Jun 27, 2008  |  By: ZACK ROSEN  | COMMENTS     

It’s no secret that gays love tattoos. Last Friday’s Queerfest, an alternative dance party at the Black Cat, displayed more ink than most newspapers. Though the straight crowd has spent its own time under the needle, it seems that Washington’s queer population is equally, if not more, fond of their body art. Trendy, even clichéd tattoos are certainly prevalent (barbed wire arm bands, anyone?), but there are plenty of unique adornments walking out of local tattoo parlors.

“I had a guy come in once and his initial interest was something that represented his sexuality,” says Fatty, the straight, one-named owner of Fatty’s Custom Tattooz and Body Piercing in Dupont Circle, who estimates his clientele is between 10 and 30 percent gay. “Much to my delight, he chose to go with this very bold picture of a Tom of Finland leather daddy guy with his cock hanging out. I think I even added a couple inches to push the point even further. I’m not shy when it comes to people expressing themselves … I had fun doing it.”

Though that’s an extreme case, there are pronounced trends in gay tattooing. Fatty reports having done a number of pink triangles, rainbows and leather symbols. A look around Results will reveal the other standbys like arm and ankle bands and colorful sleeves that cover an entire arm. Some believe that specific circumstances of many gay men’s lives lead to a recognizable set of gay-specific tattoos.

“It seems logical that, for some gay men, tattoos are going to be an extension of some kind of subcultural identification,” says local gay sociologist Robert Bozick, who has half-sleeve tattoos on each of his arms. “Just as much as there’s a distinctive tattoo linked to rock culture or motorcycle culture, it doesn’t surprise me that you see some very repetitive tattoos, like tribal or other tattoos that once and probably still do have a masculine overtone to them … Going through a series of transitions and turning points are unique to gay men, the importance of physical appearance and how bodies look within the gay subculture, that constellation [of circumstances] can easily support a large number of tattooed gay men.”

GAY WOMEN SEEM TO HAVE a similar set of tattoo conventions and customs. Local bisexual jeweler Jacqueline Baker, who works in Georgetown, reports that women have the “same cliché tattoos as men,” like tribal arm bands and suns, and that the triangle rainbow is also a popular choice.

She’s tolerant of the “tramp stamp,” the popular term for a tattoo centered on a woman’s lower back, and feels that many can be overly judgmental about other people’s tattoo choices.

“I don’t want to criticize what people get and consider art,” Baker says. “I put a lot of thought into my tattoos. I respect that more as a lover of tattoos, but if something was meaningful to someone it’s cool. You might think it’s stupid later, but it’s an important memory of a stupid decision.”

Baker’s love for tattoos began when she was little, and she got her first one on the day of her 18th birthday. She now has seven: Every element but water is represented on her back, and several large flowers make up the beginnings of a half-sleeve on her shoulder and upper arm. Baker has found that a visible tattoo on an attractive woman can draw a lot of attention, although not all of it is positive.

“Women respond well. The [tattoos] that are really visible are really pretty and, I think, interesting. They’re a crowd pleaser. People stop me everywhere and say ‘I love your tattoos.’ Men can get awfully leery and gross. My only hope is that as it continues and becomes bigger it will scare off some of the dorky straight men.”

She adds that there is one tattoo pattern, rarely seen on gay men, that she never appreciates.

“What I really hate are tattoos of naked women — they’re totally misogynistic. I don’t understand why [someone] wanted a huge, naked, bare-breasted woman on their arm. It’s not a personal statement whatsoever. What does that say about you as a person?”

THOUGH TATTOOS ARE becoming much more accepted in day-to-day life and are no longer the province of the biker set, they can still say a lot about their wearer. The mere fact of having one can set a person apart from a more conventional crowd.

However, a permanent design on your body can become less alluring as you grow older. Your two options in this case ...