Internet Culture

‘Fellas, is it gay’ meme takes over Twitter as users ask the obvious

Fellas, is it gay to like a meme about fragile masculinity? I mean, you’re basically making fun of other men.

Photo of Ana Valens

Ana Valens

Twitter is running rampant with queer 'fellas, is it gay' memes.

Every now and then, a meme pops up that so perfectly resonates with both queer Twitter and fandom Twitter that it explodes across the site. Meet “fellas, is it gay,” one of the most popular parody tweets to date.

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“Fellas, is it gay” is a phrase that’s been passed since 2009, when one Twitter user asked if it was “gay” if you’re “in a public restroom and its open urinals but yo ass gets right next to” another person’s, according to Know Your Meme. But the meme truly picked up in August 2017 after Twitch streamer ilooklikelilbil tweeted “FELLAS: Is It Gay To Pray ? You’re Getting On Your Knees For Another N***a ? 😳🤔.” Ilooklikelilbil’s tweet was so popular that his format inspired other Twitter users to join in on the fun, including one tweet joking if it was “gay to take out the trash” and another quipping that it’s “gay to make money.”

https://twitter.com/ilooklikelilbil/status/895689601720868864

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Of course, “fellas, is it gay” pokes fun at fragile masculinity. Straight men have long worried that everything from low testosterone levels to fragrances make them gay, which is just the perfect cocktail of male sexual insecurity, homophobia, fears about femme gender expressions, and men’s irrational desire to be powerful, dominant, and independent straight breadwinners. “Fellas, is it gay” makes fun of all that by showing just how men’s fears manifest themselves in absurd ways, like whether there’s a “straight” or “gay” way to take a shower.

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https://twitter.com/ryandouglassw/status/1024832602585358339

To make your own “fellas, is it gay” meme, just pick a subject, explain why it could be gay in the most ridiculous way possible, and then add a few embarrassed emoji at the end. Case in point, artist Darius Kazemi programmed a Twitter bot that regularly creates its own parody memes. The account touts over 2,000 followers and features jokes about everything from praying to spitting.

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https://twitter.com/FellasBot/status/1049024320394207233

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More recently, the Twitter parody picked up after British anchor Piers Morgan tweeted about his own fragile masculinity. After a paparazzi photo emerged with Daniel Craig wearing a baby carrier, Morgan targeted “Oh 007.. not you as well?!!!” and wrote “#emasculatedBond.”

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Morgan received a roasting in his own right for attacking Craig, but after Twitter user “mitchysuch” wrote “Fellas, is it gay to have a child with your wife,” Twitter quickly began asking if it was gay to be a good father.

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https://twitter.com/_amcguinness/status/1052153739686096896

https://twitter.com/DarthLux/status/1051948004767399937

https://twitter.com/PLUS_ULTRA_1/status/1051982329357320194

Meanwhile, the K-Pop BTS fandom is having its own “fellas, is it gay” moment after Min “Suga” Yoon-gi called fellow performer Kim “V” Tae-hyung “sexy.” Suffice to say, the clip fueled “Taegi” shippers’ biggest fantasies as the outside Twitter world squabbled over Piers Morgan.

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https://twitter.com/pouty_yoons/status/1052164005622685696

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https://twitter.com/satandonia/status/1051921979148783616

https://twitter.com/thiccbihtae/status/1051940394202779649

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https://twitter.com/moonkissedfelix/status/1052029004478177285

https://twitter.com/vividseoks/status/1050814891135766529

The phrase has trended across Twitter since Monday, with dozens of parody tweets taking over users’ timelines.

https://twitter.com/dbbm52/status/1051881686147969025

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https://twitter.com/nebulance/status/1051832928894902272

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https://twitter.com/jeonginscola/status/1049472077906948096

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https://twitter.com/aightbih/status/1051992929080815616

https://twitter.com/jordanxsanders/status/1051992432747851776

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https://twitter.com/Babyxiaojun/status/1050641559341883397

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By the way, fellas, it is gay. It is always gay. It will forever be gay, and now you are also gay. Congratulations!

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The Daily Dot