History Main / MistakenForGay

* ''Film/DoctorInClover'': When Dr. Grimsdyke tells him he's in love, Miles has to clarify if it's with a woman.

** PlayedForDrama in "Is It Fall Yet?" when [[CoolLoser Jane]] befriends [[DepravedBisexual Alison]]. Alison gets Jane drunk (note that Jane is too young to drink) and comes on to her, claiming that she [[{{Gaydar}} never hits on straight chicks]]. Jane briefly begins to question her own sexuality, but eventually realizes that Alison was trying to do just that to help seduce her.

* Stephan Pastis was able to get one of these jokes into ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine''. Rat, being as cynical as ever, stayed in bed due to his view of the world. Pig got in bed with him and Rat tried to get out before anyone saw. Goat eventually came in, resulting in an ''incredibly'' awkward moment for the three of them.

* One ''Comicstrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip has Pig crawling into bed with Rat and Rat trying to get Pig out of the bed before somone sees.... just as Goat walks in and goes "Ohhhhhhh myyyyyyyy" and Rat instantly trying to get the truth out.

* This was an ongoing subplot in ''[[http://www.avalonhigh.com Avalon]]'', especially the first year. Early on, Joe tells Ceilidh that her new friend Phoebe is gay ([[spoiler:a rumor started by a bitter ex-boyfriend]]); the amount of time the two spend together leads to a rumor that ''Ceilidh'' is also a lesbian, which is compounded when her probing for a definite answer, [[CannotSpitItOut without being too direct]], makes ''Phoebe'' think so as well. The "lesbian" subplot is essentially forgotten after the story's halfway mark, [[spoiler:until the undrawn ending, in the synopsis of which Phoebe confesses her love for Ceilidh, who, in the next "scene," ambiguously mentions "new relationships"]].

* In the ''WebAnimation/CartoonHooligans'' episode "The Rumors About Spider-Man and Deadpool", when ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} inadvertently pulls off Franchise/SpiderMan's suit leggings, ComicBook/SpiderGwen happens upon them before running off crying. Immediately afterwards, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan also happen upon them, and Iron Man decides to post a picture of the "couple" on Instagram with the tags "[=#SpideyPool=]", "[=#HahGay=]" and "#Bromance", over their vehement denials.

* Early on in Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' run, when Aunt May discovers the truth about her nephew's super-hero identity she admits that for the longest time due to his sometimes odd behavior and natural sensitivity she thought he was gay.

* In Creator/JuddWinick's ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', when Kyle learns his art assistant, Terry Berg, is gay and having trouble coming out, he asks his editor how he handled it. The editor explains that he didn't, because he's not gay.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Ever since Music/TearsForFears first formed in 1981, there has been rampant speculation that band members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are a gay couple despite the fact that they both identify as straight and both have been married to women for most of their adult lives. These two {{Pretty Boy}}s (Smith bordered on DudeLooksLikeALady when [[LongHairedPrettyBoy his hair was long]]) who openly embraced their [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide feminine sides]] were widely perceived as being effeminate during TheEighties. The British press had utilized terms such as "wimps" and "painfully sensitive" to emphasize the duo's total lack of machismo. Orzabal and Smith have brought up in [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7yn45g?start=160 interviews]] that they liked to visit a gay vegetarian disco when they were younger, so of course this also fed the rumours (including a variation which surmises that they are ''mostly'' straight, but they were [[ExperimentedInCollege bi-curious]] with each other during their youth). Even in the 21st century, the closeness and intensity of their [[HeterosexualLifePartners bromance]] could be mistaken for an actual romance; in 2005, a guest on a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t50wSqF09A&t=5m37s French talk show]] outright asked the group if they were gay.
* Voice actors Jeff Nimoy and Creator/QuintonFlynn unknowingly walked right into a yaoi movie together, which led to some speculations. However, they turned the accusations to their advantage and made a hilarious song out of it.
* Plenty of actors known for playing flamboyant and/or villainous roles get this. Creator/MichaelSheen, Creator/ClaudeRains, Creator/DavidTennant, Creator/TomHiddleston... wait, the Britishness may be playing into this. Of non-Brits, Creator/JohnLeguizamo is frequently mistaken for gay. Creator/ConradVeidt [[NoBisexuals also gets this]], especially for ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''.
* {{Inverted|Trope}} in [[http://notalwaysright.com/definitely-not-right/999 at least one]] Website/NotAlwaysRight story. (With a bit of LogicalFallacies to sweeten the deal.)
** [[https://notalwaysright.com/welcome-to-the-other-side/156879/ A babysitter, the children she takes care of]], and their mother go for a walk and are confused with a lesbian couple with children. At the end of the day, the babysitter makes a donation to an LGBT charity, since she learned how exhausting is the attention - positive or negative - that homoparental families suffer.
** [[https://notalwaysright.com/biracial-lesbian-mothers-in-my-christian-play-place/214322/ A couple of friends are also mistaken as lesbians.]]
* Creator/PatrickStewart [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/patrick-stewart-outed-gay_n_4814994.html?ir=Gay+Voices had fun]] with The Guardian over this.
* Creator/GinaGershon played a bisexual character in ''Film/{{Showgirls}}'' and a lesbian in ''Film/{{Bound|1996}}'', and was apparently so convincing in her portrayals that she often gets hit on by women. She laughed it off in an interview, stating, "I kinda wish I could be a lesbian. So many girls come up to me all the time, I keep thinking, 'God, I should be a lesbian.' But unfortunately, I'm straight."
* In 2005, New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza held a press conference to declare his heterosexuality.
-->"[[Music/BelleAndSebastian Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?]]"
* Music/KTTunstall was mistaken for gay after her Eye To The Telescope album; many of the songs are ambiguous in this regard, and the cover art depicts her wearing a pair of rainbow suspenders.[[note]] "suspenders" here is American English for ''"braces"'', not "lingerie". Here she's actually in a man's shirt with braces, not the sort of suspenders a woman wears below the waist.[[/note]] Despite her statements to the contrary, [[MisaimedFandom many people think she's just in the closet.]]
** This perception of KT wasn't helped when she posed for a photoset with fellow singer Music/JossStone. Somehow Joss appeared ultra-feminine; Tunstall somewhat butch and mannish in mens'-style clothing. ''Possibly'' completely accidentally, [[https://sites.create-cdn.net/siteimages/5/5/8/55872/73/4/4/734414/278x368.jpg?1 the result]] looked like a [[ButchLesbian butch]]-[[LipstickLesbian femme]] partnership and fuelled rumours that both heterosexual singers were in a relationship - with each other.
* Around the time that Music/MelanieC, formerly of the Music/SpiceGirls, put her first solo album out, her stylists started putting her in some very soft-butch clothing for record art and press photoshoots, and even threw in some rather LesYay-loaded poses with female models. This naturally led to an awful lot of prurient tabloid speculation, which made a definite contribution to her unhappy mental state at the time. Ironically, it later transpired that there actually was a same-sex relationship within the Spice Girls at one point, but it actually involved Melanie ''Brown'' rather than Melanie C.[[note]](The other half of the relationship was Geri Horner, then known as Geri Halliwell; for her part, Horner has refused to discuss the relationship, and made it clear that she currently identifies as purely heterosexual)[[/note]]
* Former astronaut Michael Collins references this trope in his memoir ''Carrying The Fire'' when he describes how NASA started having simultaneous sleep periods for astronauts after Gemini 5; he says they had to be careful about the terminology because someone might misunderstand if they heard that a crew was "sleeping together."
* Musician Music/BillySquier's 1984 video for "Rock Me Tonite", directed by Kenny Ortega, featured him waking up from a bed with satiny pastel sheets and dancing effeminately around the room in a pink tank top (not quite the concept he had told Ortega he wanted to do). While the song was his most successful single ever, it was also his ''last'' hit single. Everyone thought he was gay, he could no longer sell out concerts, and the video is widely considered one of the worst ever since it ruined his career.
* Because of his overall looks and flamboyant personality, singer Mika was thought to be so. He later put the rumors to rest stating he's not straight, but then again he's not gay nor bisexual either (His declarations seem to place him somewhere among the lines of either polysexual or pansexual with the typical "no labels" argument). Later on, in August 2012, [[SubvertedTrope he came out as gay]].
* Seattle actor Jeremy Adams, who played a CampGay character in Mark Siano's cabaret show ''Modern Luv'', is heterosexual in the real world.
* [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]]. On the one hand, WordOfGod may never have been ignored so much. On the other hand, all those TalkingInBed sketches only hurt their case. The Creator/SesameWorkshop's official line has for years been "They are not gay, they are not straight, they are puppets. They don't exist below the waist."
* Being an unmarried politician over the age of thirty usually leads to automatic gay rumors. US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is a commonly cited example, one of the few bachelors to pursue the presidency, and has frequently denied being gay. A friend and fellow Air Force officer was interviewed about this and stated Graham is "Nothing but heterosexual. There are stories that I cannot share to prove it but he is."
** This was more of an issue in TheSixties and TheSeventies, where being gay was at first illegal [[note]]it was only taken off the British statute books as a crime in 1967[[/note]] and then socially unrespectable. British politicians of the era who ''were'' gay tended to benefit from the sympathies and covert understanding of their fellows; political luminaries of the time, such as Lord George Brown (Labour), Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal) and one Prime Minister, Edward Heath (Conservative), were simply described using ambiguous terms such as "confirmed bachelor" and their gayness was accepted by the Establishment, which closed ranks around them.
* Jonathan Davis, lead singer of the rock band {{Music/Korn}} had this problem early in the band's career, because of his flamboyant way of dressing during concerts, including wearing dresses. The band even had fun with this belief by making a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OV-3Tgr3lc troll conspiracy video]]. However, Johnathan is married with children, and he had a reputation with female groupies beforehand. Clearly, this has been a problem for him going as far back as highschool, if the song "Faget" is any indication. "I'm just a pretty boy. I'm not supposed to fuck a girl."
* Glenn Erickson, author of the DVD Savant film column, once [[http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s665hour.html shared an anecdote]] that while attending UCLA, he started receiving mail praising his stand on gay rights. Turns out another Glenn Erickson, a member of the Gay Student Union, had written such an article for ''The Daily Bruin''. Erickson considered writing a clarification, but decided he'd rather be mistaken for gay than mistaken for a homophobe.
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic got hit with this in the late '90s. He recounted that some of his mother's friends told her "Well, he's almost forty, and he's not married, and he lives in Hollywood. You ''know'' what that means."
* During the 2015 Academy Awards, Graham Moore, the winner of Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Film/TheImitationGame'', stated in his speech, "When I was sixteen years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong." Given the film he'd written was about a closeted gay man who was driven to suicide by his orientation, many news outlets interpreted it as him coming out as gay. He later clarified that he is straight.
* Music/PaulMcCartney, "The [[PrettyBoy Cute]] Beatle", was subjected to some of this in the early 1960s - a time when it was potentially a very damaging rumor. Most famously, Tony Sheridan - a singer that Music/TheBeatles recorded with before getting famous - assumed he was gay because of his well-shaped eyebrows. He figured that no straight guy had eyebrows like that. Notably, to this day, some people believe that he [[HoYay had an affair with John Lennon]], despite his consistent denials.
* Music/FranzFerdinand have spent their whole career having to point out that none of them are actually gay or bisexual, due to the very blunt and convincing male-homoerotic lyrics of "Michael" on their first album.
* During Operation Julie, a drug investigation by UK police in TheSeventies, a group of undercover officers on surveillance risked attracting hostile local attention when they were assumed to be members of a 'gay cult'. So several female officers were brought in, including one Sgt Julie Taylor whose name was eventually given to the operation.
* A fatal example of this trope happened with [[http://murderpedia.org/female.W/w/wright-daphne.htm Daphne Wright]], who murdered Darlene [=VanderGiesen=] because she was convinced [=VanderGiesen=] was trying to start a relationship with her ex-girlfriend. [=VanderGiesen=] was in fact straight and she and Wright's ex were just good friends. The ''Series/ForensicFiles'' episode "Hear No Evil" covered it.
* [[https://www.cristianosgays.com/2017/10/30/una-joven-chilena-es-victima-de-lesbofobia-por-subir-una-fotografia-con-su-madre-a-facebook/ A mother and daughter uploaded a photo to Facebook ]] (link in Spanish) and received a very offensive comment calling them "disgusting lesbians." They responded very elegantly making it clear that a stupid fanatic like that did not deserve his attention.
* ''Series/BluePeter'' presenter Valerie Singleton, (in 2018, now 81 years old) has said that she was utterly frustrated that the rumour about her being lesbian took such deep root that it could never be properly denied, and said living with it for thirty-odd years got pretty hard. She points out that during her time on the show, the love affairs she ''really'' wanted to keep secret were with star radio DJ Pete Murray and her co-star Peter Purvis. Fortunately, the assumption she was gay prevented intrusive people from looking any further. Val was also - erroneously - reported in UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers to be having an affair with singer Music/JoanArmatrading (who genuinely ''is'' lesbian).
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line Thin Blue Line]] symbol appears at first glance to be a simplified version of the [[{{Leatherman}} leather]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather_pride_flag pride flag]], causing more than a few mistaken perceptions when the symbol first became trendy among police officers and their supporters.
* Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger related that, when he was a teenager, his parents thought he was gay because he cut pictures of shirtless male bodybuilders out of magazines and taped them up all around his room.
* During the post-production of ''Bruised'', Creator/HalleBerry's daughter Nahla happened to drop in on an editing session just as Berry and the editor were reviewing footage of the sex scene between her character and her female trainer. Berry was initially mortified that she dropped in at that particular moment, but ended up taking it as a compliment that the footage had Nahla seriously asking her whether she was attracted to women and had kept it secret. She quickly told her daughter that she was entirely heterosexual, just a very good actress.
* At the 2022 World Cup, [[https://news.sky.com/story/world-cup-2022-brazilian-journalist-has-phone-seized-by-qatar-police-after-regional-flag-mistaken-for-lgbtq-banner-12753490/ a reporter who was with a Pernambuco flag ]] [[https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/qatar-le-autorita-sequestrano-una-bandiera-pernambuco-scambiata-per-il-simbolo-lgbt// had the flag taken from him by authorities near one of the stadiums ]] because it contained a rainbow on it and, as such, was mistaken for an LGBT flag [[note]] homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, where the World Cup was being held that year [[/note]].
[[/folder]]

* Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is temporarily mistaken for gay by her own mother, mostly because she's 23 and hasn't had a boyfriend yet.

* Jonah, best friend of the title character of [=MaryJanice=] Davidson's ''Fred the Mermaid'' series is constantly this trope, even by the woman he winds up marrying. He's actually a CampStraight.

* ''Cheaper By the Dozen'', a memoir about a family with 12 children, includes this anecdote: While on a family trip, the father realizes that they have left one of the young sons behind at a restaurant. Upon returning they find that the nighttime clientele is rather seedier than the daytime patrons. While checking a booth the father is startled when a woman asks if he is looking for a naughty little girl. Flustered the father replies, "No! I'm looking for a naughty little boy!" The woman responds, "Whoops dearie, pardon ''me!''"
* In ''The Crystal Cave'', 12-year-old Merlin meets Count Ambrosius, who [[spoiler: turns out to be his father.]] Ambrosius gives him a fine set of rooms, a tutor and a servant. Given Ambrosius' seeming lack of interest in women, Ambrosius' brother Uther, who's always having affairs with women, assumes from this considerate treatment that Merlin is Ambrosius' catamite, even though Ambrosius has displayed no interest in boys either.

* Musician Billy Squier's 1984 video for "Rock Me Tonite", directed by Kenny Ortega, featured him waking up from a bed with satiny pastel sheets and dancing effeminately around the room in a pink tank top (not quite the concept he had told Ortega he wanted to do). While the song was his most successful single ever, it was also his ''last'' hit single. Everyone thought he was gay, he could no longer sell out concerts, and the video is widely considered one of the worst ever since it ruined his career.

* ''Film/ButImACheerleader'': Everyone but Megan knows that she's gay. Also a very butch girl at the reeducation camp Megan's parents send her to "comes out" as straight, having been mistaken for gay just because of her looks.

* ''Film/TheIsland'' has Lincoln Six-Echo cornering his buddy [=McCord=] while the latter is, in Six-Echo's own words, "taking a dump in a can" (i.e., in a bar toilet). Mac even has his jeans down when Six-Echo accosts him … and then a trucker walks right in on them, with Mac even spouting accidental DoubleEntendre like "let's go back to my place where we can be alone" … but to talk about what's bothering Lincoln, ''not'' … well, NotWhatItLooksLike, as an irritated Mac tells the trucker.

--->'''Dooley:''' That took courage.

** Harry Dresden has frequently been mistaken for [[spoiler: his maternal half-brother]] Thomas Raith's lover, to Harry's dismay and Thomas' great amusement. [[spoiler:Harry uses this to his advantage once when caught snooping in Thomas' apartment. It doesn't help when word gets to the SI division in .005 seconds.]]
** In a case similar to the one of the film examples above, Thomas, when he gets a 'real job' as a hair dresser, deliberately poses as a flamboyantly gay European because there is no such thing as a 'good, high class, straight American' hairdresser. Also, it helps to prevent any of his clients from trying to make a move on him, as Thomas is an incubus and is trying to avoid any AccidentalPornomancer shenanigans.
** The first time that medical examiner Waldo Butters meets Thomas, he immediately thinks Harry and Thomas are a couple--and this is before the events in the first example. Harry tries to convince Butters otherwise. It doesn't work, thanks to Thomas.

->'''Announcer:''' I am pleased to announce that there is no trace of the HIV virus in either Kyle Broflovski or Eric Cartman. Together, these boys beat their illness. With nothing but each other, and overcoming all odds, these two brave friends...\\
'''Kyle:''' Oh, stop! We're not friends! ''He's'' the one who infected me with AIDS!\\
''[{{beat}}]''\\
'''Announcer:''' These two brave ''lovers'' found the cure and helped the world!
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', "[[Recap/SouthParkS12E1TonsilTrouble Tonsil Trouble]]"[[note]]Just to clarify; Cartman was mistakenly given HIV+ blood in a tonsil operation, and Cartman used a syringe to infect Kyle as revenge for poking fun at him for getting what he deserved for his jerkassery.[[/note]]

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS19E6TweekXCraig Tweek x Crai]]g", the entire town believes the two are a couple after the new Asian students make {{Yaoi|Genre}} art featuring them. Tweek and Craig fail to get people to stop shipping them together and they decide to go along with it after seeing how happy their "relationship" makes everybody. Interestingly, this actually ends up developing into a ''real'' gay relationship, as cemented in "[[Recap/SouthParkS21E2PutItDown Put it Down]]" two seasons later, in which Craig calls Tweek "babe" and "honey" even when there is nobody they know around and thus no need to hold up a charade.

->'''Announcer:''' I am pleased to announce that there is no trace of the HIV virus in either Kyle Broflovski or Eric Cartman. Together these boys beat their illness. With nothing but each other, and overcoming all odds, these two brave friends...\\
'''Kyle:''' Oh stop! We're not friends! HE'S the one who infected me with AIDS!\\
''({{beat}})''\\

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''[[note]]Just to clarify; Cartman was mistakenly given HIV+ blood in a tonsil operation, and Cartman used a syringe to infect Kyle as revenge for poking fun at him for getting what he deserved for his jerkassery.[[/note]]

--> '''Heffer''': ''[reading]'' "To my mail carrier. You are like a ray of golden sunshine. With each delivery, you bring a glimmer of joy that warms my heart. Love Rocko." I think you're special too Rocko! ''[hugs him]''
--> '''Alicia's Brother:''' You mean you... and you? That's so sweet!

** In "Homer's Phobia", Homer ended up overreacting to many small silly things Bart was doing (such as wearing a Hawaiian shirt, or putting on a ladies' wig and singing the ''Shoop Shoop'' song) and taking it to mean that contact with an openly gay shopkeeper (played by John Waters) was making Bart "turn gay". After several attempts to make Bart "man up", Homer gives up and says that he's okay with whatever Bart wants to be. When Lisa finally explains it to him, Bart's reaction is "He thinks I'm gay?!"
** In "Lisa's Date With Destiny", Lisa asks Milhouse to pass Nelson her note due to being too nervous to ask him out. During class, Milhouse discreetly passes the note on to Nelson, which reads, "Guess who likes you". Nelson turns back and sees Milhouse waving to him from the back row. Cue off-screen beating and Milhouse being carried to the ambulance via stretcher.

** In "Last Exit to Springfield", Homer mistakenly thinks that Mr. Burns' attempts at negotiating with him and offering a bribe are [[MistakenForFlirting Burns coming on to him]]. He storms off, saying although he's curious about it, he doesn't go for these "[[AccidentalPun back-door shenanigans]]".

** In "Gorgeous Grampa", Marge thinks Abe is gay after finding his old wrestling wig in his room, and starts trying to set him up on dates with men.
** In "Black-Eyed, Please", after Bart causes Lisa's SadistTeacher to quit, Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers chase her out to her car to beg her to stay. She just calls them "the worst-dressed gay men I've ever met!" before driving off.

** Butters is quite feminine and gentle, so even his mom thought he was gay and gambled on his sexuality with his dad. Butters' sexual orientation was also the entire point of "Cartman Sucks", where he got sent to a [[CureYourGays Pray Away the Gay]] camp [[InnocentInaccurate for being "bi-curious"]].
** In "My Future Self 'n Me", when Butters reveals to Stan that he's Professor Chaos, Stan assumes that Butters is coming out to him and reassures that he doesn't care if Butters is gay. This only causes Butters to be disappointed and wonder if he made the costume too flamboyant.
** One hilarious instance of this, is someone assuming HeterosexualLifePartners Terrance and Phillip are gay. That someone, is ''Phillip himself.''

** In "Tonsil Trouble", Cartman gets AIDS from a botched blood transfusion and then passes it on to Kyle intentionally. Throughout the episode, people repeatedly assume that Cartman and Kyle are gay lovers (see the page quote) when they find out that they both have AIDS. Earlier, the doctor who diagnoses Kyle asks him repeatedly if he's absolutely ''sure'' he hasn't been having unprotected anal sex.
** Happens again in ''Cartman Finds Love'' between Cartman and Kyle. To keep Kyle from going out with the new girl for a few [[InnocentBigot naïvely racist reasons]], Cartman spreads the rumor that he and Kyle are (or at least were) dating. Funny enough, everyone seems to believe it pretty easily.
** In "Tweek x Craig", the entire town believes the two are a couple after the new Asian students make {{Yaoi| Genre}} art featuring them. Tweek and Craig fail to get people to stop shipping them together and they decide to go along with it after seeing how happy their "relationship" makes everybody. Interestingly, this actually ends up developing into a ''real'' gay relationship, as cemented in "Put it Down" two seasons later, where Craig calls Tweek "babe" and "honey" even when there is nobody they know around and thus no need to hold up a charade.

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/RandomAssault'': Matt by his real-life friends.
[[/folder]]

* Happens with the teenaged Laser in ''Film/TheKidsAreAllRight'', with the added twist that [[HasTwoMommies his parents are lesbians]]. In actuality, [[spoiler: he and his friend are doing drugs]].

** When Michael and Trevor show up at Tracey's audition for ''Fame and Shame'', Lazlow thinks the two are her [[HasTwoMommies two dads]].

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheAlphabetStory'': Elsa believes that Kendar implying that his sister is in love with a woman is suspicious. She comes to a conclusion that he was [[IHaveThisFriend really talking about himself]] and that's also why he stopped courting her.
* In a oneshot called ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8534217/8/Fate-Stay-Unfinished Archer of King Arthur]]'', the knights of the round table start to believe Archer is GAR for the king based on all the looks he sends him when he's not looking.
* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21822205 As Christmas]]'' inverts it. Garak is blatantly gay yet Kira firmly believes he's straight and interested in [[NiceGal Ziyal]]. Ziyal herself bursts out laughing when she learns this -- because seriously, Garak blues his ''chufa'', you can't be more obvious about that!
* Zigzagged in ''[[https://www.wattpad.com/785175007-ask-the-ghostbusters-friends Ask the Ghostbusters]]'', a fan-made Q&A based on ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''. When Egon is asked which of his friends he'd date if he was forced to, he describes them all as being "lookers". This causes Peter Venkman to ask him if he was gay and he denies it, but a footnote says that he "was not exactly telling the truth". Eventually, it's revealed that, while he's not gay, he is pansexual.
* A driving force of the conflict during the start of ''Fanfic/{{Assumptions}}''. Everyone assumes this about the athletic, tomcoltish Rainbow Dash. Even her friend Pinkie Pie thinks this, and was hoping to "experiment" with her. One of the reasons she's falling for Caramel, who she'd ignore otherwise, is because he's a nice conversation partner that doesn't judge her.
* ''Fanfic/BequeathedFromPaleEstates'': In spite of poor Robb's flailing and wailing about his heterosexuality, their Dornish guests firmly believe his best friend Theon is actually his paramour -- which is not helped by [[TheGadfly said friend gleefully encouraging the misassumption]]. And his new goodbrother actually knows Robb has no interest in the male form, but he blushes so prettily...
* Happens to Georg in ''Fanfic/BeyondTheOuterGateLies''. Due to his fanboying over Dresden and apparent lack of interest in his cute, aggressive apprentice (she's just not his type and too young). The fact he doesn't complain about being [[GenderFlip portrayed as a girl on TV]] doesn't help his case, either.
* The ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' fanfic ''Fanfic/BeyondTheWindingRoad'' has Oz and Vincent, before Oz can explain who Vincent really is. His mother mistakes Oz's idea for a family meeting as him being about to come out of the closet and Vincent for his boyfriend, and she's accepting to the point of embarrassing. Oz actually ''does'' come out in a way, but it's more about identity than sexual orientation.
* ''Fanfic/CeladonsNewBlossom'' contains a variant. In it, Ash becomes Erika's student but must be DisguisedInDrag. The Pokémon League ends up sending someone to see why Ash changed his ID from male to female. They've come to conclusion that Ash has come out as a UsefulNotes/{{trans|gender}} girl. Ash is cisgender but he doesn't deny this. Erika and Ash go with it and make up a cover story about how Ash realized he was transgender after starting his journey, so he came to Erika to learn how to become more ladylike. Ash acknowledges that this lie will lead to trouble when he goes back to Ash, but he decides he'll focus on the present for now.
* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' story ''Fanfic/TheChosenSix'', Sirius and Remus moving together into the house next door is enough for the Dursleys to be convinced these two man ''have'' to be gay - while in reality they aren't. Although not shown, this misunderstanding probably is only resolved [[spoiler:once Remus moves out and Sirius marries his love Diane.]]
* Somehow, James ''inverts'' this in ''Fanfic/CoOpMode'' by mistaking Taylor mistaking him for gay because of the way she had let him [[HealingHands massage her]].
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21491479/chapters/51219724 Desmond ex Machina]]'', Federico goes to wake up his younger brother only to find him abed with a naked, quite handsome young man and immediately draws the only logical conclusion -- as time-traveling shenanigans are a mite far-fetched for anyone. Quite sweetly, the entire family is okay with Ezio being a sodomite in spite of the strongly homophobic context of the Renaissance.
* ''Fanfic/ADragonsRoar'': After failing to gain Daeron's attention, Cersei comes to the conclusion that he's gay. Elia laughs off the notion, as Oberyn tried and failed to entice him to his bed.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13049832/1/Dead-Men-Tell-Tales Dead Men Tell Tales]]'', the first skeleton Ernesto de la Cruz approaches after his death is a girl named Coleta. She recognizes him but shows no signs of the adoration he expects from girls, making him assume she's a lesbian. The reason she hates him is because Hector denounced him as his murderer.
* Hilariously enough, despite acting like a [[CampStraight stereotypical gay man]] (and the {{Double Entendre}}s don't help), [[spoiler: Zarbon]] is revealed to have a girlfriend in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''. Even Freeza was shocked to find out he was straight. Course, in turn, [[spoiler: Zarbon's]] surprised that everyone thought he was gay. Despite acting AmbiguouslyGay even after being outed as straight. Freeza remains convinced that his "girlfriend" is named Chuck, but WordOfGod from TFS confirmed that [[spoiler:Zarbon]] really is straight.
** Even funnier, [[spoiler:Zarbon]] ends up thinking Vegeta is gay because of an ArentYouGoingToRavishMe [[ItMakesSenseInContext reaction]]... and quickly adds NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* ''Fanfic/FateKill'': Shirou helps Lubbock walk when he is injured and Lubbock becomes really grateful. Their interaction looks really gay to everyone and Selka and Akame (who have crushes on Shirou) become jealous of Lubbock.
* ''Fanfic/FateLongNight'': When Shirou says he's never had a girlfriend in his life and that he finds Nymeria scary instead of hot, Brandon asks if he's a "sword swallower".
* ''Fanfic/HeroesNeverDie'': Both Bakugo and Izuku are separately mistaken for gay. Bakugo because of his insane focus on Izuku, and Izuku for being [[IgnoreTheFanservice unconcerned with all the girls in skin-tight and revealing clothing]].
* In ''Fanfic/HeroicMyth,'' Hestia accuses Bell of this after summoning nothing but stunningly handsome men as Servants until he summons Jack.
--> '''Hestia:''' You summoned another one!? ''[shakes Bell like a ragdoll]'' I thought I told you that I can't be surrounding myself with men all the time!\\
'''Bell:''' I'm sorry! It's not like I can choose who answers!\\
'''Hestia:''' That's no excuse! Wait…are you hiding something, Bell? Don't tell me you're actually interested in-\\
'''Bell:''' PLEASE DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE, GODDESS!
* In the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1683167/1/STE-Hoshi-s-Birthday-Surprise?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=guorz99MwerZwwDixUl.acREfjh_n.ax.9j2S4HxZPk-1642362625-0-gaNycGzNCZE Hoshi's Birthday Surprise]]'', Malcolm Reed accidentally leads Hoshi Sato into a {{Gayborhood}}, stating that he "prefers the atmosphere" there. This causes her to think that he's gay, when actually they both have wicked crushes on each other. Hoshi also ends up thinking that ''Trip'' is gay when she realises that he and Malcolm interact a lot, so she mistakes the two as being boyfriends.
* In ''[[http://cartoon.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600095039&chapter=4 How I Learned to Love the Wild Horse]]'', [[WesternAnimation/TotallySpies Arnold]] is mistaken for gay by his mother despite her ''walking in on him having sex'' because Donna, the woman he's having sex with, is a muscular {{Tomboy}} with a pixie cut.
* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'', the people involved in a train-to-Den City virtual conference to help Specter get the courage to return to the Train can ''clearly'' read between the lines that Specter and Paul London might be having a thing for one another from hints that include London's determination to sacrifice himself so that Specter can leave and Specter's...enthusiasm to return so he can make amends. London has to point out that this isn't the case, mostly due to the age difference (Specter is 16, London is nearing 40). Even better for those who read ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily'' since most of Specter's journeys can be seen as a parallel to a person trying to tell their family that they're LGBT (but uses how Specter wanted to befriend his Ignis partner, Earth) and the co-author revealed that Specter ''is'' gay/demiromantic and has a crush on Ryoken.
* Due to some misunderstandings in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5985329/1/I-Still-Say-it-Looks-like-a-Nail I still Say it Looks like a Nail]]'', [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander]] thinks his uncle [[Franchise/StargateVerse Jack O'Neil]] is gay when he brings up military regulations preventing a relationship with someone named Sam. Later when Xander meets SG-1, he thinks "Sam" and "Danny" are short for "Samuel" and "Danielle" rather than Samantha and Daniel, leading to further misunderstandings.
* In ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'', when Jaune goes to ask Ren for romantic advice, he walks in on Ren after the latter had just finished taking a shower and was [[ShirtlessScene only wearing a towel]]. He proceeds to drag a half-naked Ren over to his bed before telling him how he feels as though he's formed a close bond with him. Ren misinterprets this as Jaune trying to hit on him before the latter clarifies that he wants advice on dating girls.
* In ''Fanfic/KantoCalling'', Ash is so ObliviousToLove that he thinks Misty has a crush on Serena, not him, just because she complimented Serena. He doesn't even notice that Misty is jealous of Serena.
* ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'': In ''Cadance's Lovely Misadventure'', when Cadance was trying to set Shining Armor up with a date and he was trying to say (in a rather roundabout way) he was in love with her, he tried to specify that his ideal date would be in the nobility, and also a close friend. Cadance, knowing that all his other friends were stallions and [[ObliviousToLove not realizing he was talking about her]], concluded he was into guys. Afterwards, Shining was too mortified to correct the misunderstanding, although Cadance caught on on her own later on.
* In ''Fanfic/LokiAgentOfDoomgard'' Verity implies to her mother that Loki doesn't date women to stop her from playing matchmaker. Loki naturally rather uses this opportunity for trolling and doesn't even try to clear the misunderstanding.
* Inverted in this ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' [[https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/188217245332/i-mightve-thought-of-the-bestworst-ladybug-au AU post]]. Chat Noir's strong and open admiration for Ladybug makes her think he has a crush on her, which is problematic since she's gay. When she let's him down gently by revealing her sexuality, Chat says that he's also gay, he just really likes working with her.
* ''Fanfic/AMoonAndWorldApart'': Inverted in chapter 7. Rarity initially mistakes Onyx Plate for ''straight'' when she first meets him and starts flirting with him, and then apologizes to ''Twilight'' for flirting with her "husband" when Onyx informs her he's married. It's not until Twilight gently explains otherwise that Rarity realizes the extent of her error and is mortified, thinking she must have offended him horribly.
* In ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection'', Mako assumes that Nonon and Satsuki are a couple. Both of them are quick to clarify that they aren't.
* In ''New Chance'', a ten year old Naruto tells Gaara that he thinks Haku and Sai are gay. While the rest of the Konoha 12, Haku and Sai are eavesdropping. His reasons being that Haku likes dressing like a woman a little too much and he mistakes Sai's attempt to make friends as a case of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday.
-->'''Naruto:''' Haku and Sai have some serious image issues. I think they're gonna come out the closet one day.\\
'''Haku:''' ''[thinking]'' If we compared the number of fangirls we each had, he'd find out he was wrong.\\
'''Sai:''' ''[thinking]'' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Why would I get in a closet?]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Oblivion}}'' has Alexis Terra and Marley Flowers initially subjected to this...until it becomes clear that [[{{Bifauxnen}} Marley is a woman.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' RuleSixtyThree fanfic ''Fanfic/OneGirlWithTenBrothers'', after Luke comes out of the closet to his family (and accept him for it), the rest of the Louds admit they always assumed the [[CampStraight fashionable Loni]] would be the gay one.
-->"What's that supposed to mean?" Loni asked offended.
* ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''
** A RunningGag with Captain Proton thanks to his HeroicBuild coupled with his {{camp}}y ZeeRust Space Rangers uniform.
--->'''[[IntrepidReporter Kincaid]]:''' Are you aware that the Space Ranger uniform throws serious doubts upon your sexuality? Have you ever tried to roger [[WesternAnimation/RogerRamjet Ramjet]] yourself?
** A flashback shows Captain Proton making FirstContact with a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien who wants Proton to mate with his beautiful virgin daughter with amazing breasts in order to create the Supreme Being of the Universe. Unfortunately when Proton offers a handshake the alien thinks he's into HoldingHands.
--->The Guardian's eyes flashed with starfire. "Do not toy with me, Earthling! I know that to hold another man's hand is a sign of homosexuality on your world! Just because [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas I don't wear trousers]] you assume that I too am queer! So be it then. Instead of my daughter, you shall have one of our bum-slaves instead!"
* In ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', after Jade says that Daolon Wong's "in the closet", [[AmbiguouslyGay Ratso assumes it means something else]] (he's actually ''literally'' locked in a closet in the old Dark Hand building).
* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' fic, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4504148/1/Quintessence Quintessence]]'', Anakin and Obi-Wan were captured by natives of a backwater planet and were about to be burnt at a stake, not because they were mistaken as witches as initially assumed, but because the folks thought they were lovers.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' fics:
** In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3035486/1/Same-Time-Next-Year Same Time Next Year]]'', according to Nabiki, Akane's frequent statements about how she hates boys have led to a few people wondering if she's a lesbian.
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5393139/1/In-Vino-Veritas In Vino Veritas?]]'' has Ranma, in female form, buying a pregnancy test for Akane. Shampoo runs into him at the store, and assumes that the pregnancy test is for ''him'', due to him being in girl form.
* In ''Fanfic/RisingOfTheSleepingSoldier'', when Motoyasu thinks that Alucard's companions are his harem, he mentally apologizes to Sypha and tells him that they are both male [[{{Troll}} just to mess with him]].
--> '''Motoyasu''': Well. Huh. Guess you swing that way...
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10960035/2/Savage Savage]]'', Ichigo assumed Tatsuki and Orihime were dating from how close they are. The fact Orihime says stuff like "I promised Tatsuki I would come back to her" really doesn't help matters.
* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': When Touji meets Kaworu, he wonders if he's gay. However, when Touji asks him, Kaworu is genuinely clueless about what Toji was implying (but he finds his reaction "very interesting" anyway).
-->'''Toji:''' Hey, you know... the way you're moving and talking... and that smiling... you're not... I mean not that I'd have anything against it... but still...\\
'''Kaworu:''' I am afraid I do not know what you are referring to.\\
'''Toji:''' Yeah, sure, never mind.
* In ''Shocker: Legit'', Shocker comes to the conclusion that Peter Parker is gay -- based largely on a comment Peter accidentally makes about wearing spandex.
* ''Fanfic/TangledUpInIndigo'''s plot kicks off with Afterschool Tea Time learning their fanbase outside of Japan thinks they're lesbians. [[spoiler:Yui]] actually is.
* In ''Fanfic/TimeAndAgain'', Naruto fumbles his explanation to Sakura about why he's incapable of seeing Hinata romantically (because [[PeggySue from his perspective, doing so would make him a paedophile]]) so she decides that he must be gay, stating that [[HoYay "it does explain some things"]].
* In the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' / ''Anime/KillLaKill'' crossover ''Fanfic/ToMyDeathIFight'', Isshin Kurosaki reveals that he thinks Uryu is gay just because he sews, and asks if his father knows he's in the closet. When Uryu indignantly says his father was the one who taught him how to sew, Isshin assumes his father is gay too.
* In ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'', "A Library With No Twilight", [[LemonyNarrator Phil]] encourages Applejack and Rarity to make out. Both of them yell at Phil--and Applejack is surprised at Rarity's reaction, because she'd always assumed Rarity was gay.
* Meta example: ''Fanfic/UndocumentedFeatures'' was written over many long nights where the three authors would go up to their room and plot, and their classmates thought they were gay (or at least bisexual) because who writes fiction on a Friday night?
* Frequent in fanfiction. Very. For example, this (in some form) features in [[http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/64/nothingbeside.html this]] ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' fanfiction written for Yuletide Treasure. It features a scene of Ozymandias awkwardly jumping to the conclusion that he's being mistaken for gay during an interview -- NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3488198/6/What-If Warufukaze no Jutsu]]'' segment of a Naruto drabble fic, ''What if?'', Kakashi is revealed to have thought that Might Guy is gay due to his [[HotBlooded enthusiastic]] MachoCamp tendencies. He denies it and is shocked that he came off that way, asking his genin team about how he comes off:
-->'''Gai''': Tell me, my youthful students, do I seem gay?\\
'''Lee''': Hai, sensei! [[HaveAGayOldTime You are the gayest man I know. No matter what happens you are always upbeat and striving to do more.]] You are the picture of youthful passion!
* In the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10825854/1/We-Love-Our-Two-Dads We Love Our Two Dads]]'', Superboy and Robin, and eventually the rest of the team, enforce this trope in regards to the public identities of Superman and Batman as revenge for the way [[ParentalNeglect Superman treats Superboy]] (and as for why they involved Batman, [[NoodleIncident Robin was apparently mad at him for something]]).
* Painful version in DarkFic ''Fanfic/WithPearlAndRubyGlowing'' when [[spoiler: Hector Rivera]] and [[spoiler: Hiccup Haddock]] are mistaken for gay (individually, decades apart) by a [[HomophobicHateCrime murder cult]].
* In ''Fanfic/TheWordOfYourBody'', when Jude says [[TransTribulations he wants to be a boy]], his mother assumes he's a lesbian and tells him you don't have to be a boy to like girls. Jude retorts that he's too young to be attracted to people.
* ''Fanfic/TheWorstPrisoner'': Or at least Mistaken for Bi. Sokka attempts to make Zuko jealous by telling him how handsome and charming Jet was, but all he achieves is making Zuko believe he had a crush on him. Sokka is not amused by this when he founds out.
* ''Fanfic/YinAndYangSeries'': Fujuju, who's soft spoken and a HouseHusband.
* In Creator/LittleKuriboh's ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', Pegasus is believed to be gay, what with Bakura's Millennium Gaydar pointing at his castle. ([[CampStraight His entire personality]] didn't help.) [[spoiler:However, it is later revealed he was married to [[TheLostLenore Cecelia]], and that [[StraightGay Croquet]] is the gay one]].
[[/folder]]