10 fun and poignant LGBTQ+ viral moments from the year dubbed ’20gayteen’
For people within the LGBTQ+ community, this year held a lot of moments to be proud of, from the advancement of human rights, to community members thriving, to new celebrity role models.
In fact, due to the ongoing advancement of LGBTQ+ acceptance and celebration, the year was given a brand new nickname by social media users – “20gayteen”.
The nickname, a riff on 2018, is a term coined by pop singer Hayley Kiyoko, who has been dubbed “Lesbian Jesus” by fans.
I can’t wait to wake up in #20GAYTEEN#expectations2018 😉
— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) December 31, 2017
The term took off, and has been adopted by social media users to celebrate the best moments of LGBTQ+ progression and pride.
Of course there’s no room for all of the brilliant moments that took place over the year, but here are 10 of 2018’s best LGBTQ+ viral spots, including acts of kindness, hilarious memes, and defiant messages of hope.
1. The meme itself, #20GAYTEEN, got the year off to a brilliant start.
LGBTQ+ memes began early on in the year, with the dawn of 20GAYTEEN.
Make 2018 gayer than ever 🦄🌈#20gayteenpic.twitter.com/XzLvaSy1im
— Can'tThinkStraight🌈 (@LexaAddict) December 30, 2017
It’s almost 2018! Oh wait, excuse my language. 20GAYTEEN 🥂 pic.twitter.com/QMJLizYdpT
— ~rae 🙂 (@Sanvers_Rae) December 29, 2017
After Hayley Kiyoko tweeted: “I can’t wait to wake up in #20GAYTEEN” on New Year’s Eve of 2017, social media users had a field day using it themselves, sparking a wonderful beginning to the new year.
2. The release of Netflix’s Queer Eye brought joy to everyone’s hearts.
Queer Eye’s Fab Five came to Netflix in February of this year, helping people regain their confidence and get their life on track in Georgia, USA. The show was an instant hit, and was renewed for a second series which premiered in June.
Could really use some new episodes of Queer Eye right about now
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) November 7, 2018
People even poked fun at themselves in a meme, suggesting what advice the Fab Five would give them if they were on the show.
If I was on Queer Eye:
Bobby: have u ever hung up clothes everJonathan: weekly face masks aren’t a substitute for daily skincareKaramo: this is some record breaking low self esteemAntoni: ur veins are filled w coffeeTan: u can’t just wear the exact same black skirt every day
— fiona 💞 (@neonfiona) June 27, 2018
Everybody needs series three immediately.
3. Janelle Monae’s anthem PYNK was released.
Pynk is a song recorded by American singer Janelle Monae, and it has been lauded as an anthem for its empowering lyrics and video, which feature her in a pretty eye-catching pair of “vagina trousers”.
Monae herself publicly came out as pansexual this year, and many of her recent songs play on themes of empowerment, self-love, and the female body.
pynk by janelle monáe is still the best song and video of 2018
— assassination nation warrior (@timotheesgucci) December 5, 2018
LGBTQ+ women loved the song and video on social media, which has been nominated for several “best single of 2018” awards.
4. Paud’s Pins were found a new home after being found in an attic.
Gavin McGregor was helping a friend clear out her attic in south London when they found LGBTQ+ pamphlets, comics, a book manuscript and a set of 130 pin badges from the 1980s.
After some detective work, McGregor discovered the collection had belonged to Paud Hegarty, who managed Gay’s The Word bookshop in Bloomsbury in the 1980s and ’90s before his death at 45 from an Aids-related illness.
It became clear to me that we were looking at a small but significant archive of artefacts from a crucial period for the LGBTQI+ movement – an archive that must have been gathering dust, mysteriously forgotten, for decades.
— gawanmac (@gawanmac) June 30, 2018
He got in touch with the current management of Gay’s The Word to let them know what had been found.
After speaking to manager Jim McSweeney and employee Uli, he decided to donate the collection to the bookshop, where the pins are currently displayed.
It wasn't a difficult decision: I donated the archive to Gay's the Word. The team there are working on how to display the badges on a rotating basis (far better than being shut in a museum archival drawer, rarely seen). Paud’s family have given their blessing, which is wonderful.
— gawanmac (@gawanmac) June 30, 2018
The Twitter page Paud’s Pins was created to provide updates on the collection, which remains at Gay’s The Word bookshop in London.
5. Pride parades came around, and this act of kindness stood out.
Pride parades took place around the world this summer, which proved fun and affirming for many in the community.
One act of kindness in particular went viral, with the grandmother of Lexie Nobrega, a student from Virginia, ironing out her flag before the event.
I got up this morning to get ready for #DCPride. My grandma walked into my room, looked at my bi flag, and said, “Oh, this needs to be pressed out!” Such a simple gesture, but it holds so much love and meaning for me. pic.twitter.com/stiD3vg5vs
— Lexie 💖💜💙 (@lexie_galaxie) June 9, 2018
The heartwarming gesture reached over 33,000 retweets, and plenty of people were touched by it.
Nobrega went on to visit Capital Pride in Washington DC once her flag looked at its best.
6. Activists found a way to wear a Pride flag to the World Cup in Russia.
Six activists wearing coloured football shirts travelled to Russia during the World Cup to produce a rainbow flag, despite the country banning the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to under-18s.
These rules were relaxed for tourists in Russia during the event, but many protested the country’s attitude towards LGBTQ+ people more broadly.
The Hidden Flag project was arranged by the Federation (FELGTB), Spain’s largest organisation for LGBTQ+ rights, which sent people in the shirts of Spain, Holland, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia to Russia to recreate the Pride flag.
The organisation warned LGBTQ+ fans visiting Russia not to participate in political protests, as well as to avoid public displays of affection, which was something the six participating activists took into account before arriving.
7. Banned Kenyan lesbian romance film Rafiki received international acclaim.
Rafiki, a lesbian love story directed by Wanuri Kahiu, was banned in Kenya, its country of origin, for promoting homosexuality.
The critically acclaimed film was still shown in several locations including London and Cannes Film Festival, and received worldwide praise.
So proud that #RafikiMovie will have its premiere at #Cannes2018 🎉 https://t.co/w13jxyu7rW
— Rafiki Movie (@rafikimovie) April 12, 2018
Kenya’s High Court overturned its government’s ban of the film for seven days so it could be submitted for Academy Awards consideration.
Rafiki was not selected as Kenya’s submission in the Foreign Language Film category, but while the ban was lifted the film was shown to a sold-out crowd at a cinema in Nairobi.
The film follows a forbidden romance between two young women, Kena and Ziki, who find love amid family and political pressures.
8. A historic same-sex kiss took place at New York’s annual Thanksgiving parade.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City featured a same-sex kiss on live TV during a performance of Build a Prom from new Broadway musical The Prom.
The kiss, one of the first same-sex kisses in the parade, was broadcast by NBC to an estimated audience of 50 million people.
And then @ThePromMusical made my little queer heart grow three sizes today. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖 pic.twitter.com/BTp1TCZskp
— Alan Henry (@AlanHenry) November 22, 2018
The Prom is about an LGBTQ+ teenager in Indiana, whose high school prom is cancelled after the authorities find out she wants to bring her girlfriend to the event.
Good morning only to the two women who kissed at the Macy’s Parade yesterday
— halla (@HallaWarner1) November 23, 2018
The pair received some backlash for the Thanksgiving kiss, but overall the reception was positive and accepting.
9. Trans people announced that they would not be erased in the face of adversity.
In October, an unreleased memo from the US Department for Health and Human Services announced the tightening of the legal definition of sex, excluding transgender and non-binary individuals.
It reportedly said: “The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”
Trans people took to Twitter using the hashtag #WontBeErased to stand up for their rights and identity.
We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased.We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased. We won't be erased.#WeWontBeErased. And we won't stop fighting.
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) October 21, 2018
The online use of the hashtag was coupled with offline protests in the United States, which stood against the legislation that could affect the estimated 1.4 million Americans who identify as a different gender to that which they were assigned.
10. Lastly, there was a “rainbow wave” in the United States as a record number of LGBTQ+ politicians were elected.
The US midterm elections made history with a record number of diverse candidates elected to the House of Representatives, including Muslim, black, Native American, and LGBTQ+ politicians.
Due to the number of wins from LGBTQ+ candidates, some Twitter users described the election night as a “rainbow wave”.
Congrats to @sharicedavids as a gay woman, and as an indigenous woman, I have high hopes for what you will do in Congress
— bree 😇 (@breedlejuice13) November 7, 2018
The first Gay Governor in Colorado, the first two Muslim women elected into congress, the first Native & Lesbian women elected into congress and the youngest women elected to Congress is a Latina from the Bronx. This is America & all it’s beauty. The future is female & POC ❤️❤️
— Juan 🤴🏾 (@_ObiJuan__) November 7, 2018
Among others, Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids became the first gay Native American woman to serve in Congress, while Colorado’s Jared Polis became the country’s first openly gay elected governor.