Does this meme make me look gay?

Queer Pop Culture Moments That Spark Joy: A Pride Month Celebration

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Happy pride month! I am kicking off a month of queer programming, and could not be more excited. 

First, a note on my focus this month, queer joy. 

I am not going to address the continuous attack on queer and trans rights playing out across the country that necessitates something like Pride to remember the long (and continuous) battle for basic civil rights. I have been seeing memes like this one which rightly points to how devastating the AIDS crisis has been in queer communities, and other uses of the internet which use things like memes, videos, etc. to encourage presumably straight people to educate themselves and be kind.

(Rebecca Solnit) 

 I of course want to encourage this. I also know how important it is to remember, preserve, and celebrate queer history. However, what I need right now is queer joy. The world is a garbage fire, and I am choosing not to lean into the brand of gay history that is both vital and trauma-heavy at this moment. Instead, I want to focus on all the things queer culture brings to the world that sparks joy, to paraphrase Marie Kando (choosing to believe she’s an ally). 

I also do not want to focus on Rainbow washing, or the out-of-pocket corporate co-opting of pride to sell things to queers while not supporting queer causes. The most egregious case this year is at Target, which scaled back its Pride Collection after last year’s public attack on its displays. To compound its cowardice, Target solicited artworks from queer artists before 2023 for this year’s campaign only to cancel or severely diminish their orders in response to last year’s conservative pushback. Not great. While it isn’t my focus here, I want to acknowledge it and encourage you to check out some of the artists done wrong by Target in this campaign: Grrlspells, Shanee Benjamin, heybeefcake, thepeachfuzz.co, and gunnerandlux. 

So much of popular conversations about gay people are about attempts to restrict our right to exist, to be married, to be parents, and to be members of different communities (for example, the pope using a gay slur and stating he’d never bless gay marriages in the same week was QUITE A MOVE! ). I get exhausted thinking about stories that force gay people into a reactive place, reacting to conservative nonsense, hate, etc.

This month, I decided to use this space to focus on queer folx, queer joy, and queer possibility. It’s what I need right now, and I’m hoping someone else needs it too. 

(megemikoart) 

When I was growing up, I didn’t know a single gay person. My earliest memory of even hearing about gay people was at the dinner table. My dad was an attorney and would tell us periodically about some clients he admired for their professional adventures. A lesbian couple, they’d each changed careers multiple times, and found success at things as varied as cooking, being a guidance counselor, or businessperson. The few times he brought them up I just knew I wanted to meet them, to see them, to know what their lives were like. I didn’t really care about their careers (though impressive).  I wanted to know what the rest of their lives looked like. Did they have short hair, long hair? Was one more of a “tom boy” like me? What do you mean there is no “man” of that house? What did their house look like . . . or their closets? (perhaps I was just wondering how to come out of one). I never met them.  My older brother is gay as well (our family is very lucky) and he came out when we were in high school. I remember thinking then as now that he was super brave to come out at our Catholic high school at a time when people were using “gay” as a synonym for “bad” (they hadn’t seen Hilary Duff’s PSA). He survived those years, all while I was none the wiser about myself. 

When I was coming out to myself, pop culture and the internet were my teachers. I didn’t have to worry about a computer questioning why exactly I was reading so much Grey’s Anatomy fan fiction or laughing so hard at gay memes like this: 

Instead, I could just seek out pop culture that spoke to me. What made it great queer culture was that it made me feel seen and like I wasn’t insane. I was watching people being unapologetically themselves (or larger-than-life characters), and loving every minute of it. Seeing comments on them that showed similar fandom showed me there were people like me out there who could appreciate weird niche internet videos or pop culture moments that were maybe not explicitly gay but were definitely queer. 

Here, in no particular order, is a selection of internet memes, videos, and moments that spark joy for me (and I hope for you). What’s your fave queer pop culture moments?

1. The time Cyndi Lauper surprised Cher at her Kennedy Center Honors to perform “If I could turn back time” Cher screamed “You told me you were going to Los Angeles!” and Cyndi responded, “I lied.” Note: Neither of these two are queer but this moment is very queer and I won’t be taking questions.

2. This fight between Brooke and Peyton on One Tree Hill is ostensibly about a man, but mostly about queer friendship (iykyk)

3. Reba touring with a drag performer impersonating her:

   

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4. Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice

   

5. Dolly Parton singing “She’s an Eagle when She Flies” at Newport Folk:

  6. This Laura Dern meme (with this essential context) 

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7. Olivia Rodrigo performing Nicole Kidman’s AMC commercial:

@livbedumbily montreal 💟

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8. Katelyn slaying “Hot to Go” on church bells:

@thatkatemacSerenading the people of Durham with a queer icon on the first day of pride #chappellroan #chapelroan

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9. Lady Gaga’s Superbowl performance:

 

10. Meg Stalter doing anything, including LA Woman having breakdown:

@megstalterLA WOMAN HAS BREAKDOWN #fyp

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11. Tyra Banks explaining her “Smize”

 

12. Sophia and Dorothy performing “I Got You, Babe” on Golden Girls

 

13. This meme about Katharine Hepburn

    

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14. Jenna Maroney singing “Muffin Top”

 

15. Hilary Duff’s iconic “That’s so gay” PSA. She really said “that’s so ‘girl wearing a skirt as a top!’” Devastating!

 

16. Grease 2 (all of it, but “Girl for all Seasons” will do)

 

17. Mariah Carey rebranding LGBTQ for no apparent reason

18. Dolly Parton losing a “Dolly Parton drag” contest

19. Ham!

 

20. Molly McIntire’s saddle shoes. Camp indeed. While attending a wake last month, a woman I didn’t know told me that she “hadn’t seen an adult in saddle shoes since 1975.” Thank you for your influence, Molly! 

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I want to know your fave queer joy pop culture moments! 

Call Me! (or not!)

I’d love to hear from you! Drop your thoughts in the comments to share with the Landline community, or reply to this email to contact me. You can also find me on Instagram, or email me. I don’t have a dedicated phone line yet (just like in my youth), but maybe someday I’ll achieve Claudia status and get a Landline.

Thanks for reading!

This is a free post for subscribers of Landline. Consider subscribing to the paid plan to get my weekly email of recommendations and links, a podcast episode, and more! You can also help me spread the word by sharing it with a friend who would love it. Thank you for being a friend!