Answered on Quora.
You know this is a very interesting question because maybe some of them are!
I had a 15 year old boy in my counseling practice once. After a little bit, it became clear that his problem was that he was gay, but he did not wish to be. However, one thing he told me was very interesting. He told me that there was this one girl that he liked, but she looked like a boy. So gay men are not just attracted to males but to “maleness.” That is, they are attracted to males or anything that seems pretty male, which could include a very masculine woman.
Interestingly, a lot of straight men are attracted to drag queens and pre-op transsexuals simply because even though they are men, they look very much like women. This is because straight men are not just attracted females but to to “womanness.” That is, they are attracted to women and anything that seems like a woman, which could include a very feminine man or a man in drag.
