Arizona State University Do I Sound Gay Documentary Discussion

How does what director David Thorpe calls “the gay voice” challenge the sex-gender binary?

Do you find it problematic that a few spoken syllables “reveal” so much about a person?

2. The documentary considers themes like code-switching, misogyny, self-hatred, and the politics of speech communities. Which of these themes do you find most compelling, if any, and why? Are there others?

3. Much like we all have a “social identity,” do you think we also have a “verbal identity?” If so, who creates it?

What is your relationship with your own voice (paralanguage)?

Have you ever been hyperconscious of your voice? Why or why not?

4. The film was received well at film festivals (featured in Sundance Selects), but subsequent reviews and ratings are so-so. Many critiques conclude that the documentary is cliché, non-satisfying in its ability to answer technical questions posed at the beginning, and that the director’s overt focus on changing his voice may reinforce that the “gay voice” is a liability to be associated with shame. What critique(s), similar or otherwise, would you offer the documentary?

Here is the link to the documentary