Vanity Fair's "Society and Style" blog has introduced "StickShift: The Gay Car Blog." Note: it's not a "Car Blog for Gays." It's a "Gay Car Blog." So what constitutes a "gay car?" According to blogger Brett Berk, "a car's gayness is based in its inhabiting the margins of conventionality. A Gay Car is quirkier, more enigmatic, or more fiercely accessorized than the average vehicle. (It also likes to sleep with other Gay Cars)." If that weren't stereotypical enough, and we think it is, Berk says he "won't go after low-hanging fruit like Saturns or Subarus." Instead he'll look at "cars that emit the subtle semiotic signals that register on my GayCarDar." Not to mention answering burning questions like "How Do Gay Guys Keep Their Cars So Clean?" Berk concludes by saying "So gas up, fasten your seatbelt, and get ready to suck some tailpipe." Needless to say, the folks over at Gaywheels aren't particularly amused.
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I wouldn’t be amused because it’s stereotyping. That said, stereotypes have a core of truth to them, but they’re also pretty lightweight to exploit for marketing purposes.
The “suck some tailpipe” line, though. Heh. That’s going to tweak people on both sides of the fence. Which is awesome.
I’m a white, hetero right-wing male Repub…..but I’m not amused by that outrageous blog either.
A gay guy picks a car just like a straight guy. To suggest that the gay guy “accessorizes” his car to be quirkier is promoting sick, tired gay stereotypes.
The VF author insinuates that all gays drive neon pink smartcars, or aspire to such. Pathetic.
Well, I could hope it’s satire but I think it’s “Look how cleaver we are.”
The fun things about stereotypes is you take a small sample of truth and blow it up! As my mother in law would say “you know most doctors are Jewish. As a gay Miata driver I’m the stereotype I guess. (But I’m not a “twink” or a “catcher”) I also had a Mustang GT (Though I was never leather) I had an Alfa (But I wasn’t good a romancing people — course the car did that) I did have a TR3 (But that just gave me something to worry about) Lastly I did have a Probe but we’ll let that one go.
“Fiercely accessorized”? In Southern California, the only cars that fit that description would be the lowriders. What kind of accessories are gay drivers supposed to prefer, anyway?
What, straight guys can’t have clean cars now? This blog is the stupidest thing this side of Volt.
Well, as a gay man, I can tell you there certainly are “gay” cars. They tend to also be what most people consider to be chick cars. So, for example:
Acura = very gay.
Mini = ultra gay.
Golf cabriolet = coronal mass ejection gay
There are, however, the guys trying to butch it up. They tend to favor black Ford 150s. The giveaway is, as always, the Madonna’s greatest hits collection in the CD player.
So you straight boys out there need to be very careful in how you choose your cars. You don’t want to be sending the wrong signal.
I laughed at the graphic.
Not every homo is rolling in dough. Those with ordinary finances buy what everyone else buys, fabulous or not. The less closeted and the more swish a guy is, the more likely he’ll be willing to drive a feminine vehicle (Minis) in feminine or overt colors (yellow, pale blue). “Accessorizing” isn’t part of the deal, unless an iPod and a sunroof are considered accessories.
Beyond that, there are no generalizations. Seers of sexuality would do better to look for an HRC or Pride sticker on the trucklid than to guess from the vehicle itself.
Gays are the last group in which its ok to mock and stereotype.. thing is, there are plenty who don’t fit the stereotype, you just can’t tell.
So you straight boys out there need to be very careful in how you choose your cars. You don’t want to be sending the wrong signal.
Most straight guys are secure enough in their sexuality to not give a shit about what signals they give off.
I take offense to people finding this information relevant.
I know we’re mocked and stereotyped even in the community. But you have to lighten up. My (male) partner drives a Subaru Forester which his friends call a Lesbaru.
CarTalk did Something on it as did the New York Times. Enjoy it for what it is entertainment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/fashion/12cars.html?ex=1334030400&en=d2e817a9fa350bdd&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Don’t forget about the Eos and Miata.
True about the stereotypes not always applying. My 350Z is far from clean and same goes with my beau’s Subaru, which is always caked in dirt or mud.
Every gay guy I’ve ever known has driven a far more “manly” car than me.
VW marketed heavily to gays in the late 1990s. I walked into a VW dealership with my brother, and the salesguy pushed a Jetta on me, saying it would be great for our “weekend trips” !!
Not sure a Miata is a ‘gay’ car. Many different demographics buy that thing, or it wouldn’t have survived so long. Golf Cabrio: It’s definitely a chick car. I’ve never seen a guy in one, gay or otherwise.
Gays have more money to spend than most people, just because they have no children. Two men with high income living together, no children to spend money on. No need for a soccer-mom minivan to haul all the children and their stuff, and so on. That means they can spend money on premium cars, and that they actually can use a two-seat vehicle as a daily driver. That’s why the Miata, the Eos and the Mini are popular in those groups.
I’m gay. My Outback is dirty. There, I screwed up your stereotype, Berk. Oh, wait, it’s half true.
Gay people are the last group left about which it is acceptable to perpetuate this kind of crap.
First of all, the gay men driving Outbacks are just very confused about how to look butch. They think it means acting like a lesbian. That seems to be the problem. I guess you’d call this look ButchLite. Or L-Word Butch. Whatevs.
And of course all gay men don’t drive gay cars. Just as all yuppie scum don’t drive BMWs and shop at Whole Foods and worry about whether their designer dog is really a pure breed. But enough of them do so that it is a meaningful observation. Ditto for teh geighs.
As for me, I drive a SAAB 9-3 Aero. Which is kind of nerd gay, a subtype rarely noticed by the press.
Oh yes and: The Miata is totally gay. I mean, like, Girly Show Down Under gay. If you’re straight, trade in immediately. Unless you’re, uh, “curious”.
@Areitu :
Don’t forget about the Eos and Miata.
Wow, 11 posts before someone mentioned MY car. (Miata)
I’ve always wondered how the Miata got that reputation. It’s pretty spartan, and the vanity mirrors are pretty useless. For what its worth, the majority of Miata drivers I see are grey-haired men with beards.
The only thing that makes a car “gay” in my mind is a rainbow bumper sticker.
Yes blunozer, tons of guys with beards! My wife and I just drove our Miata to Vermont and NH – route 100, 112, etc – great time. But I do notice Miatas mostly driven by 55 yo women, or 55 yo men with beards. My wife and I are 42, the only demo we fit is that we love driving a great convertible; especially when the 3 darlings are staying with their grandparents!
Really, is this TTAC material? Who gives a rat butt as to the sexuality of a given car’s owner? I suggested to my friend who sells backup home generators to specifically target gay homeowners. Lots of disposable income, no kids (typically), no college to pay for. Gays turned out to be his best customers…
Do you believe the expression “you are what you drive?” One blogger is right that without kids (though we have two) you have more choices of small sporty cars.
The TR-3 was called a “hairy chested man’s car.”
It was macho in that it had few creature comforts, husky in it’s sound, a crappy heater, side curtains that leaked and no synchro in 1st. So it was funny when the miata came around it was pegged as a chick car. I guess because it was the opposite of something like a Mustang GT?
Petite & sleek rather than big and overpowered?
As a Miata driver I do feel just a little more butch when I drive my brother-in-laws F150
If a gay man bought an Acura I’d send him back to the dealer and tell him to try again.
Saturns? What could be gay about Saturns? I’ve always thought about them as either nerdy or old fart cars.
I love VW convertibles.
I have been blessed to know many mature and thoughtful gay men and women who challenged expectations and defied stereotypes.
Every single one of them drove a white Jetta.
Go figure.
I’m not the kind of person who takes offense to most gay jokes or stereotypes, even though I happen to be gay. Once in a while, something like this article pops up and manages to stir a bit of righteous indignation on my part.
With the exception of dating relationships, I’ve never felt that my sexual orientation should be the subject of discussion 30 seconds after we meet! Instead, I get to know a person and let them do the same before stamping a big “QUEER” on my forehead! That way, they can form an opinion of me based on my character and our shared experiences rather than being put off in the beginning by a stereotype…one that may apply to some, but certainly not all gay folks.
It makes no sense to continuously point out “I’m GAY” and that makes me different from you! Especially in the year 2008, the overwhelming response from peanut gallery is “SO WHAT!”
Car enthusiasts, gay and straight (even lesbian!) coexist very happily. Our love of all things automotive is our common ground and, other than divergent romantic/sexual interests, we have a lot more in common than not!
My soapbox rant is finished!
After re-reading the article and the subsequent postings, I’m left wondering-
Is my strong preference for a manual transmission somehow related to being gay???
And does it somehow explain why I was the unrivaled champion at any video game played with a joystick when I was a growing up???
=)
Maybe next month we can have a feature list of hairdressers’cars (sporty little run-arounds, like a Nissan Pulsar,Mercury Couger circa year 2000, or less-than-GT Celicas).
I remember when gay meant being happy – are we now talking about happy cars or am I in an aged timewarp
This GWM has always had USA cars until a few years ago. There is no more American car than the Olds 98 Regency. Which has been a pretty good weekend car. My other daily driver is a Camry. What sold me on it is how quiet it was. Crank up the XM and let her rip.
My BF has an Altima. When he gets his divorce we will be “room-mates”. And I will be at Madonna’s concert in November 2008 in Houston. Viva la California!
# squid :
July 30th, 2008 at 2:47 am
Maybe next month we can have a feature list of hairdressers’cars (sporty little run-arounds, like a Nissan Pulsar,Mercury Couger circa year 2000, or less-than-GT Celicas).
You can’t forget the Toyota Paseo, Isuzu Impulse/Geo Storm, Mercury Capri convertible, or the Suzuki X-90 (2-seater pseudo-SUVlet). The Ford Probe and Mazda MX-3 should be included in there, too….
Why is Mini considered a gay or female car? There’s actually quite a few married males where I work that own the things because they actually enjoy driving them (holy crap, what a concept!).
Tom Couch did a sendup book in the 80s, titled “U R What U Drive”, which had some great stereotypes of drivers for certain cars of the era.
No Miatas back then, nor any “gay” cars, but the VW Cabrio was the teenybopper chick car for going to the beach, with others ranging all the way up to the RV camper.
I remember seeing a Top 10 Gay Cars list a while back and most of it wasn’t very amusing, but I did get a kick out of the category- Favorite Car of Retail Queens- Pontiac Grand Am/G6…it’s funny ‘cuz it’s true!
While we’re sterotyping. Jay Leno or Letterman had this joke about Billy Joel’s farwell concert (not this one the last one) I grew up on LI so I know it’s true.
“There was a riot in the parking lot after the Bill Joel Concert, none of the guys knew which Camero was theirs.”
“None of the women knew which white Firebird with gold pinstripes was theirs.”
TR3GUY :
July 30th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
While we’re sterotyping. Jay Leno or Letterman had this joke about Billy Joel’s farwell concert (not this oane the last one) I grew up on LI so I know it’s true.
“There was a riot in the parking lot after the Bill Joel Concert, none of the guys knew which Camero was theirs.”
“None of the women knew which white Firebird with gold pinstripes was theirs.”
The GM F-Body cars (Camaro and Firebird) are the punchline to so many good jokes…and plenty of bad ones. When I think of them, guys with mullets, trailer parks and girls with really BIG hair (crispy bangs and all) instantly come to mind! =)
People are way to sensitive and trying not to offend anyone these days. It doesn’t seem like our friend here “gaycorvette” seems bothered by it, as he’s having fun with it. We all fit into some kind of a stereotype with jokes that are somewhat true. Big deal, life goes on.
squid and beezlebubba- they should still be selling all those cars.
gaycorvette: Acura = very gay.
Mini = ultra gay.
Golf cabriolet = coronal mass ejection gay
Well I drive a white ’97 VW Cabrio. It’s got two kid seats in the back and you can often see me and the family riding around town in it. By the way – I’m straight, beared, white, father of two, etc.
Let’s not waste too much on the stereotypes here okay? Lots of fun cars that get put aside b/c of stereotypes. Lots of folks worrying they might get lumped into some negative stereotype. You should have seen my coworker who just about wouldn’t ride in my Cabrio in case of what somebody might think… I think I just figured out why GM doesn’t make clever, stylish, small cars – too many GM folks who worry about not being “cool” or “manly”, etc. Get over it America.
FWIW our two lesbian friends drive GM products – one is an SUV and the other a minivan for when the whole family goes out somewhere. Prior to that they had a Eurovan, the big Saturn sedan from the late 90s and an V-10 Excursion.
This was one of the funniest blogs in a long time. I searched the net there are so many sites that ID “gay cars.” It is pretty funny. With the news, the blog has been a nice distraction.
One last sterotype story. When I was in college 5 of us took mom’s car (a Ford Fairmont 4 banger) to Florida for Spring break. My buds made me promise if we met “chicks” to say it was a rental.
As a GWM here I guess I am just missing how any Acura can be seen as “stereotypically gay.” Can someone please explain that to me? I tend to buy cars because I like them, not based on what I should stereotypically be buying.
To Busbodger:
When you say you are “beared”, well, I suppose that means you hang out at bear bars? In which case, it kind of undermines the rest of your argument. Or did you mean “bearded”? Surely you can’t be thinking that a beard is something only straight men have? The beard is in fact quite popular among gay men.
So you might want to consider shaving. Or stop being “beared”.
To all the guys who cite wives/child units as evidence of not being gay: Most gay men are married with kids. There’s this thing called “the closet”. Perhaps some of you are in it?
Acura is stereotypically gay because, for some reason, gays love to buy their cars. Especially the TL.
Lastly, for all those gay posters whining about stereotypes: Just think how often, and how much, gay men stereotype straight men (stupid, p***y whipped, violent, tasteless, etc.). Turn about is fair play.