Why do gay guys have higher voices

For instance, straight men may adopt a more stereotypically masculine tone when speaking to strangers or in leadership roles, while gay men may modulate their voices depending on their comfort level with the listener. After three years of research, linguistics professors Henry Rogers and Ron Smyth may be on the verge of answering that question.

Learning to accept and embrace ourselves fully, without judgment, is key.

One of my favorite teachers, Louise Hay, often said that the first step in learning to love ourselves is stopping all criticism. For years, he tried to sound less stereotypically gay, aligning his voice with masculine ideals. When they were speaking with a straight person, both their voice onset times got longer.

Broadhurst thinks this might have to do with something called "accommodation theory," which posits that people unconsciously mirror the speech patterns of who they're speaking with.

What do we really mean when we say we have a “gay voice” or “I sound gay”? Self‑Esteem, Vocal Satisfaction, and Vocal Self‑Perception Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) and Cisgender Heterosexual Individuals. You can find it linked in the description.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or reach out on our social media.

The challenge comes when we use it as a marker for whether we are acceptable, worthy, or desirable.

Many of us, like Jackson, notice early on ways we modify how we speak or present ourselves to fit what we believe others expect. This pattern has been observed in various languages, including English, Dutch, and French, suggesting that the “gay voice” transcends language and culture.

Additionally, studies show that gay men hold certain vowel sounds longer and are more likely to extend their ‘s’ sounds compared to straight men.

But each act of self-recognition, each acknowledgment of a part of ourselves we were taught to hide, brings us closer to a version of masculinity that is our own.

Reclaiming masculinity doesn’t mean giving up strength or resilience. And if so, what constitutes it?

A linguistics student at the University of Oxford recently investigated this topic for her undergraduate thesis − and went viral in the process.

When Erin Broadhurst explained her thesis in a TikTok video interview on Oxford's campus, she became a viral sensation, getting over 8 million views, 1 million likes and thousands of comments from people curious about the controversial, and complicated, intersection of language, gender and sexuality.

Broadhurst says this intersection − an area of academia known as "lavender linguistics" − is one she's been passionate about for a while.

Some worry it might give people with bad intentions more ways of discriminating against gay people.

Broadhurst understands these concerns but says her thesis was motivated by her love for the queer community and her desire to understand it better. Reflecting on these patterns—how we speak, move, or hold ourselves—and the beliefs we’ve internalized around them opens space for a fuller, more honest expression of ourselves.

Breaking free from rigid expectations may not happen overnight.

Many find it fascinating. When Niki and Sammy were speaking with a gay person, both twins' voice onset times got shorter. But what is it within their voices that we are thinking sounds 'gay'?"

'A tiny piece in a massive puzzle'

Prior research on "gay voice," Broadhurst says, has primarily focused on gay men's vowel duration and sibilance, or the way they pronounce "s" and similar consonants.

So, when Broadhurst brought her thesis idea to her supervisor at Oxford, he suggested she look into word initial voice onset time, something that hasn't been heavily researched in regard to gay people.

Broadhurst describes this as the amount of time between a stop consonant − such as an unvoiced "t" or "p" sound − and a sound that requires the vocal folds to vibrate.

Do gay people exhibit a shorter or longer voice onset time than straight people do?

Broadhurst also compared how each twin spoke when talking with straight people versus gay people.

For me, it means being able to speak, laugh, and express myself without constantly measuring up to someone else’s idea of what a man should be.