Despite Elon Musk’s X changing its algorithm to push alt-right white supremacist accounts, the U.S.’s impending TikTok ban and the influx of AI-generated slop on all social platforms, 2024 still managed to be an explosive year for emerging gay cultural figures and trends. It all just goes to show the resilience of queer communities—and the importance of our impact and legacy in pop culture.
Here are some of our favourite viral queer moments of this year:
1. “Three tickets to Challengers, please”
It’s the classic love triangle with a homoerotic twist. Challengers, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, is more than just a movie about a threesome—its pumping gay club soundtrack and themes of gay confusion and queer exploration took the culture by storm this past spring. Aside from thirsting over Zendaya, social media had a field day making memes out of this movie. Users imagined which fictional trios would be most likely to see Challengers—from Twilight’s Bella, Edward and Jacob to Esmeralda, Quasimodo and Phoebus of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I personally would like to see Gojo, Suguru and Shoko from Jujutsu Kaisen work out their frustrations in a nice game of tennis.
2. Chappell Roan at Coachella: “I’m your artist’s favourite artist”
To say that 2024 was Chappell Roan’s year is an understatement. While there are too many amazing moments from our favourite drag artist to choose from, from the “HOT TO GO!” dance to Roan’s Joan of Arc ensemble at the MTV Music Video Awards, the best moment to come from the Year of Roan was her introduction during her Coachella set. Inspired by drag queen Sasha Colby, she referenced Colby’s iconic line, “I’m your favourite drag queen’s favourite drag queen” on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Roan’s explosive debut on the Coachella stage, which spawned countless TikTok edits and audios, definitely helped contribute to her rise to a pop superstar.
3. Brat summer
Who could have thought the album that initially got criticism for having a nondescript lime-green cover would become so iconic? Charli XCX’s Brat is more than just an amazing album—it was a huge cultural force this summer. Vulnerable, raw, messy and fun, the internet went crazy for the queer celebrity cameos of Julia Fox and Alex Consani in the “360” music video to Charli and Billie Eilish’s “Guess” remix (which is Eilish’s first featured song!). Its house and dance vibe resonated deeply with queer audiences, despite Charli XCX not identifying as queer herself. Whether you were bumpin’ the tracks all summer in a gay club—or some other substance—we all embraced our inner brats this year.
4. Very demure, very mindful
Online and offline, “demure” became a word suddenly everyone was saying. Jools Lebron (@joolieannie), the trans creator who popularized the term, took the internet by storm by making a TikTok (which now has 54.5 million views) on her way to work. The video took off, becoming a meme that caught the attention of celebrities like RuPaul and Olivia Rodrigo, with even the White House jumping on the trend. And in a heartwarming twist, the video has totally transformed the creator’s life—Lebron says it’s enabled her to fund her gender transition surgery.
@joolieannie #fyp #demure ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron Advertisement
5. Holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity”
You might want to hold on to a finger for this one. “Defying Gravity” is the Wicked movie’s most anticipated number, and Cynthia Erivo, playing a stellar Elphaba, didn’t fail to deliver. In a recent interview, a reporter with Out magazine told Erivo that they’d seen people “taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that.” Erivo was seemingly taken aback by this information, appearing deeply touched as she said she “didn’t know that was happening” and that the phenomenon was “really powerful.” As someone who (also) works in queer media, this revelation isn’t as shocking, as Wicked has always been noted for its underlying queer subtext. But I’m happy that Erivo is finally noticing it. It’s what I wanted 💚.
What other queer viral moments were your favourite this year?
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