Say what you will about X (formally Twitter) in the era of Elon Musk (and we have said plenty) one good thing is that it still creates a space for gays to commune, reminisce, and sometimes even commiserate.
One such thread that took off over the weekend fell firmly in the latter group. It seems the gay community on X is looking back at their earlier years to reflect on the controversial, homophobic behavior committed by their family members. With iconic memes of Rihanna and side-eye gifs of Mariah Carey, the gays are digging up skeletons in their mental closets that used to be painful, awkward memories.
Although, X is deemed a less censored space for queers to congregate and kiki — the gays will always unite to share a good laugh. (Because sometimes it’s laugh or cry!) On Saturday, X user @bigbacktivity started a thread by asking, “Gays: What’s something homophobic a loved one did when you were a child that has stayed with you as an adult?”
Since he posted it, this thread on X has amassed over 3 million views, as well as 1,200 likes and 2,800 retweets. Read carefully because the gays are pulling out their favorite saved memes and dusting off questionable coming-of-age stories.
Keep scrolling for some of the most interesting and relatable answers.
@bigbacktivity My uncle use to host sleepovers for all the male cousins in my family, so we could bond. 8 of us in total (including his 2 sons) & we\u2019re all around the same age.\n\nEvery cousin was invited besides me because I was the \u201cgay one\u201d, I was only 8yo and excluded for being \u201cdifferent\u201d— (@)
@bigbacktivity My mom went on this rant about how, because I was very lactose intolerant as a newborn. She fed me soy milk instead of regular milk. And because soy milk can have some traces of estrogen. She \u201capologized\u201d to me because that must be why I\u2019m gay now. \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2642\ufe0f— (@)
@bigbacktivity Been out to my dad for 20+ yrs, last father\u2019s day he asked for the umpteenth time if I\u2019d consider women to see if I liked it. I answered honestly (unlikely, would require the right circumstances and person, etc.). That was the 1st time I asked him if he\u2019d ever give guys a try \ud83d\ude1c— (@)
@bigbacktivity 7 year old me was at the gift shop in the childrens museum and wanted a hand fan from the gift shop. \nmy aunt asked me \u201cif i was fag?\u201d\n i said \u201cno.\u201d \nshe then said \u201cwell no fan for you\u201d\nmy feelings were so hurt \ud83d\ude43\ni never got the fan ..— (@)
Many in the thread found the shared experiences, as painful as they are, to be healing.
@bigbacktivity These comments are super deep. Luckily some have healed from them and can even apply some humor in as well.
The truth is while there is a lot of queer joy to be had, there is pain too — pain that comes from outside forces sometimes intentionally and sometimes totally by accident. But when we come together we can lift one another up, and feel less alone.
