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.
“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
fellas… is it gay to take out the trash? i mean men are trash so you basically taking out another man
— az (@A12120NA) August 20, 2017
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.
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.
Guys… is it gay to pray? I mean you're literally communicating with God for any reason.
— Fellas Bot (@FellasBot) October 15, 2018
is it gay to know? You be understanding (a subject). 😔
— Fellas Bot (@FellasBot) October 7, 2018
Fellas: is it gay to jack? It's literally hitting (the ball) hard 😳🤔
— Fellas Bot (@FellasBot) October 14, 2018
is it gay to omit? It's literally failing to perform.
— Fellas Bot (@FellasBot) October 11, 2018
FELLAS… is it gay to interject? You're inserting something between other things ☕️☕️
— Fellas Bot (@FellasBot) October 11, 2018
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.”
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.
Fellas, is it gay to have a child with your wife https://t.co/ZXiTfyK547
— The Gentle Freak (@mitchysuch) October 15, 2018
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.
fellas is it gay to call your bro ‘sexy’ while he spreads his legs and acts like a tease pic.twitter.com/jZMY27OF81
— taegi 轉 (@taegibiased) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/pouty_yoons/status/1052164005622685696
I wouldn't be suprise that's taegi skshsksksk i love this ship so much i always cry for them dammit https://t.co/e732PvArqw
— bts my home :(( (@KJMPBTS) October 16, 2018
YES. Bcs he didn't say "no homo" after that https://t.co/SAYND4qEls
— Yoonie⁷ (ia) (@yooniehoneyboy) October 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/satandonia/status/1051921979148783616
https://twitter.com/thiccbihtae/status/1051940394202779649
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
https://twitter.com/nebulance/status/1051832928894902272
Fellas is it gay to be homophobic? I mean you’re literally obsessed with what another man does with his genitalia …idk man sounds kinda zesty to me. pic.twitter.com/AMFf3RP9vt
— 𝙹𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚑 (@Jeandre_Goliath) October 8, 2018
fellas is it gay to kiss ur coach after a match and buy matching engagement rings and cuddle with them and go shopping together and hold hands and say ur in love every 5 seconds and constantly try to seduce each other
— sarah ♡ acab (@bakvgu) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/jeonginscola/status/1049472077906948096
https://twitter.com/aightbih/status/1051992929080815616
https://twitter.com/jordanxsanders/status/1051992432747851776
This country was founded on one principal: Fellas, is it gay to be ruled over by another man?
— lgnoble Imp Falz (@IgnobleImpFalz) October 15, 2018
fellas, is it gay for men to romantically love women?
— Vivian (@suchnerve) October 16, 2018
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!