It’s very plausible that ACD based Sherlock Holmes' mannerisms on Oscar Wilde (genuinely, if you read some of Oscar’s quotes or how people described his speech and movements, they are very similar), which I find hilarious.
Because how could ACD have known that after 1895, Oscar Wilde's personality would become the definition of the “gay stereotype”
Since “A Study in Scarlet,” “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” “The Sign of the Four,” and “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes” all came out pre-Oscar’s very public trial in 1895, where not only was Oscar’s homosexuality thrown out into the Victorian public, but the entire gay community in general and how they communicate.
IF ACD had met Oscar, knew he was gay, and purposefully based Holmes off him to be subtle queer coding (again, theory), and then Oscar gets publicly outed as being Gay, now it’s no longer just a “subtle nod”
But what is more likely is that ACD used Oscar as a reference for Holmes, not really thinking much about sexuality and then BOOM the trial happens, and now everything similar to Oscar is labelled as “gay”, so now ACD has “accidentally” made Sherlock gay








