Sexual fluidity has always been a subject of debate—meaning, whether or not an individual’s sexual orientation (gay, straight, bi, etc.) throughout life is malleable, or whether that preference can change and adapt throughout life. This meme has nothing to do with that.
Much like the single/taken survey meme that recently exploded in popularity, the “I’m straight, I’m gay meme” is more or less absurdist, primarily riffing off of pop song lyrics. Know Your Meme tracks the first instance to August of 2017 when @soberliability used it to quote the song “Green Light” by Lorde.
I'm:
— stream melodrama u souless bicth (@soberliability) August 20, 2017
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
⚪️ bi-sexual
🔘 waiting for it, that green light, i want it!
While the meme went semi-viral at the time, it took off again in the past week, thanks to tweets like the following, some of which received tens of thousands of likes and retweets:
i’m:
— haash 🌸 working on comms (@hasharakl) May 23, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
⚪️ bisexual
🔘never gonna give you up pic.twitter.com/6lsdZkN4g0
https://twitter.com/ABadDadJoke/status/999852147733925888
I’m
— chris melberger (@chrismelberger) May 24, 2018
⚪️ Gay
⚪️ Straight
🔘 here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind.
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
https://twitter.com/mullingarsm/status/1000534377850462209
I’m:
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) May 27, 2018
⚪️ Straight
⚪️ Gay
🔘 Just a poor boy, nobody loves me -HE’S JUST A POOR BOY FROM A POOR FAMILY SPARE HIM HIS LIFE FROM THIS MONSTROSITY.
And it was only natural that the meme eventually intersected with the “Mr. Brightside” meme.
i’m:
— deanna (@DearDeanna) May 22, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
⚪️ bisexual
🔘 COMING OUT OF MY CAGE AND I’VE BEEN DOING JUST FINE GOTTA GOTTA BE DOWN BECAUSE I WANT IT ALL IT STARTED OUT WITH A KISS HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS IT WAS ONLY A KISS IT WAS ONLY A KISS NOW I’M FALLING ASLEEP AND SHE’S CALLING A
I am
— swanmeme (mj) (@swanmemeboy) May 27, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
🔘 COMING OUT OF MY CAGE AND I'VE BEEN DOING JUST FINE
GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWN BECAUSE I WANT IT ALL
IT STARTED OUT WITH A KISS, HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS?
IT WAS ONLY A KISS, IT WAS ONLY A KISS
NOW I'M FALLING ASLEEP
https://twitter.com/SavinTheBees/status/1001042797791625216
BuzzFeed’s David Mack used it to insert a The Devil Wears Prada quote:
I'm:
— David Mack (@davidmackau) May 23, 2018
⚪️ straight
⚪️ gay
🔘 Oh. OK. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet & you select that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back
The official Will & Grace account even got in on the fun:
I’m
— Will & Grace (@WillAndGrace) May 24, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
🔘 too tired to slap you, would you bash your face against my palm?
Same.
i’m:
— ً (@wIwbrooke) May 27, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
⚪️ bisexual
🔘 this woman's whore pic.twitter.com/X3vebnYN9N
Of course, a handful of people got literal with it as well.
I’m
— alex 🇵🇸 (@alxjasper) May 28, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
🔘 tired of people treating human sexuality as a binary
I’m
— olivia 🤍🎄 (@plumpaperbacks) May 27, 2018
⚪️ gay
⚪️ straight
🔘 sick of people deciding that aros, aces, and ace-spec people aren’t queer/can’t be part of the LGBTQIAP+ community
Then there were the random and absurd examples.
https://twitter.com/dearcapshaw/status/1000408258476167170
I’m:
— Perfume Genius (@perfumegenius) May 25, 2018
⚪️ straight
⚪️ gay
🔘 pic.twitter.com/v6V0vmq2mL
I’m:
— ComicsXF (@ComicsXF) May 23, 2018
⚪️ straight
⚪️ gay
🔘 as far beyond mutants as they are beyond you! I am eternal! I am the rocks of the eternal shore. Crash against me and be broken! I am Apocalypse! Look upon the future and tremble! pic.twitter.com/rAIITjsASE
https://twitter.com/oscahss/status/1000779743703240704
Finally, a meme has come along that’s inclusive of both sexual orientation and condiment affinity. You did it, 2018.