Different gay types
Last updated on May 21st, 2025 at 07:55 pm
Wading into the world of gay culture, sex, and dating can be overwhelming — from history to pop culture to norms for meeting people socially and romantically, it can feel like there’s too much to get caught up on. One thing that can be tricky at first is navigating gay community terms. If you’re trying to locate your footing on queer dating apps, you may see people describing themselves or what they’re looking for in terms you’re unfamiliar with. No want to panic; here’s your comprehensive guide to the different types of queer men.
Top/bottom/vers
Many gay guys — especially on dating apps, where matching for sexual compatibility is the objective — identify as a top, bottom, or vers, indicating whether they select to be the penetrating partner or the penetrated partner, or are interested in either role depending on the situation or partner. Some gay boys might identify as a specific subtype of these roles — like a dom top — or find that one of their other identities has something important to perform with their sexual role, like being a twink bottom.
Bears
Bear gay culture is a specific gay subculture that often hews to a distinct aesthetic and
LGBT+
It seems to me that a lot of people don’t know much about the gay tribes, at least on this app. I want to be able to assist and provide some insight!
First Off: What Are Gay Tribes?
The gay tribes are terms that are used by queer and bisexual men, in gay communities. They are key words meant to describe different men’s body types, and helps for men to find the kinds of men they enjoy to be around visually. These are casual terms, not every gay or bisexual person man uses them, and they’re dominantly for fun.
What Are The Gay Tribes?
(In no particular order)
1) Bears
Bears are the picture of masculinity in men. The body type they have is creature hairy and massive, either through muscle or fat.
A younger version is called a Cub.
2) Otters
Otters are similar to bears in that they are also hairy. However, they are usually more slender, and often more toned than a bear.
3) Jock
The jock type are men who are extremely fit, and are very into physical health.
4) Demonstrate Queen
This is the drag queen, a popular group in the gay men’s community. Drag, harmony, show, and recital are traits to this, less about body type.
5) Twinks
This group is entire of young, slender boys.
Re: i'm a female & i'm (sexually) attracted to male lover guys
Unread postby Sam W »
Got it, so it does sound love a big part of this simply has to carry out with a certain type of guy (but not the only type of guy) you discover attractive.
When you want to be a guy in those moments, what is it, specifically, that you want? Is it to be capable to engage in certain things sexually? To have a certain role in a sexual dynamic? Something else? And when you declare this happens when you see pretty gay guys in your surroundings, are those guys who you know are gay, or who look a certain way?
With fetishizing or objectifying people, that depends on whether you observe these guys as individual, unique humans or more as a blank slate that you can project your desires onto. It's also sound to reflect about what's attracting you to them and how much of it might be based on stereotypes about that specific group (it might be the case that none of it is) rather than the realities of that individual person.
And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow/with smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go/turn to and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain/and favor the Mary Ellen Carter Some gay men use types to describe, identify and communicate themselves. Who hasn't heard someone declare “he’s my type" or been asked if a guy is yours? There is always some disagreement around the terms we use and whether we should use them at all. Therefore, you should be sensitive if applying a type to someone, bearing in mind some gay men reject them altogether as limited , superficial, and demeaning. Equally, some use types affectionately and as a convenient shorthand. It's a bit of a bear pit (no pun intended), but here's our take on types, though you are perfectly entitled to cast them out and be your own gay, your own homo, queer, etc. Physical types and personal characteristics Some guys are primarily attracted to physical types of homosexual men (eg: bears, twinks, and muscle guys) while some come across characteristics in men most attractive (eg: warmth, intelligence, and humour). Others mix and match and understanding these distinctions is important. For example, the type(s) of men we find attractive sexually may not necessarily be the qualities we are looking for to sustain a relationship. Trouble is, we can get so caught up in a type we can lose sight that not far ben
Types