@notallbees Remember that thing you were saying (that no one wanted to hear) about the demeaning implications of expressing attraction by saying “I’m so gay”? I feel like this is as neat a real-life demonstration as you could wish for.
The reason this guy thinks “I’m gay for you” would be a sweet thing to say to his girlfriend is because 1) in classic homophobia, gay connotes attraction that manifests not only in the wrong direction, but also to an excessive, unseemly degree; and 2) toxic masculinity proscribes emotional displays from men. To him and many others, gayness is emotional incontinence; silly, over-the-top, can’t-help-yourself, embarrassing-everyone-around-you, blushing infatuation. To them, a gay man is a perpetual teenage girl. This is how a straight boy can carelessly launch himself at the massive hurdle of necessary cognitive dissonance involved in looking at a girl and thinking, Wow, I’m so into her it’s like I’m gay!! and soar over it like a bald eagle in a snapback.
Steel Phoenix Studios 