QUEER WORD
WIDE STANCE

What it means:

Wide stance is a euphemism for covert same-sex cruising in public restrooms - particularly when done by closeted men. It’s now most closely associated with hypocritical politicians caught in compromising positions (pun fully intended).

Let's Use It In A Sentence:

After being caught tapping his foot in the airport bathroom stall, Senator Von Bigot was outraged that anyone could misinterpret his innocent and entirely necessary wide stance as anything other than totally heterosexual behaviour.

A Little Bit of History:

Cast your mind back to 2007: the iPhone had just launched, WikiLeaks leaked for the first time, and Ukraine’s Verka Serduchka was cruelly robbed at Eurovision.

And this was also the year the phrase wide stance joined the ever-growing queer-coded slang dictionary, thanks to a scandal involving Idaho Senator Larry Craig.

Craig was arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom after allegedly trying to solicit sex from an undercover officer in the next stall. When questioned about his foot tapping and reaching under the divider, Craig denied everything, claiming he simply had a wide stance while using the toilet.

The Hypocrisy Hits Hard

Now, ordinarily, cruising might get a shrug and a wink. But Craig had a long and well-documented history of voting against LGBTQ+ rights. Among other things, he:

• Supported the Federal Marriage Amendment to block same-sex marriage.

• Voted against hate crime protections for LGBTQ+ people.

• Endorsed an Idaho amendment banning same-sex marriage.

So, yeah- it’s safe to say that people were a little less sympathetic.

The Legacy of a Wide Stance:

Craig eventually resigned, and his career never recovered. But the euphemism he accidentally birthed lives on. Wide stance quickly became shorthand for closeted hypocrisy - especially in the political world - and entered the gay lexicon with a healthy dose of side-eye and sass.

FAQ: Wide Stance

🧻 What does “wide stance” actually mean?

It’s a euphemism for a closeted man (usually a politician or public figure) who’s been caught cruising for sex in public restrooms—often while pretending nothing untoward is going on. The phrase is rooted in Senator Larry Craig’s 2007 bathroom scandal.

🧻 Where did the term “wide stance” come from?

Senator Larry Craig famously used it to explain why his foot was touching an undercover officer’s in a bathroom stall. He claimed he simply had a “wide stance” while using the toilet. The internet (and queer community) never let him live it down.

🧻 Is “wide stance” still used today?

Yes—but mostly as a tongue-in-cheek reference. It’s often used to mock public figures who engage in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric while hiding their own same-sex activities. Think of it as code for “deep in the closet and full of hypocrisy.”

🧻 Is the term offensive?

It depends on context. It’s typically used to call out hypocrisy, especially among powerful people who harm the LGBTQ+ community. If used to mock closeted folks who aren’t in positions of power, though, it can punch down unnecessarily.

🧻 Did Larry Craig ever come out as gay?

No. Despite the scandal and ongoing speculation, Craig has always denied being gay. He resigned shortly after the incident and has since kept a low public profile.