Queer VoicesLGBTQ Sexualityhuffington postScience and Technology

Can You Guess Someone's Sexuality By Just Looking At Them?

A new video takes a hard look at "gaydar."
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By 

HuffPost Queer Voices Editor

A new video is making a fascinating point about “gaydar” and the ability of people to accurately guess the sexuality of another person simply by the way that they look.

The project from Cut Video brings together people from all across the spectrum of queer identity and sexuality for a bit of a guessing game. The video appears to be making a macro-level point about judgements and assumptions based on appearance ― and how a person’s physical or aesthetic presentation may not be inherently tied to their sexual identity.

“As the participants in the video show us, ‘gaydar’ is actually a way we categorize our observations about others into a system of social assumptions ― and that those systems are completely arbitrary,” Christopher Chan, a visual anthropologist at Cut Video, told HuffPost. “It’s also completely awkward to voice those assumptions out loud, even if we make those micro-judgements every day. The experiment challenges us to articulate exactly how we make those judgements, and why they’re just as dangerously arbitrary in our own head as when they’re verbalized.”

Check out the video above. Want to read more about debunking “gaydar”? Head here.

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Before You Go

Lesser Known Sexual And Romantic Identities
Asexual(01 of12)
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An asexual is “someone who does not experience sexual attraction.” Asexuality.org also notes, "Asexuals may regard other people as aesthetically attractive without feeling sexual attraction to them. Some asexual people also experience the desire of being affectionate to other people without it being sexual. If you do not experience sexual attraction, you might identify as asexual." (credit:Digital Vision. via Getty Images)
Aromantic(02 of12)
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"An aromantic is a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others,” according to Asexuality.org. The site also notes that “aromantics do not lack emotional/personal connection, but simply have no instinctual need to develop connections of a romantic nature. Aromantics can have needs for just as much empathetic support as romantics, but these needs can be fulfilled in a platonic way.” Being aromantic is usually “considered to be innate and not a personal choice,” in the same way that asexuality is considered innate. (credit:Fuse via Getty Images)
Graysexual(03 of12)
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Jared, one man who identifies as graysexual, defines the term as a "magical place between asexual and someone who is sexual." The Frisky defines it as "something more fluid between sexuality and asexuality." Those who identify as graysexual might also identify as gay or straight or any other sexual identity inside or outside of the binary. (credit:By Wunderfool via Getty Images)
Demisexual(04 of12)
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Someone who identifies as demisexual doesn’t typically feel sexual attraction unless they “have already formed a strong emotional bond with the person.” Asexualityarchive.com also notes that “the bond may or may not be romantic in nature.” (credit:Betsie Van Der Meer via Getty Images)
Demiromantic(05 of12)
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Similar to a demisexual, the individual doesn’t feel romantic attraction “unless they have already formed a strong emotional bond with the person.” (credit:Caiaimage/Tom Merton via Getty Images)
Lithromantic(06 of12)
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According to asexuality.org, the term is described as “a person who experiences romantic love but does not want their feelings to be reciprocated.” The site also notes that lithromantic people “may or may not be ok with romantic relationships.” (credit:Dougal Waters via Getty Images)
Pansexual(07 of12)
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Pansexual refers to those “who feel they are sexually/emotionally/spiritually capable of falling in love with all genders.” (credit:DreamPictures via Getty Images)
Polysexual(08 of12)
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Similar to pansexual, a polysexual person “may be attracted to some gender variant people but not have the capability or desire to be with some others.” (credit:Dynamic Graphics via Getty Images)
Panromantic(09 of12)
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A person who is romantically -- but not sexually -- attracted to others regardless of sex or gender. (credit:Asia Images via Getty Images)
Skoliosexual(10 of12)
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According to Genderqueerid.com, skoliosexual refers to “sexual attraction to non-binary identified individuals" or those who do not identify as cisgender. The site also notes that “this does not generally describe an attraction to specific genitalia or birth assignments but rather is an inclusive term.” (credit:Leren Lu via Getty Images)
Queerplatonic Relationships(11 of12)
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Relationships that “are not romantic in nature but they involve very close emotional connections that are often deeper or more intense than what is traditionally considered a friendship.” (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Zucchini(12 of12)
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The name for a partner who is involved in a queerplatonic relationship, as in "he's my zucchini." (credit:diego cervo via Getty Images)
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