The Gay Phenomenon

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Gay culture is not the same as mere homosexuality or 'men who have sex with men.' It has somethings in common with the 'dandy' aesthetic of years past, but in 'gay' they are all much more pronounced. It is too broad to be called a movement or project, but some parts of it definitely don't feel quite organic or like something that's always been there.

It seems like it's mainly a subculture of homosexual men who blend elements of the traditionally feminine (beauty, fashion, overt emotionality) with a certain brash machismo. This interplay of extreme masculine and feminine elements is what defines 'gay' moreso than the homosexuality part, which is technically central to the definition but not very illustrative.

The core of 'gayness' seems to be San Francisco based homosexual men who promote an identity based on the masculine-feminine interplay described above. Gays seem to pick the sexy elements of femininity and incorporate them into their mascluline framework, which also includes some overtly masculine elements (the 'bear' thing e.g.), it's definitely not just men who are homosexual and into girly things. Its 'masculine' element mainly seems to consist in a certain loudness and braggodocio, there's a definite culture of muscle and testosterone and such in the gay community. But the use of feminine flair seems really central to Gay, it's much more feminine-oriented and associated with women than 'Dandy' was.

Probably none of this is going to be all that surprising. What's weird is that this subculture is conflated with homosexuality, which it is related to but not identical with.