydar on the subject sex	The discrimination on the usage of Gaydar in targets where one is preferred over another.	“Una sa lahat wala akong pake kung homosexual siya or hindi, wala naman ako makukuha dun eh. Gets mo? So bakit ko aalamin eh wala naman akong pake.”
Rarely used	Gaydar is used very seldom	“oo. Pwede . pero not totally, again cause hirap ako sa girls.”
Not used at all	Gaydar is never used in any situation.	“Never talaga siya nag on sa girls”
Unintentional judgment	judging of sexual orientation is done without purpose and intention.	“parang napapatingin ako… yun mapapastare ako na hindi ko.. hindi ko ginusto.”
Intentional judgment	Judging of sexual orientation is done with intention and purpose.	“Most of the time intentional.. misnan titingnan mo lang yung gwapong guys ”
Triggering attributes for judgment	Characteristics of a person that triggers the use of gaydar	“yung parang may fishy..may something fishy sakanya”
Motives	the reason or purpose of the judgment.	“there’s this thing inside the person that you wanna know bading ba to tingnan mo galawa niya pero di namn. So parang yung have to satisy your curiousity and you have to do these things”
Sensual	the use of senses such as the ability of seeing, hearing, feeling and smelling in identifying other people’s sexual orientation	“So yung mga sinasabi ko sayo ngayon is like saying lang kung anong nakikita ko. Through my eyes, through whatever is happening sa environment.”
Snap judgment	hurried decision or finding of other people’s sexual orientation	“Minsan snap siya, pero chinachallenge ko yung snap na yun kasi di ako nagtitiwala ng agad agad.”
Empirical	systematic way of judging through observation and experience	“minsan it takes time eh”
Validation	Confirmation of the derived judgment through certain ways.	“bukod sa pakikipag-usap… naghahanap din ako ng source sa internet parang ganyan… pang back-up na ganito talaga siya”
Ethical consideration	What to do with judgment	“kadalasan, I keep it to myself. Kasi may mga tao.”

                The themes formed shows that there are different ways and personal biases on how homosexual adolescent males identify other people’s sexual orientation. For example, their judgment can be either a snap judgment or empirical.

CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION

                Gender discrimination on judgment towards target sex is abundant in the process of Gaydar among homosexual adolescent males. Our data from the interview shows that homosexual adolescent males rarely use or do not use their Gaydar on women because they find it difficult to identify their sexual orientation. This finding is contradictory to the results of the experiment regarding the importance of feutural and configural processing where they emphasized that sexual orientation is easily distinguished in women (Tambak & Zayas, 2012). The finding is also contradictory to the experiment of Ambady et al regarding female sexual orientation perceived accurately, rapidly, and automatically from the face and its features where it says that it is easier to judge female sexual orientation than male sexual orientation (Rule, Ambady & Hallett, 2009). Although this might not be generalizable in this study considering the participants of our interview were only homosexual males unlike the non-gender specific - male and female participants, of the two said research. Also, based on these results, we recommend that future researchers also study Gaydar among homosexual adolescent females so that results regarding the said previous experiments may be validated in the real life setting.

REFERENCES:

Rule, N. O., Ambady, N., & Hallett, K. C. (2009). Female sexual orientation is perceived accurately, rapidly, and automatically from the face and its features.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, (45), 1245-1251. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2009.07.010

Tabak J, Zayas V (2012) The roles of ceatural and configural face processing in snap judgments of sexual orientation. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36671. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036671