The Absolute Best of the Best From the Iconic ‘I Hate Gay Halloween’ Meme

Happy Halloween, ghouls and gays! It’s nearly impossible to go on social media right now without seeing a “I hate Gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re a [insert hyper-specific queer pop culture reference]” meme. Which I personally cannot get enough of and neither can the internet!

The birth of this incredible meme is simply from queer doing Halloween costumes in such a gorgeously specifically queer way. ‘Gay Halloween’ is all about creative and extremely niche queer costumes that anyone outside of the queer community likely won’t get.

The costumes are spectacular, from the vague conception to the killer execution. From dressing as The Ball from Challengers or a Chappell Roan x A Literal Passenger sSeat couples costume, to the impressive bulge to the viral French pole vaulter, the queers are once again bringing their A-Game to Halloween

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re the tennis ball POV from Challengers pic.twitter.com/e6q67WAl86

— Karl Delossantos (@karl_delo) October 26, 2024

i hate gay halloween, what do you mean you’re chappell roan and a passenger seat? pic.twitter.com/mI9zPRwTD5

— motti (@motticomedy) October 26, 2024

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re the Olympic pole vaulter that bumped the pole with his bulge. pic.twitter.com/y0kR60m7oa

— Thulane “Toolz” Hadebe (@YesItsMeToolz) October 27, 2024

To paraphrase the immortal words of Cady Heron, ‘In queer world, it’s the one day a year a girl, gay or they can dress like a total slut or literally however they want and nobody can say anything’.

To celebrate every LGBTQI+’s favourite spooky day, here’s some of the best.

Some of the best-ever ‘Gay Halloween’ costumes:

1. Swan Wearing Björk Dress

i hate gay Halloween what do you mean you’re a swan(?)…wearing a bjork dress(??)…. who’s ALSO wearing her swan dress???? pic.twitter.com/FVtnRpehjV

— mateo🫀 (@melofknblonde) October 27, 2024

Although it might look a little horrifying (It is Halloween, after all), this one takes the cake in terms of hyper-specificity and just can’t help but make you laugh at Björk’s iconic swan dress moment on the red carpet turned on its head.

2. Freddie Mercury in ‘I Want to Break Free’

I hate gay Halloween what do you mean you’re Freddy mercury specifically from the I want to break free music video pic.twitter.com/ksStbkj0eQ

— kasey jo (@kasey_jpg) October 25, 2024

Not just Freddie Mercury, but specifically Queen‘s front man in the stunning ‘I Want to Break Free’ music video.

I think I speak for everyone when I say the image of Freddie Mercury in drag is an emblematic staple of the 80’s that is seared into brains, in the best way possible. And God knows, I’m falling in love with this person and their costume.

3. The Unknown and Sad Oompa Loompa

I hate gay halloween what do you mean you’re the Unknown from the AI-generated Willy Wonka Experience pic.twitter.com/JUITNnTMCZ

— Luke (🟩) (@LucasAuraelius) October 25, 2024

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re the female Oompa Loompa from Glasgow’s “Willy’s Chocolate Experience”?? pic.twitter.com/0BRWJIE1RT

— dylan guerra (@DylanGGuerra) October 26, 2024

Ahh yes, one of the greatest (and kind of saddest) scams of 2024, when AI generated images were used to promote an unforgettable ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Experience‘.

The hyped up event was a disaster for parents and children alike when they were met with an abandoned warehouse set up with a sad looking table of sweets manned by an underwhelmed Oompa Loompa and an encounter with ‘The Unknown‘ an original character from the minds of the Glasgow event who supposedly ‘lived in the walls’.

These two really captured the existential dread in the eyes of the real life counterparts.

4. Illegal Aliens Getting Transgender Surgeries in Prison

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re illegal aliens getting transgender surgeries in prison? pic.twitter.com/gUVN4Kja0J

— ives (@ivy_malone) October 28, 2024

A stand out and truly horrendous but confusing quote from Donald Trump‘s presidential debate when he attacked US VP Kamala Harris stating she is in support of ” doing transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison“. Taking the quote literally, in this case, paid off with quirky and hilarious costumes for this trans alien duo.

5. Business in The Front, Party in The Back

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you’re business in the front and party in the back? pic.twitter.com/BSe49D5M9p

— angry black guy (@__Creg) October 28, 2024

I hate gay Halloween because what do you mean you’re the business in the front party in the back meme pic.twitter.com/MTPrKSKUFL

— sydney clair (@sydneyclairw) October 27, 2024

I think this one is pretty self explanatory, with a literal business casual front with skimpy lingerie in the book. A recreation of an age old meme format. The gays have taken this hilarious but unfortunate meme and made it unexpectedly sexy in a way only they can.

6. Miss the Bus

i hate gay halloween what do you mean you’re “Miss The Bus” pic.twitter.com/Da9fdEAdpF

— Mrs. Thebus (@ThatcherHater) October 27, 2024

Not necessarily a hyper-specific pop culture reference but we love a good and original pun, especially when it’s decked out with the perfect costume attire execution. Also as someone who lives in Sydney and constantly misses the bus, this made me laugh. So I crown ‘Miss the Bus’ with the title of one of the best, or at least my favourite, Gay Halloween costumes.

What is it about Halloween that makes the LGBTQI+ community go all out?

Halloween or ‘Gay Christmas’ has a long history and always been linked to queer communities.

Despite long periods of anti-queer violence, the carnivalesque holiday event disrupts social and gender norms and allows a night of camaraderie for all to come together.

Most importantly, it has always been a time for the queer community to fully express themselves in the camp, flamboyant, and creative ways.