Filmmaker David Thorpe, the former communications director of Housing Works, has always been worried that he sounds gay. Three years ago, he decided to examine why. He talked to 165 people in four countries about the phenomenon he refers to as "gay voice." The final product of that journey -- his documentary Do I Sound Gay? -- is finally coming together.
"It's one of the main things that 'gives me away' as gay," Thorpe writes of his "gay voice." "I knew that my anxiety came from my internalized homophobia telling me: Gay equals bad, so sounding gay equals bad. So, I decided to make Do I Sound Gay?"
The film has been in development for a couple years, even generating some controversy in 2012 over the title, but now it needs a little help getting over the finish line. Thorpe is asking for $115,000 on Kickstarter to fund post-production and promotion.
The trailer on the Kickstarter page features notable gay figures like Tim Gunn and Dan Savage -- and Thorpe promises even more voices in the final product. If the initial trailer is any indication, those interviewed -- both famous and men on the street -- will be bringing unique perspectives to the conversation.
"A lot of gay men are nervous about sounding gay because we were persecuted for that when we were young," Savage says in the trailer. "What's wrong with sounding like you are who you are: sounding like a gay man?"
Watch the trailer for the Kickstarter campaign below:
