Its a stereotype!.
Most English are working class and heteros. Its a gross stereotype, just like all Yanks are fat, all Scots are drunks, all Irish the same, all Welsh can sing.
Most English are working class and heteros. Its a gross stereotype, just like all Yanks are fat, all Scots are drunks, all Irish the same, all Welsh can sing.
How did it get to be a stereotype? Stereotypes often become stereotypes because so many of the people being stereotyped leave the impression that becomes the stereotype.
Seriously, when you go down the laundry list of famous Englishmen, you keep getting the "Well that's one is queer, and so is that one, and that one too" to the point where you have to wonder what the h3ll is going on.
David Bowie? Rod Stewart? Alec Guinness? George Michael? Stephen Fry? Elton John? Arthur C. Clarke? Ian McKellen? Graham Chapman? Alan Turing? Laurence Olivier? Oscar Wilde? Freddy Mercury? John Maynard Keynes? W. Somerset Maugham? Boy George? Rupert Everett? Graham Norton? Russell T Davies?
And a whole host of other people, but those names come to mind. For being ~2% of a population, they certainly seem to be overrepresented amongst Famous Englishmen. Perhaps this is an illusion, but it certainly appears odd. I don't think I could name as many famous Americans who are queer, and the population pool here is much larger. (about six times)
Maybe it's a stereotype, but how did it become one?