Here are the best queer, gay viral moments of 2018

There’s been a lot of despair about this year, but you can always rely on the internet to provide that gay viral goodness to lift your spirits.

And there have been some truly spectacular queer and gay viral tweets, videos and conversations in 2018.

We’ve laughed, cried and applauded as people all over the world created moments of connection which reminded us that the internet can be a wonderful tool for promoting LGBT+ acceptance and calling out intolerance.

Feel-good queer viral tweets

We go online to connect with friends, find out information and to feel better about the world—and these posts have knocked that last one out of the park.

In January, writing alongside post-operation pictures, Twitter user Chellamanart opened up about his top surgery and how overjoyed he was with the results.

The New York City-based genderqueer artist, who’s now 20 years old, wrote: “Today, I checked off one of the bullets on my top surgery bucket list. I wrapped the towel around my waist, not my chest.

“I looked in the mirror, disregarding the drains and binder, and I saw myself. For the first time, I saw myself.”

Another heartwarming post, this time about a proud father, went viral in April.

“My dad shows off my boyfriend and I at work “

— Louis Jr

While the last tweets promoted self-acceptance, these ones from 18-year-old Louis Jr showed the joys of acceptance from your dad.

When Louis Sr was asked by customers at his restaurant to talk about his son, he did so enthusiastically, even mentioning his son’s boyfriend Christian—before texting Louis Jr for a photo of his partner to show off to the patrons.

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“Send me the pic of u and ur boy toy,” he told his son. Louis Jr was so touched by the message that he posted a screenshot of the texts, adding: “So my dad shows off my boyfriend and I at work :’).”

In another tweet, he continued: “Imma take this time to appreciate the parents i have. I’m beyond blessed to have been born into this life. To have parents who love my brother and I for us. Wouldn’t give it up for the world.❤️”

Parents accepting their queer kids is wonderful to see, whether it’s a dad, non-binary parent or—in the case of this next queer, gay viral moment—a mum.

In March, 18-year-old Jade tweeted that after seeing Love, Simon with her mother, she received the response she had desired when she first told her family about her sexuality.

She wrote that “in 2014 I came out to my mum as bisexual, & she told me she would never look at me the same. I cried in the bathroom for 6 hours… my mum tried to force me to be straight.”

Four years later, her mum finally realised the error of her ways, Jade said, writing that “she grabbed my hand in the theatre while simon came out to his family, & mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ to me with tears in her eyes because when I came out I never got acceptance.”

And when the pair were leaving the cinema, Jade said her mum “talked to me about my girlfriend proudly without caring that other people could hear us, something she would’ve never done even just a year ago.”

Queer, gay viral takedowns

Sometimes, an ignorant, anti-LGBT person needs to be taught a lesson—and sometimes, others share their wonderfully savage takedowns on the internet to spread the joy, and maybe even a technique or two.

One medical student in Wisconsin did just that in April while recounting a story from one of his classes.

The Twitter user, whose handle was ZachsClubClinic, wrote: “Today in one of our med classes we talked about LGBT patients and the professor isn’t taking anyone’s s**t.

“I just thought it was a brilliant way to shut him down”

— @ZachsClubClinic

“Student: What if we don’t feel comfortable treating someone following that lifestyle?

“Professor: Find a different career”.

Speaking to PinkNews, the tweeter said: “I just thought it was a brilliant way to shut him down.

“I’m originally from Zambia, where homosexuality is illegal, so being in an environment now where a professor can just openly shut someone down like that is relieving in a way.”

Another glorious comeback to an anti-LGBT person was tweeted in May, when user Minovsky wrote that his “dad ranted about how LGBTQIA+ identities were getting too confusing to keep up with”—but don’t worry, because “my 88-year-old grandma shut him down.”

The grandma reportedly told her son: “The way things are now is better than when people had to hide away or killed themselves because nobody understood who they were. Respect costs you nothing.”

Someone, please, drop a mic.

Funny and educational gay viral moments

Insights into gender and sexuality can help us all to understand each other and ourselves better—and they’re also often pretty hilarious.

One prime example of this came in March, when a gay viral tweet demonstrated exactly what happens when you don’t educate yourself about trans issues.

Responding to a tweet which contained someone’s side-by-side transition photos with the caption “2012-2018,” one oblivious user wrote: “I don’t get it, that’s how long yah been married or?”

More than 50,000 retweets and likes later, it was still causing people to laugh uproariously.

Another tweet highlighting people’s ignorance came in October, when American activist Alex Jackson pointed out that despite queer people often being accused of trying to sexualise kids, it was actually straight folks who are more likely to do so.

He wrote: “straight people: gay people are forcing their sexuality onto their children.

“Straight people, to a 5-year-old boy talking to a girl: IS THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND.”

— Alex Jackson

“Straight people, to a 5-year-old boy talking to a girl: IS THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND.”

The post led to many people sharing their own experiences of straight adults pushing their own sexual experience on children, babies and even foetuses, which was exactly as fantastic as it sounds.

But sometimes, rather than poking fun at others, there are moments when self-deprecating humour is what’s needed, and one conversation on Tumblr showed this phenomenon in action.

It all started with an anonymous comment sent to 18-year-old user tenderlesbian which read: “SOS I told the girl I like that I want a butch gf and she said ‘I’m butch’ and I got really flustered and went to go make dinner for us (bc I’m at her place tonight).”

Tenderlesbian responded: “uhh are you sure y’all arent on a date right now?”

“Hi yes you were right I was on a date know how I found out?” the anonymous poster wrote back.

“I was downstairs cooking dinner and she came up from behind me and wrapped her arms around me and kissed the back of my neck and when I flushed bright red she asked me why and then laughed when I said I had a crush on her bc she thought this was like our fifth date but I was just taking it slow.”

Tenderlesbian was stunned, admitting to her followers: “I don’t even know what to say.”

To be fair to the anonymous Tumblr user, being self-aware is tough.

A Twitter user called Eleni showed exactly how hard introspection can be when she tweeted in May: “yes i am bisexual. that means i’m into [checks notes] three male celebrities, this one dude that was nice to me at the gas station in 2013, and every single woman to ever exist.”

She then clarified that the viral post was part of her journey towards defining her sexual identity, rather than attempt to throw shade at women who don’t want to call themselves lesbians for whatever reason.

She wrote that “it was actually my way of lowkey coming out as a lesbian 2.0,” before adding: “hi my name is len and i am [gestures vaguely] gay and confused. idk labels are hard.

“I don’t feel okay with actually calling myself a lesbian again because i’m not 100% sure but bi feels very wrong too and while the concept of ‘queer’ fits i guess i really f**king hate the word.

“I like girls and i’m not completely closed off to the idea of men at this point yet.”

This open-hearted approach to Twitter was also used in April to make a hashtag cataloguing attractive gay men who engage in rimming go viral.

#FineMenThatEatAss took over Twitter for a period, with men who love men tweeting to share their preference and selfies with the world.

And just in case there was any doubt about the nature of the hashtag, people were ready to set the record straight—so to speak—with one person tweeting: “If you’re straight and you participate in #FineMenThatEatAss that is cultural appropriation.”

May your 2019 be full of gay viral posts which bring you new insights, laughter and happy tears.