A tweet about gay boys and their love of particular pop divas and female celebrities has gone viral and prompted a huge amount of debate.
Caleb Hearon is a comedian, screenwriter and podcaster. Last week, he tweeted: “When gay boys turn 13 years old the universe assigns them one woman working in entertainment. From that point forward their purpose on earth becomes supporting this woman so hard that the force of their love for her could literally kill them.”
when gay boys turn 13 years old the universe assigns them one woman working in entertainment. from that point forward their purpose on earth becomes supporting this woman so hard that the force of their love for her could literally kill them.
— caleb hearon (@calebsaysthings) April 7, 2022
The tweet has had over 134k likes, 9k retweets, and over a thousand comments.
Caleb himself added, “Mine is Julia Roberts. I love u girl.”
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Related: The things gay guys need to know before entering their first relationship
Many others added their own assignments: female celebrities they refuse to stop following regardless of age.
For. EVER. It will NEVER stop. I love her because I love her. pic.twitter.com/Oa9KH1GeSN
— Guapo Negro. (@ablackgayman) April 7, 2022
I was assigned GAGA 🥺 pic.twitter.com/hf2UlJ2i3V
— Omar (@rebelwithacos) April 7, 2022
It hasn’t been easy but dammit… ride or die! pic.twitter.com/2WjkgsxaZh
— hallie parker (@dontcallmeJJ) April 7, 2022
OK but why is mine Queen Latifah and why was it specifically bc of her role in Last Holiday.
— Son of Morpheus (@_steezychuy) April 7, 2022
She can be a handful, but we are still going strong. pic.twitter.com/UqNdUnf3Lo
— popadoodledoo 🌈🏃♂️ (@popadoodledo) April 7, 2022
We’ve certainly had our differences, as gay men and their divas tend to do. At the end of the day, however, I’m still the kid listening to the”Like a Prayer” album on vinyl and poring over those liner notes. pic.twitter.com/alxVCsApAx
— Curtis M. Wong (@CurtisMWong) April 8, 2022
Mine was Roseanne. You can imagine how the past several years have been.
— LL CooI Gay (@LLCooIGay) April 7, 2022
7 yr old me discovered @cher on a Sunday night … never the same again … and it’s 49 years later pic.twitter.com/hY9NvoPDKO
— darren c #CherCrew (@njcolbyco) April 7, 2022
Grace Jones. Her work speaks for itself
— Solomon Georgio (@solomongeorgio) April 7, 2022
Just worked out that I was actually 14 when this was released (barely) but I was of course in love with Kylie already, thanks to Neighbours. pic.twitter.com/96sxVDXwaO
— Bearded Bear Bare Bottom (GC 24/3 – 4/4) (@beardedbottm) April 7, 2022
It was SMG for most of us 90s gay boys right? pic.twitter.com/p4M1a9tY1M
— RSC (@jumbatronic) April 7, 2022
Related: Wise words from older gay people to their younger selves
And it wasn’t just the gay guys who chipped in.
(and it’s Gillian Anderson)
— aja, alive and trying to do better (@AjaWorthyDavis) April 7, 2022
Have you had a longtime devotion to one particular entertainer that will always stay with you?
Chip
Meryl Streep. She could play anything. She’s also always so poised and dignified.
Mike Hunt
Grrrrrrl ……
Emil Loya
Karen Carpenter and Bette. What can I say, I’m a Gemini.
quantum
Julianne Moore. Pretty sure I’m the only 13 year old boy who’s favorite movie was The Hours.
Thad
Dionne Warwick. Talk about a twisting relationship. But she’s as good as ever today.
cubcmh
No one. Or all of them. Can’t decide.
Leo
I know I an dating myself but Judy Garland and Sofia Lauren. So there, i said it and I’m glad. 😉
wiggie
I was assigned Janet Jackson then Mariah tried to poach me.
Rocinante
We’ll this gay boy never attached himself to any female entertainer. Male yes; my music hero’s were folk and country singers who were all male; I would say my musical hero from age 6-7 to this day at 55 is John Denver. Actor was River Phoenix by 16 and Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds’s my whole life.
I like the music of the Divas but you would never see me listening to them by myself. It will always be some sort of folk music; For female my goto lady is Nancy Griffith or Dolly.
Gay boys are not a homogenous tribe. To say so is committing the very wrong that society has done to us throughout history.
jmckibben
I concur.
M149
Eh, I think it’s just lighthearted banter among some members of the community. We’re not trying to exclude anyone, just sharing a somewhat common fixation.
baggins435
Yet another memo I didn’t get as a gay kid. Along with the ones about dancing, liking fashion, or caring about what celebrities do. I just got the basic package: dude likes dudes. Check.
moviemag
You got the most important eligibility requirement…
moviemag
Mine was Marie Osmond, the 1970s version, especially the season of the Donny and Marie when her clothes were by Bob Mackie. I am not ashamed?
Den
I have to say that though I definitely knew I was gay at 13, I really had no particular devotion to any female entertainer. My parents loved Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Eddie Gorme, Dinah Shore and a bunch of others, but they left me cold.
Didn’t really idolize anybody until Joni Mitchell, but I was 17 or 18 by then. And my allegiances have shifted over time (Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Susan Tedesci, Jennifer Warnes, Eva Cassidy, Alison Krause, Patty Griffin, Oleta Adams…. ), with none of them ever being obsessions.
nm4047
Diana Ross is mine.
Mike Hunt
I was nine ….. NINE!! …. when I got dragged along to see “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Meryl Streep and I will always have the lifelong bond!
Wheelerman
I’m a lot older than most here. As a young 8 year old; I was a Lesley Gore fan, and followed her career until her untimely passing. When she came out as a lesbian; I was thrilled for her and the LGBT community.
But, my queen will always be Linda Ronstadt. The voice; the song interpretations; and the sheer variety of her music is astounding. Her many awards are well deserved, and her Kennedy Center Honor was a great tribute to her lifetime of achievement.
IvanPH
Madonna
bachy
I too, wear the Madge Badge. Although these days I’m starting to wonder where in hell the ride is taking me. She seems to have entered her “Fat Elvis’ phase….
DarthKitsune
For me it’s Cher, but I was also gifted another in the form of Adele, later in life.
SkylarkDavid
Mine was Ted Nugent.
radiooutmike
I never really thought about it.
I guess the closest I’d be to really idolizing a female celebrity when I was 13 would have been (and still is) Olivia Newton-John. I had always liked her music when I was a child when she was country. But I was 14 when Physical came out in 1981.
I remember bopping along to Make a Movie on Me in early 1982. I used to think about my best friend, who I’d been blowing at the time for about a year.
M149
Whoopi Goldberg, ever since I saw “Sister Act” in theaters as a kid. ?