How can you get people to believe you are straight when they believe you are gay?

Answer 1

Usually people believe that people are gay when they behave outside what are called gender norms. These are the normal behaviors displayed by that gender. Thus the way to get people to believe that you are straight is to behave within those gender norms.

For example, if you are a straight man who talks animatedly while using his hands (a female gender norm) it is possible that people might interpret that as homosexual behavior. Likewise, a girl who does not wear makeup and has a mannish haircut might be considered lesbian even if she is straight. Modifying behavior to conform with social norms is the easiest way to convince people that you are straight.

In some cases, boys who are slight of build and pretty are considered gay even when they behave within gender norms. This is due to the fact that sexuality is a sliding scale and thus most everyone is to some degree bisexual. Though our culture does not accept homosexuals and thus this behavior is not engaged in extensively, these bisexuals by nature project their attraction to small, pretty boys on to the boys. If this is the case, then it will only be a handful of people who believe you are gay, and you'll simply have to deal with it as you do not have the power to change other people's attractions toward you.