History Main / GayBravado

* LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}} is entirely straight, but by his own account, his humor is founded on nothing but dick jokes. He will use almost any opportunity to reference penises or gay sex -- e.g. using a word or phrase for it as an answer in a quiz or improv game, constructing a penis in a sandbox game, drawing one in a game that allows it...and so on. He and his male friends often engage in gay bravado with each other by making verbal or visual innuendos, pretending to flirt with each other, deliberately {{Ship Teas|e}}ing, or commenting on the attractiveness of male people or characters. And lastly, he is also a member of the above-mentioned D Club.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is probably the subtext for almost all of the high-school bullying among males, or at least some of it. And when teenaged boys threaten to undress and/or rape other boys, it's ''definitely'' present. In these cases, the intent is probably not to establish manliness, but to make the ''victim'' feel effeminate. (Also applies to PrisonRape.)
* Some teenagers have a version called "Are you uncomfortable yet?" in which teens of either the same sex or both sexes (depending on if you have friends of both sexes or associate exclusively with the same sex) get progressively closer to and more suggestive with one another, while asking the above question. Whoever says "yes" first loses. A lot of this is really just an excuse for teens to explore their sexual identity/get close to cute people in a socially acceptable manner.
** Another name for it is '[[GameOfChicken gay chicken]]', in which two reportedly heterosexual males get progressively closer to kissing each other and the first one to flinch loses.
*** Thanks to RuleThirtyFour, there's a gay porn version of Gay Chicken where kissing is only Step One.
*** A joke goes that the longest game of 'gay chicken' went for 17 years when in the process of adopting their second child one guy said "Sorry man I just can't take it, this is too gay."
* UsefulNotes/DavidCameron appears to have adopted this as his favoured way of coping with the tidal wave of HoYay innuendo around his coalition deal with UsefulNotes/NickClegg (see "as someone who has recently gotten into bed with an ardent Europhile", and recent references to ''Film/BrokebackMountain''). Clegg has not tended to join in much, possibly [[{{Ukefication}} for good reason]].
* On pretty much any given ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' commentary track, particularly from the first season, plenty of (ostensibly) straight male cast members can be seen blithely remarking on the HoYay in their own scenes. Or on the attractiveness of other castmates.
-->'''Creator/SendhilRamamurthy:''' [during a particularly intense conversation between Mohinder and Sylar] Are we becoming one now? [[note]]some time after the series ended, Creator/ZacharyQuinto (Sylar) came out as gay. This still applies to all the other guys though. [[/note]]
* There are several Website/YouTube videos of men, including soldiers, dancing to Music/LadyGaga. It's almost certain that you'll find a few comments on how secure they must be in their heterosexuality.
* A lot of heterosexual actors who have played gay characters, most notably James Franco, seem to enjoy the sexuality speculation that develops around their choices of roles and [[http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/06/james-franco-maybe-im-gay/ tease the media about it]] rather than outright dismissing the rumors. But even with those who are more transparent, there seems to be an awareness in Hollywood that [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday too much defensiveness and evasiveness]] [[ArmouredClosetGay only raises people's suspicions]], and so many straight actors who come up against these rumors manage to clarify them in a way that still shows their comfort with the gay community and how much they love their gay fans. (One notable example is Creator/DarrenCriss explaining in ''Out'' how as a musical theater geek from San Francisco, so many people automatically assumed he was gay that he essentially had to "come out" as straight.)
** Three words: [[Creator/RobertDowneyJr Robert]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_uh6o7b0E Downey]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QpBsLzXwp8 Junior]].
** Creator/EwanMcGregor is another good [[http://www.afterelton.com/people/ewan-mcgregor-beginners example.]] He also once hilariously kissed a highly uncomfortable Craig Ferguson on live television and often smooched Hayden Christensen when they were working on/promoting ''Franchise/StarWars'' together.
** Creator/JonathanRhysMeyers. [[http://gawker.com/249569/stalk-of-the-town-j-rhys-meyers-clearly-gay Here]] and [[http://www.out.com/entertainment/2006/04/30/jonathan-rhysmeyers here]].
** Creator/MishaCollins, happily married with two children has no problem gleefully fueling Destiel[[note]]Dean/Cas[[/note]], even insisting he is the 'top' in the relationship. This naturally leads to certain fans shipping the actors themselves, something he also seems to take in stride.
** Creator/SebastianStan has a lot of fun teasing those who see homoerotic subtext in Bucky and Sam's relationship in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' and talking about getting the writers to make it more blatant. Creator/AnthonyMackie, on the other hand, finds such talk frustrating because the show was meant to show the development of a healthy friendship that he hoped would set an example for others, since many men find it difficult to form close friendships because of the fear of being seen as gay.
* Can occur in high school team sports where the guys are comfortable being naked or showering around others, such as naked hugging. Or done around others to make other people uncomfortable.
** Pro sports, too. In April 2018, the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] reprimanded Brad Marchand for [[http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/23328941/brad-marchand-boston-bruins-told-nhl-stop-licking-nuzzling-other-players licking and/or nuzzling an opponent]].
** Baseball players often pat each other on the butt as encouragement. The Chicago Cubs players went a step further and adopted the [[https://www.pride.com/sports/2016/11/07/chicago-cubs-made-crotch-bumping-thing-were-kind-turned "crotch bump"]] as an on-field greeting.
* Get VitriolicBestBuds[=/=]HeterosexualLifePartners Creator/DwightSchultz and Creator/DirkBenedict ("Howling Mad" Murdock and Face respectively from ''Series/TheATeam'') in the same room together. Odds are that within minutes (if not the very first lines out of their mouths) they'll start flirting with each other.
* HeterosexualLifePartners Creator/LiamOBrien and Creator/SamRiegel seem to enjoy cranking the HoYay up to the max whenever they discuss their friendship. In the first episode of their ''All Work No Play'' podcast, Liam describes the first time they met as "love at first sight". In other episodes: Liam challenges them both to pick which male voice actor they would marry if given the option, with the only caveat being that they're not allowed to pick each other. When they discuss whether they would have sex with each other if they were stranded together on a desert island, Liam (perhaps jokingly) insists that they would do so ''immediately''; Sam objects that surely they would wait a while to see if a rescue was forthcoming, but at no point does he say that it ''wouldn't happen''. Liam at one point tells Sam (about themselves), "I wish I could go back and look at those two fuckin' idiots … meeting, and not knowing that they were meeting their soulmates." And although both are HappilyMarried to women, they sometimes openly call each other "husband", including [[https://youtu.be/W9FM8VjWc7M?t=208 in a D&D Beyond interview]] about ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''.
[[/folder]]

It's worth noting that this is not just innuendo. Someone shooting for Gay Bravado does not stop at merely innuendo. Nor is this just normal dialogue ''[[ThreeIsCompany accidentally]]'' [[MistakenForGay mistaken for homoeroticism]], or innocent dialogue [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything intended to remind the audience of homosexuality]]. This is completely intentional. There is of course the message implied when male homosexuality is treated as a [[QueerPeopleAreFunny joke at best]], and at worst as a weapon to make straight men uncomfortable.

* ''Series/TheThickOfIt'':[[TheChessmaster Malcolm Tucker]] loves this, and uses it with practically every other male character, often combined with NoSenseOfPersonalSpace.

* Many of the jokes in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' are essentially this

* In ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' [[MagnificentBastard Malcolm Tucker]] loves this, and uses it with practically every other male character, often combined with NoSenseOfPersonalSpace.

* Dave Strider of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. Sometimes he does this to [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002999 troll others]], with spectacular results.

** Baseball players often pat eachother on the butt as encouragement. The Chicago Cubs players went a step further and adopted the [[https://www.pride.com/sports/2016/11/07/chicago-cubs-made-crotch-bumping-thing-were-kind-turned "crotch bump"]] as an on-field greeting.

It's worth noting that this is not just innuendo. Someone shooting for Gay Bravado does not stop at merely innuendo. Nor is this just normal dialogue ''[[ThreeIsCompany accidentally]]'' [[MistakenForGay mistaken for homoeroticism]], or innocent dialogue [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything intended to remind the audience of homosexuality]]. This is completely intentional. There are of course some UnfortunateImplications in that male homosexuality is treated as a [[QueerPeopleAreFunny joke at best]], and at worst as a weapon to make straight men uncomfortable.

** Solid Snake also hits on Raiden in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' a couple of times, mostly to get an annoyed reaction out of him (such as commenting on him looking good in the uniform and making a comment about his 'walk', and being [[GagPenis amazed Raiden can walk around like that]]). He also teases Otacon in decidedly flirty terms - "Reminds me of when we first met".

* In the 1986 tennis movie ''Jocks'', one of the players on the team psychs out his opponents by pretending to be gay and making kissy-faces at them. When they face off against a better team, his opponent takes the gay UpToEleven, and he freaks out and leaves the court, calling him a faggot.

** "Killshot" contains numerous references to Music/MachineGunKelly being a LoonyFan in love with him (like Stan, from his own song), ending with an insult that Kelly can't rap because he's too busy sucking Eminem's dick. And that he should leave it in there.

** "Killshot" contains numerous references to Music/MachineGunKelly being a LoonyFan in love with him (like Stan, from his own song), ending with an insult that Kelly can't rap because he's too busy sucking Eminem's dick.

* LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}} is entirely straight, but by his own account, his humor is founded on nothing but dick jokes. He will use almost any opportunity to reference penises or gay sex -- e.g. using a word or phrase for it as an answer in a quiz or improv game, constructing a penis in a sandbox game, drawing one in a game that allows it...and so on. He and his male friends often engage in GayBravado with each other by making verbal or visual innuendos, pretending to flirt with each other, deliberately {{Ship Teas|e}}ing, or commenting on the attractiveness of male people or characters. And lastly, he is also a member of the above-mentioned D Club.

** One of the many ways Eminem dealt with being accused of homophobia for lyrics was by portraying himself as an ArmoredClosetGay or - in the case of his ''Relapse'' album - rapping in the persona of an antiheroic Dahmer-esque DepravedBisexual serial killer who seduces young gay men.
** "Killshot" contains numerous references to Kelly being in love with him, ending with an insult that Kelly can't rap because he's got Eminem's dick in his mouth.

* One of the many ways Music/{{Eminem}} dealt with being accused of homophobia for lyrics and public statements in which he expresses open disgust towards gay men was by writing lyrics which portrayed him as an ArmoredClosetGay or - in the case of his ''Relapse'' album - rapping in the persona of an antiheroic Dahmer-esque DepravedHomosexual serial killer who seduces young gay men.

* One of the many ways Music/{{Eminem}} dealt with being accused of homophobia for lyrics and public statements in which he expresses open disgust towards gay men was by writing lyrics which portrayed him as an ArmoredClosetGay, or - in one case - rapping in the persona of an antiheroic Dahmer-esque DepravedHomosexual serial killer who seduces young gay men.