Quoted:
I've seen a lot of talk about "Gaydar" lately. I understand that it is some kind of homosexual detection device but I'm not clear on how it works. Is there such a thing as Pulse Gaydar? Doppler Gaydar? Who first developed Gaydar? Who first used it. Who are the primary suppliers of Gaydar technology? Did those of you who use Gaydar learn to use it in the military? Is Gaydar effective under water? Can stealth technology defeat Gaydar? How about chaff? Can chaff defeat some types of Gaydar?
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Well, to answer your questions:
a) There's no such thing as "Pulse" or "Doppler" Gaydar. In fact, most types of Gaydar are completely passive, and are triggered by emissions from an approaching LITLO (Light In The Loafers Object). The active types of Gaydar are easily identified by the shouts of "Whatareya, some kinda homo?" that are let off whenever a possible LITLO is detected.
b) Gaydar was first developed by the Canadian military and later copied by the Marines. The Canadians initially worked on the technology under contract for NATO, because several NATO members were concerned with the possibility of serving with French troops. The U.S. Marines were the first to actually use the technology as an early warning device for the Marines aboard U.S. Navy vessels.
c) Currently, the primary supplier of Gaydar is Raytheon.
d) While most Gaydar training takes place in the military, Gaydar training cutbacks during the Clinton administration led to an increased role for the private sector. Currently, training is found at NASCAR and WWF events, as well as at many college fraternities and high school football programs. Ill-advised attempts were also made to institute Gaydar training at ice skating competitions, LPGA tour events, and Women's Tennis events.
e) Gaydar is not effective under water, but this has only proven to be a problem in the limited circumstance of a SCUBA-equipped LITLO. Chaff has in some cases been reported to confuse even the best passive Gaydar; LITLO's that are able to dispense ethnic slurs, references to SportsCenter, and coherent arguments on the 9mm v. .45 debate often avoid detection.