With straight audiences viewing mainstream shows like "Queer Eye" and "RuPaul's Drag Race," they believe this is an accurate depiction of how the LGBT community regularly acts.
Not everyone will rework your house like the Fab Five, and not everyone will get in full-blown beat drag and do jump splits for you.
There are certain boundaries that are crossed on a regular basis that not only shouldn't happen but are offensive to the person you're speaking to.
1. “Oh hey girl!”
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I'm not a girl, don't call me a girl. I'm not your girlfriend, girl, sister, sis, and don't refer to me as "ladies" when I'm in a group.
2. "You're my gay best friend!"
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If you're gay and you allow your straight friends, especially girls, to call you this … you should be ashamed of yourself. When you allow other people to refer to you as your "Gay" best friend, not only are you allowing others to belittle and objectify you, but you put yourself into a derogatory stereotype.
3. "You can be gay, but don't be all in my face about it."
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If you don't want me to be "in your face" with my sexuality and years of accumulated oppression then you could always get out of my face. It takes years to be even slightly okay with who you are and your self-image as a member of LGBT+, when we find that acceptance, we will show it off.
4. "You should take me to a gay bar!"
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While gay bars are all fun and whatnot, they are an essential piece of history and culture that is appreciated regularly among the community. If you want to have a fun night out, you could go to a straight bar, unless you're ready to appreciate gay culture and not use it as an excuse to get drunk.
6. "Hey bitch!"
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This goes both ways. "Bitch" has been a misogynistic word for ages and should not be exchanged between any two groups, especially girls and gays. It's not only stereotypical but it is misogynistic and embarrassing.
7. "Let's go on Grindr!"
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I don't even want to go on Grindr, why would I expose you to those horrors?
8. "So who's the man and who's the woman?"
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We're both men. End of story. Sex roles and gender association are two different things, if that's what you mean.
9. "Can you do my makeup or help me style my room?"
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Not everybody in the gay community is Jonathan Van Ness, we won't all give you Brazillian blowouts, do your makeup, or re-design your home. This is just a stereotype that has been constantly reinforced by TV shows like Queer Eye, RuPaul's Drag Race, and YouTubers like James Charles or Manny MUA.
10. "My friend is gay, maybe I should set you guys up!"
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While we appreciate the gesture, we don't need you to play matchmaker, it's all good.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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