Fun

The ‘I hate gay Halloween’ meme is doing the rounds again – here are 19 of the very best

This costume may well have won gay Halloween 2024 (X/@motticomedy)

If there’s one thing that queer people love more than Halloween, it’s a hilariously niche, objectively gay pop culture reference, which can only mean one thing: the “I hate gay halloween” meme is back for 2024.

It first took off last year. Sorry Freddy Krueger, Chucky and Pennywise; for Halloween 2023, queer people were only interested in dressing up in the most incredibly out-of-the-box, meme-able costumes possible.

Think RuPaul‘s infamous appearance on The Weakest Link, or singer Reneé Rapp promoting Sweetgreen salad.

The trend has sparked a now viral meme on X (formerly Twitter), with LGBTQ+ people across the world sharing their pop culture costumes. “I hate gay Halloween,” the meme begins. “What do you mean you’re…” followed by a wild reference that only terminally online queers would get.

Here are some of the very best from the last two years:

Blue hair and pronouns

The most terrifying costume of all time… if you’re a Republican.

Cher Lloyd’s 2010 X Factor audition

What do you mean “that was ages ago” and you “don’t remember it?” Unacceptable. Here’s a link to the clip.

Chappell Roan and a passenger seat

🎵 “Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you’re eating me out / Is it casual now?” 🎵

French children playing tribute to music legend Serge Gainsbourg in 1988

The good old days, before WOKE SNOWFLAKES and LIBERALS stopped French children from smoking on TV.

A depressed Glaswegian Oompa Loompa

“Willy’s Chocolate Experience” was the definitive highlight of 2024.

Shaggy with boobs

This DIVA!

The tennis serve from Challengers

Luca Guadagnino’s sensual tennis romance drama has inspired quite a few costumes this Halloween, no doubt, but this person is really SERVING with this look, ho ho.

RuPaul shouting “Chaka Khan!” when she didn’t know the answer to a Weakest Link question lives in my mind rent free.

Big Miss Steak

Big Miss Steak is everything: she’s a timeless meme, a definite tea spiller, a rap song, and now a Halloween costume. Give her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame right now.

Reneé Rapp promoting Sweetgreen salad in a bag

The best thing about turning niche pop culture into Halloween outfits? It’s cheap!

Bob the Drag Queen and Peppermint’s ‘Oh, the fracking?‘ moment

Drag stars Bob The Drag Queen and Peppermint cemented themselves as the very best duo to ever come from RuPaul’s Drag Race with their viral “Oh, the fracking?” meme. We thank them for their service.

Lady Gaga’s migraine

Historic hitmaker and migraine sufferer Lady Gaga was described as an “actual patient” in an advert for Rimegepant brand Nurtec ODT in 2023. For some reason, it became iconic.

Go Piss Girl

Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf telling fellow character Serena van der Woodsen to “Go Piss Girl” via a jumbled version of the Gossip Girl title screen became one of the most viral memes of 2020.

We’re not too sure how or why, but it’s maintained momentum, and has cemented itself in meme lore.

Lana Del Rey working at Waffle House

The internet was baffled when six-time Grammy nominee Lana Del Rey appeared to be working a shift at Waffle House over the summer. She later clarified that she’s a regular at one branch, and the servers had encouraged her to put on a shirt and serve a coke to a customer.

A photo was taken, and the internet – and the Halloween gays – have continued to run with it.

Lydia Tár as AvaTár

Want to dress as Cate Blanchett’s abusive lesbian music conductor Lydia Tár but fancy spicing it up a bit? We’ve got the costume for you.

The lockers from Bottoms

Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri are gay, untalented losers in Emma Seligman’s hit sapphic film Bottoms. But if you want a Halloween costume that’s a little more interesting than “gay high schoolers”, why not go as their spray-painted lockers?

A swan in a Björk dress

Going as Björk wearing the swan dress she wore at the 2001 Oscars would be a niche enough reference as it is. Want to add an extra layer of chaos? In the words of Missy Elliot, flip it and reverse it.

Theresa May crying in her car

Pretty self-explanatory, this one. Former British prime minister Theresa May was captured looking teary-eyed in her car in 2019, following her struggle to secure a Brexit deal. Years later, and she might not be prime minister anymore, but she is a gay Halloween costume, so that’s something.

The Paris bed bugs

The great bed bug plague of 2023 caused panic in its origin city Paris and beyond, with Londoners terrified that the little pests have travelled to the capital via Eurostar. Yet if there’s one thing queer people know how to do, it’s turn trauma into laughs.

What are your favourites? Let us know in the comments, but remember to keep the conversation respectful!

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