Gaydar is the ability to "sense" whether or not someone is gay. While it can be used to reinforce a person’s animosity towards homosexuals, it can also save someone time–it’s no use flirting with someone of the other sex who is only interested in people of the same sex.
Recent studies show that, after seeing photos of faces for less than a blink of an eye, college students have accuracy greater than mere chance in judging others’ sexual orientation. Their "gaydar" persisted even when they saw the photos upside-down, and gay versus straight judgments were more accurate for women’s faces than for men’s. Psychologist Joshua Tabak says, "It may be similar to how we don’t have to think about whether someone is a man or a woman or black or white. This information confronts us in everyday life."
Our ability to spontaneously assess sexual orientation based on observation or instinct conflicts with the assertion that if people just stayed "in the closet" and kept their sexual orientation to themselves, no one else would know and discrimination wouldn’t exist.
Contactees (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show) who have "come out" are familiar with discrimination, no matter what their sexual orientation is. If this happens to YOU, remember, we’re here for you!
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