In Theatres & On VOD: DO I SOUND GAY?

Coming to theatres and VOD today, Friday, July 10: DO I SOUND GAY?

David Thorpe’s exploration of stereotypes and self-acceptance made its debut at Toronto last year. It went on to screen at DOC NYC, Santa Barbara, RiverRun, Montclair, Dallas, Sydney Mardi Gras, IFF Boston, Nashville, Seattle, New Orleans’ Filmorama, Provincetown, Frameline, and BFI Flare, among others.

Reeling from a recent breakup, Thorpe begins a self-examination of a particular quality he dislikes about himself and the larger gay community of which he’s a part: the gay voice. In addition to beginning speech therapy sessions to determine if he can consciously remove some of the identifying vocal mannerisms that so irk him, the director/subject takes to the street for some off the cuff vox pops and visits with friends and celebrities who weigh in on the “problem” with having an effeminate voice. While on the surface, this quest might initially seem like self-involved therapy, Thorpe wisely moves beyond the strictly personal to begin to unpack the larger societal constructs at play, from a subconscious misogyny that punishes men for daring to sound like women, to a related homophobia, both internalized by gay men against themselves, and propagated by straight people eager to maintain some strict division of appropriateness by gender and sexuality. Maintaining a lighter tone throughout, the film opens up a dialogue that proves insightful and accessible to LGBT and straight audiences alike.