7 of the loudest, proudest LGBT+ TikTok trends that gave us queer joy in 2021
Jeffrey Rubel, RuPual and Donnie Fitz. (TikTok)
TikTok has been our saviour in the hellscape that was 2021.
It was a year of more lockdowns, new variants and Nicki Minaj feuding with the UK’s chief medical officer. But despite all the horrors of 2021, it was also the year that gave us more TikTok trends than we knew what to do with, frankly.
Here, we round up seven of the best.
1. In the Heights
@donniefitzzz
Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit musical exploded onto cinema screens this summer. Along with it came an explosion of gender euphoria on TikTok. Users combined a clip from the song “Blackout” with a blue and red filter, allowing them to play with gender presentation with a literal blink of the eye.
User @donniefitzzz, who uses any pronouns, went viral with their video. Entranced by the transformed face smiling back at them through the phone screen, they summed up their response succinctly: “Feeling a lot of feelings”.
2. Doja Cat’s ‘Kiss Me More’
@avocado_queen123 @club90sla no caption needed ♬ original sound – avocado_queen123
The hit song by Doja Cat and Sza went viral when LGBT+ TikTokkers used the sound for their distinctive dance.
A couple of minutes in, Sza begins her iconic featured verse. To many LGBT+ users of the app, the bell which sounds in her verse is a signal: an arm is raised and a limp wrist dropped. This video at an LA club went viral with over 11 million views as partygoers followed in sync, before going wild.
3. RuPaul’s ‘Blame it on the Edit’
@rupaulofficial #BlameItOnTheEdit #MamaRu #dragrace #rupaul #lacefront #newmusic #newalbum ♬ Blame It on the Edit – RuPaul
This all started off with RuPaul’s iconic blurry video going viral. To the sounds of her latest musical effort, “Blame it on the Edit”, a less-than-flawless transition sees RuPaul donning her drag. The video ends on a glitching, slowed down video of her batting her eyes under layers of filters. Hilariously, the video was duetted by a number of drag queens. This included Aquaria, from the US edition’s tenth season.
4. Stemmes
@heydibaby1 I wanna see some ass ? #fyp #foryou #lesbianastiktok #fems #mascs #both #foryourpage ♬ gm to all light stans – yagamista
This was another trend playing on gender presentation, made popular by queer women. The videos largely open with creators dressed in more femme clothes. After a transition, they appear in more butch clothing, once again demonstrating that the LGBT+ community truly can do it all.
5. Drag showcase
@tila_pia_ #duet with @meryl.bie #foryou #dragqueens #makeup #rupaulsdragrace #filipino #dragtransformation #lgbtq #fyp
This trend starts off with two creators duetting one another. Initially, they are unassuming, making goofy faces. However, a quick, jawdropping transition, shows them in their fabulous drag.
6. ‘I now know my name’
@jeffreyrubel1 You may feel stuck now but you won’t feel like that forever ❤️ #fyp #inowknowmyname #SometimesIRun ♬ original sound – Athena Merrick
In a year that contained so many attacks on trans rights, this trend was a defiant one that saw trans users celebrated their pronouns and names. Set to the tune of Grace VanderWaal’s 2016 song “I Don’t Know My Name”, the trend is a heartwarming one.
7. ‘Just know that if you hide, it doesn’t go away’
@cannotdothisanymore my straight phase was NOT it #wlw ♬ bringing the era back yall – chuuyas gf
Set to MGMT’s “Little Dark Age”, this trend was another emotional one. Creators often showed their younger selves, from childhood to today, illustrating their journey into self-acceptance. Whether they were exploring their gender identity or their sexuality, all of their metamorphoses were beautiful.
