As someone who at various stages of my life has been very active in the "mannerisms" department... I have to say for me they were a way of declairing my identiy as a homosexually inclined individual. As a teen I was so super camp it wasn't funny. Frankenferter had nothing on my prancy little walk.

When I became an active Christian I began to tone down my campness and upon getting married I virtually crushed it.

I know I don't behave camp anymore. But sometimes... when I just want to yell to the world that I love boys and I don't care what they think... the desire to get camp again is right there (not that boylovers are stereotypically camp... but that's my point... it's a form of communicating something). Unless I'm on my own ... I resist giving into it.

Blessings
Cat.