Can Drugs Make You Gay?

Silly as it may sound, this is one of the most common questions on Reddit, Quora and other sites where drugs are discussed.  The answers are always variable, ranging from "Yes, sometimes" to "No, of course not!"  It's usually males who are most concerned about 'turning gay' or doing something out of character on certain drugs, particularly MDMA or psychedelics.  This is a somewhat valid concern because these substances--MDMA in particular--enhance tactile stimulation and can amp up libido, empathy & other "lovey" feelings.  One need not be homophobic to be concerned about losing control or embarrassing themselves under the influence.  

Let's get the obvious things out of the way first:  drugs alter mood, memory, judgment & other brain functions which can result in any number of behavioral changes.  You might freak out, shit yourself or fall down and break things while under the influence.  "Doing something gay" might actually be the least of your worries.  But if it does concern you, you might want to explore why.  What is it specifically about gay thoughts that scares or repulses you?  Are you actively repressing those thoughts in your sober state?  Would it be the worst thing in the world if you cuddled--or did something more--with someone of the same sex?  Do you consider hugging or telling your friends you love them to be "gay"?  All valid questions to explore.  

The people most likely to actually have a bad experience like this on drugs are those who are repressing big things like their sexuality.  This trip report lays it out beautifully:

Psyched Substance - Drug Psychosis:  Repressed Gay Feelings

According to some estimates, the majority of humans (80%) fall somewhere in the middle of the sexuality spectrum along the bisexual portion of the scale, with only 10% being truly hetero & 10% being fully homosexual.  (Obviously nowhere near that many openly identify as bisexual).  Whether you believe those numbers or not, it's certain that more people have the potential to get turned on by the same sex under the right circumstances than we've been lead to believe, even if most people never act on it.  For some it's just a phase of experimentation in their youth; for others it stays in the realm of fantasy, one-off crushes or porn preference.  As stated, the majority with bi-curious feelings never act on them due to societal pressures & heteronormativity.  But people who already have those feelings might be more prone to do so under the influence of drugs.  

And then there's the separate phenomenon of drug psychosis which can cause someone who's tripping to hyperfocus on the false belief that they're gay when they're not.  These kinds of thoughts plague some people with OCD & can also include the belief that they're going insane, are going to kill their families, are pedophiles or other horrific intrusive thoughts.  If you have OCD, be particularly careful when tripping on psychedelics as they can amplify whatever you're already feeling at the time or cause "thought loops" like this.  In most cases taking a benzodiazepine like Valium or Xanax can bring a bad trip under control.  

Long story short:  Drugs cannot "make you gay".  But they can reduce inhibitions and facilitate encounters or thoughts, both gay and straight, that you may not have felt comfortable engaging in otherwise.  And in a tiny fraction of users with OCD they can trigger a type of psychosis that makes them falsely believe they're gay (or something else deemed unpleasant by the individual) when they're actually not.  

Lastly, if you're that worried about embarrassing yourself or discovering something unsavory hidden in your psyche, maybe (certain) drugs aren't for you.