Where would we be without gay voices? Could you imagine Project Runway without Tim Gunn’s pep talks? What would Sam Smith sound like if he didn’t idolize Whitney Houston? What would activism be if we didn’t have George Takei calling homophobic bigots “douchebags†in his rich baritone? And yet for many gay men, voices are a source of shame, the dead “giveaway†that all those protein shakes and facial hair can’t manage to tuck away. David Thorpe would like to explore the complexity of gay voices in his proposed documentary Do I Sound Gay? because, as he says, “Growing up, I lived in constant fear of sounding gay.†He has talked to speech therapists, linguists, and a slew of gay icons, including Takei, Gunn, David Sedaris, Don Lemon, and Dan Savage, about why so many gay men want to sound more masculine, and how he ultimately came to embrace the lilt of his own voice.
Thorpe has already raised over $100,000 with his Kickstarter campaign, but it is still roughly $10k shy of its funding goal with only 24 hours to go. Check out the video below and consider helping out.