Gay Face Is Real

From the CH archives, an observation that gay men have something strangely distinctive about their faces,

There is such a thing as a “gay face”. Hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Think big bright feminine eyes, full lips, and an all-around glow.

As usual, CH was ahead of the cultural curve. A new study supports the stereotype of a “gay face”.

Shape Differences Between the Faces of Homosexual and Heterosexual Men.

Previous studies have shown that homosexual men differ from heterosexual men in several somatic traits and lay people accurately attribute sexual orientation based on facial images. Thus, we may predict that morphological differences between faces of homosexual and heterosexual individuals can cue to sexual orientation. The main aim of this study was to test for possible differences in facial shape between heterosexual and homosexual men. Further, we tested whether self-reported sexual orientation correlated with sexual orientation and masculinity-femininity attributed from facial images by independent raters. In Study 1, we used geometric morphometrics to test for differences in facial shape between homosexual and heterosexual men. The analysis revealed significant shape differences in faces of heterosexual and homosexual men. Homosexual men showed relatively wider and shorter faces, smaller and shorter noses, and rather massive and more rounded jaws, resulting in a mosaic of both feminine and masculine features. In Study 2, we tested the accuracy of sexual orientation judgment from standardized facial photos which were assessed by 80 independent raters. Binary logistic regression showed no effect of attributed sexual orientation on self-reported sexual orientation. However, homosexual men were rated as more masculine than heterosexual men, which may explain the misjudgment of sexual orientation. Thus, our results showed that differences in facial morphology of homosexual and heterosexual men do not simply mirror variation in femininity, and the stereotypic association of feminine looking men as homosexual may confound judgments of sexual orientation.

Asscinating! Gay face definitely has feminine features (the small noses and childlishly expressive eyes) but they appear to be set against a backdrop of more masculine features, like a big jaw. One can only speculate how this discrepancy came to evolve, but if a combination of a gay germ and chimerism is responsible for full-blown gheyity, then it’s possible that whatever neural rearrangement molds the gay brain also leeches into facial morphology, resulting in mixed feminine and masculine traits.

I wonder what that huge… iconoclast… Andrew Sullivan thinks of this news? At first, I bet he would leap in his loafers, his burly bear arms outstretched to the skies, overjoyed that more evidence suggests his condition is biological and immutable. But biology is a dangerous ally for the leftoid flamer. Imagine a gay germ is discovered. Does he doubt parents, even squishy liberal SWPL parents who read his dull blog, would avail themselves of a remedy? If so, I have news for him. Should a “cure” for gayness ever be found, that will mean the extinction of homosexuality as we know it.