Gaydar: Thanks to Arts & Letters Daily...again. Many people believe they can "tell" when someone is gay. The leather crowd and the dykes stuffing the front of their pants certainly pose no problem to even the most naive among us. But, what about someone who you've only just met, and for all outward appearance purposes, is indistinguishable? Well, a certain academic would say, ask three questions (of a man anyway): 1) Do you like football? 2) Are your best friends women? and 3) Did you play with dolls growing up? No, Yes and Yes means he's gay. If he answers with a lisp, then there's the backup. J. MIchael Baily, a professor at Northwestern, is the one challenging the gay rights crowd by saying that in fact, homosexuals are different, and you can stereotype them. The backlash has been predictable and immediate. Just like Johnny Cochran who tore apart his witness who dared say he could tell if someone was black merely by their mode of speech, the academic community has shouted from its ivory tower that Baily must be stopped. His retort is that just because I say something unpopular, doesn't mean it doesn't have merit. Of course we know that those fighting against discrimination are the worst hypocrites when someone contradicts their cause. Importantly, Baily makes no judgments about homosexuality - in fact, he immerses himself in the culture and counts thousands of homosexuals and transsexuals as supporters. The important question is why is he getting so much flack? If you're not ashamed of who you are, then why would you care if someone simply confirms it?