Talk of escaping the “LGBTQ matrix” to luxury trips costing thousands, the Straight Acting Brotherhood is attracting both followers and criticism online.
Instagrammer Johnny Cutuli
By Darren Condron
The Straight Acting Brotherhood promises masculine gay men an alternative to queer culture. From luxury trips to talk of escaping the “LGBTQ matrix”, Jonny Cutuli’s new community is attracting attention and criticism online.
Figures such as Andrew Tate and HS TikkyTokky, among many others, have built large audiences selling ideas around fitness, sex, wealth and an exaggerated, almost comical version of masculinity. HS TikkyTokky, real name Harrison Sullivan, was among the influencers featured in Louis Theroux’s 2026 Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere, which looked at the influence these figures can have on young men.
The online manosphere was once largely confined to the darker corners of the internet. Now, its ideas about masculinity, status, sexuality and what makes a ‘successful’ man are noticeably more mainstream. Some of that language has begun to appear in parts of queer spaces.
In the gay community, Jonny Cutuli is one of the most prominent examples of this. Cutuli is an Italian influencer and founder of the Straight Acting Brotherhood. He has built quite the social media following talking about masculinity, his attraction to men and his views on what he sees as mainstream LGBTQ+ culture.
In one video promoting the Straight Acting Brotherhood, he describes himself as a “normal, business-minded, straight-acting guy”, drawing, in his view, a clear difference between himself and other gay men.
Cutuli has repeatedly rejected language associated with LGBTQ+ identity, at one point mockingly referring to the community as “LGBTXYZ”.
He prefers to describe himself as a man who likes men rather than calling himself gay, and has pushed back against suggestions that this amounts to internalised homophobia. In another post, he said he is accused of internalised homophobia because he rejects Pride, labels and hookup culture. He also described himself as the most hated man in the LGBTQ+ community.
He says he has removed himself from the community, and that has become central to how the Straight Acting Brotherhood is marketed. Its promotional material describes a private club for “masculine men into men”, where “high-net-worth individuals connect, build and win together”.
Elsewhere, Cutuli has spoken about bringing together men who want to move beyond what he calls “hollow LGBT culture” and connect with the “top 1%”. It is unclear what that figure is based on, or what evidence he has used to arrive at it.
The application process gives some idea of the exclusivity being advertised. Applicants are asked to provide their Instagram handle before choosing whether to book a trip directly or put down a $3,000 deposit (around €2,600), which can be redeemed against a future trip. At the time of writing, the options listed include Switzerland and Bali.
There is nothing unusual about being a gay or bisexual man who does not enjoy nightclubs, Pride events, drag or hookup culture. Gay men with different interests, politics and mannerisms have always existed.
The language, however, seems to have taken a more heteronormative approach. He has referred to the community as the “LGBTQ matrix”, which he says he “escaped”. The word ‘matrix’ has been part of red-pill manosphere vocabulary for years, generally used to describe a system that its followers believe they have broken free from.
A 2023 University of Sydney study found that both gay and heterosexual men were more likely to favour masculine-presenting gay men for a high-status role than those presenting as more feminine. In an experiment, 256 participants observed gay actors performing in either masculine or feminine styles, showing a strong preference for the more masculine presentation.
Researcher Ben Gerrard described the findings as an example of internalised homophobia, warning that feminine-presenting gay men may face harsher judgment where masculinity is seen as higher status or leadership.
Despite rejecting labels on the basis that sexuality should not define a person, attraction to men remains central to Cutuli’s brand and to who the group is intended for.
The project has faced considerable criticism online. Commenters have described it as a “scam”, accused Cutuli of grifting and questioned why access to this particular kind of community comes with such a high price tag.
However, he also has supporters. Under posts about the group, some users have welcomed the idea. One commenter wrote, “I support this,” while another said, “Finally something normal 🙂 Society is healing”.
Among those publicly challenging Cutuli is Queera Lynn, a British drag queen, singer and cabaret performer whose drag character draws heavily from 1940s wartime glamour.
Lynn, who describes herself as “Britain’s 40s Queen”, has posted directly about Cutuli and accused him of promoting manosphere and anti-LGBTQ+ ideas.
Their positions couldn’t be further apart. Cutuli presents ‘straight-acting’ masculinity as something worth seeking out, while Lynn has built a career around being visibly and deliberately queer.
Lynn has even challenged Cutuli to a boxing match, directly playing on his repeated emphasis on being ‘straight-acting’ and masculine.
It’s not the first time some gay and bisexual people have tried to distance themselves from the wider LGBTQ+ community. Arguments around separating lesbian, gay and bisexual people from trans and queer identities have existed for years, most visibly through the so-called ‘LGB without the T’ movement.
It remains to be seen whether the Straight Acting Brotherhood will expand its existing online presence. But Cutuli is unlikely to be the last person to find an audience, or a business opportunity within the community to sell these types of experiences to men who feel alienated or isolated.
Source: https://gcn.ie/straight-acting-brotherhood-gay-community/
