History Main / MistakenForGay

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc.1'' - Celia's ''furious'' when she thinks Mike's cheating on her with Sulley on her ''birthday''.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc.'' - Celia's ''furious'' when she thinks Mike's cheating on her with Sulley on her ''birthday''.

* In ''Literature/BootCamp'', Pauly Vetare was sent to Lake Harmony because he was small and unathletic and his dad thought he was gay, even though he's straight.

* Amusingly, the woman who inspired Music/{{Weezer}}'s [[IncompatibleOrientation Pink Triangle]] turned out to be a case of this by Rivers Cuomo. She wore the titular triangle on her backpack (rather than on her sleeve) as a show of support for gay rights, but wasn't a lesbian herself.

** Catalina thinks that Susan's misandry means she might be playing for the ladies' team, and asks her out. [[IncompatibleOrientation Susan's a little saddened to turn her down]]. While at the time Susan ''thinks'' the incompatible orientation is that she's straight, she later is prompted to consider what she actually is attracted to and finds that she can find men sexy, women sexy, and the thought of men and women doing things together sexy, but finds the thought of [[UsefulNotes/{{Asexual}} herself doing things with men or women an immediate turn-off]].

** Catalina thinks that Susan's misandry means she might be playing for the ladies' team, and asks her out. [[IncompatibleOrientation Susan's a little saddened to turn her down]].

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Sanaa thinks that Othar [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100324 may have other reasons for wanting to save Gil, like being his boyfriend.]] Of course, given her history with Othar [[spoiler:He's her brother]], she may well just be picking on him to amuse herself.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Sanaa thinks that Othar [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100324 may have other reasons for wanting to save Gil, like being his boyfriend.]]

* A deleted scene in ''[[Film/FantasticFour2005 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer]]'' has a gag where paparazzi photographs Johnny Storm while he's kneeling in front of Ben Grimm and holding a bouquet.

* A variant in ''Film/MammaMia'': Harry is trying to talk to Bill about something new he realized about himself. Bill thinks Harry's talking about realizing that he's gay; really Harry is talking about realizing that he's Sophie's father. [[spoiler: But later in the movie it turns out Harry actually is gay.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'': A RunningGag during the series is the Greek gods mistaking Amadeus Cho for Herc's [[LoverAndBeloved eromenos]].

* Creator/GregRucka mentioned a story that he'd like to do but knows DC would never let him: A group of Gotham socialites are discussing their relationships with [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]], and one of them eventually confesses that she's never had sex with him. They compare notes, realise that ''none'' of them have actually had sex with Bruce Wayne, and come to the inevitable conclusion...
* In the graphic novel ''ComicBook/BikiniCowboy'', Rod [=McCloud=] observes that Whisky Jill is affectionate towards her Native American friend Tonta and asks if they are lesbians. Whisky Jill and Tonta are disgusted by the idea that they'd love each other in that way.
* In ''ComicBook/BlackMagick'' #8, Morgan is in a huff with Rowan because he thinks that Rowan and Alex are an item and that Rowan hasn't told him yet. This causes Rowan to burst out laughing.
* And as shown in the page picture, ComicBook/BoosterGold and ComicBook/BlueBeetle (Ted Kord), which has been a RunningGag for years.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Cavewoman}}: A Wizard, A Sorceress and Meriem'', Zordu and Teegan refer to Carrie as Meriem's 'consort'. Leads to this exchange:

* In ''[[ComicBook/{{Convergence}} Convergence: The Question]]'' #2, ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} is jealous that Comicbook/{{Huntress}} lives with her ex-girlfriend, Renee Montoya. She's embarrassed when she learns that Huntress is straight and they're just roommates.
* ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' had a supervillain team called "Rum, Sodomy, and The Lash". When Emp confronts The Lash, she asks where his teammates are and he sadly explains that Rum had to go to an AA meeting, and Sodomy got tired of explaining that he only represents ''heterosexual'' sodomy and quit.
* An issue of ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'' features the revelation that Mr. Immortal's power of ResurrectiveImmortality makes him [[EvolutionaryLevels "the final step in evolution"]], surpassing the mutants (typically classified as ''Homo superior'') to become something more. He decides to announce this to his teammates by walking in and declaring himself to be "''Homo supreme.''" Flatman, who came out of the closet a matter of minutes ago, merely grumbles about Immortal trying to upstage him.
* In Creator/JuddWinick's run on ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', when Kyle learns his art assistant, Terry Berg, is gay and having trouble coming out, he asks his editor Andre Choi how he handled it. Choi explains that he didn't, because he's not gay.

* In ''ComicBook/KickAss'', this happens to Dave Lizewski after he gets beaten up twice while trying to be a real-life superhero, with the kids at school assuming he's a gay prostitute who keeps getting beaten up by his clients. Dave goes along with it for a while since his crush, Katie Deauxma, adopts him as a gay best friend. The situation does not end well. After acting the part of the GayBestFriend (including spray tanning her topless), he admits it was all a ruse. Katie is furious, and has her boyfriend beat him up, followed by a graphic photo of their sex sent by phone.

* Happens to ComicBook/DoctorStrange in the miniseries ''The Oath'' often enough to qualify as a running gag. First, random street toughs assume he and his friend and servant Wong are a gay couple, then Night Nurse seems to assume that Wong calling Stephen 'master' is sexual in nature (alluded to by her remark about his being unable to pass comment on 'other people's fetishes'). ''[[RuleOfThree Then]]'' Reginald Pavlish, a would-be patient of Strange's in his last days as an [[DrJerk arrogant young surgeon]] offers 'something else' to repay Strange, in what reads very nearly as an inverted ScarpiaUltimatum (Strange turns him down anyway.)
** The Night Nurse at least has a good excuse in that her first encounter with the pair involves Wong carrying a wounded Strange into her clinic, panicking and practically claiming he "is Strange's". The explanation for Strange getting shot - as a result of his quest to save Wong - does little to ease suspicions.
* A regular RunningGag on ''ComicBook/QuantumAndWoody'', where Woody insists to anyone within earshot that they're "not a couple."
* ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} once confessed to his on-again-off-again wife Crystal that he'd begun seeing someone, and it was a man. She was a bit shocked but said she understood. As it turned out, he was "seeing" Doc Samson, a psychologist.
* In ''ComicBook/RawhideKid: The Sensational Seven'', the openly gay Rawhide Kid figures his compatriot the Two-Gun Kid for gay based on his costume -- stuff like the kerchief, the mask, the print on the vest. When they talk about it, Two-Gun is mortified and says he has to rethink his look, but Rawhide encourages him to keep it the same, saying that being tough is about standing your ground, being true to yourself, and not caring about what other people think.
* The relationship between Nico and Karolina in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' was complicated by Karolina's [[IncompatibleOrientation crush on Nico]]. When Nico swore off men [[spoiler: after learning that her boyfriend Alex Wilder was TheMole who had betrayed them]] Karolina believed that Nico had decided to "switch" and subsequently attempted to kiss her and was gently rebuffed. The resulting conversation is extraordinarily awkward as Karolina wonders if the problem is that she is going "too fast," whereas Nico [[ObliviousToLove had never realized that Karolina was in love with her in the first place]]. The ShipTease between the two characters would be a regular occurrence through the remainder of the original series' run, and they eventually got together in [[ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell the revived series.]]
* In issue 15 of ''[[ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats She's Josie]]'', Melody believes her friend Pepper is hitting on her:
-->'''Pepper:''' Melody, I appeal to you!\\
'''Melody:''' '' ♪ Oh you '''do''', Pepper! But I like '''boys''' better! ♫''\\
'''Pepper:''' No, no, you ninny! I want your '''help'''!
* The eleventh issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' involved Mayday Parker being stranded in the past at the time where her father, the original Spider-Man, first encountered Spencer Smythe's Spider-Slayer. J. Jonah Jameson mistakes Spider-Girl for Spider-Man and notes how Spider-Man suddenly appears more feminine, then starts to panic over how people will react to his attacks on Spider-Man if he is a minority. While not explicitly stated, it's implied that J. Jonah Jameson came to the conclusion that Spider-Man is gay.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'': Billy's trying to tell his parents he's a superhero but ends up coming out to them in a totally ''different'' way - except that he really is gay and his parents think his boyfriend is the perfect son-in-law.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'', when Donkey helps Shrek learn that the CurseEscapeClause to break the MagicallyBindingContract that's [[ItsAWonderfulPlot erased his life]] is True Love's Kiss, he momentarily glances him. Donkey retorts that Shrek will have to take him to dinner first.

* This was an ongoing subplot in ''Webcomic/{{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"]].

* ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'': At one point when Riki and Kyousuke are having one of their typical HoYay-filled scenes - Kyousuke reaches around Riki's collar to take off a piece of lint, leaving their faces very close - [[CovertPervert Mio]] comes across them. She, well, [[ShippingGoggles interprets the scene]] as any YaoiFangirl would. The conversation doesn't help - when she asks if she's interrupting, Kyousuke says that she somewhat is, and then asks her to join. At first she's very pleased by it all, and even thanks Riki at being able to see something so beautiful, but realises on her own that she misinterpreted the scene. All this time, neither Riki nor Kyousuke ever figures out what she was thinking.

A comedy plot line in which a character wrongly believes another character to be gay, either because of misinformation received or because of the supposedly gay character's own misinterpreted words and actions. Once the character is taken to be a homosexual, [[ThreeIsCompany all his words and actions become laden with innuendo]] and [[DiggingYourselfDeeper further misunderstandings]], and [[QueerPeopleAreFunny humor]] ensues.

* Happens quite a few times in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' There's the doctor mistaking Brock for Rusty's partner, the hicks calling Dr. Orpheus gay in the diner, Rusty accusing Dr. Orpheus of trying to seduce him...