The affectionate history of the Gay Guys Kissing meme
The Gay Guys Kissing meme, aka the Two Guys Kissing meme, is an exploitable image of two Black men locking lips that found new life on TikTok in 2022. The exact origins of the photo remain a mystery but it appeared online around 2012 when a lot of people used it for homophobic jokes. As time went on, its use grew more wholesome, or at least neutral.
In 2017, rumors circulated that the men in the photo married each other, and five years later the meme found new life as part of a strange TikTok cooking video meme.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: Unknown
- Meme Type: Exploitable / Image macro
- First Appearance: April 24, 2014 (earliest known)
- Origin Source: Unknown, earliest online appearance on 10knews
- Used to Convey: Affection / Camaraderie
- Peak Popularity: May 2022
What is the Gay Guys Kissing meme?
The meme consists of a close-up, low-quality photo of two Black men passionately kissing each other. The enduring gag that goes along with it expresses exaggerated feelings of affection for someone, particularly a male friend of another man when they have something in common, or one does a minor favor for the other.
This could include getting mutually excited over a new episode of a beloved TV show or feeling grateful when a buddy pays for your fast food order.
In 2022, a TikTok trend emerged in which people started using the photo as part of an unexplained bait-and-switch prank, often inserting it into recipe videos. This also appeared on Instagram.
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Meme origins
The first dated appearance of the photo online that still exists today is on a website called 10knews. The site uses the uncredited image in a homophobic article titled "WELCOME TO NIGERIA…HOMOSEXUALS!!!" and dates back to Dec. 1, 2012.
Its first known use as a meme, as discovered by Know Your Meme, is as an image macro on a forum called sep7agon that uses both a racial slur and a homophobic slur, so use caution if you want to go clicking.
One of the earliest examples of its use in the meme format we know today is found on Imgur with the caption, "When your homie pays for you at McDonalds."
Did the Gay Guys Kissing get married?
It's unclear whether or not the men in the photo got engaged, let alone married. All we have to go on is a photo of a Black man proposing to his boyfriend, posted to Reddit on Oct. 27, 2017. On May 15, 2020, another user took that photo and paired it with the one from the meme, then claimed that the couples were the same people.
With only sides of faces visible and one man covering much of his with his hand in the proposal photo, this is difficult to confirm. The men from the meme have not come forward to confirm this and no evidence linking them to the proposal photo appeared in either Reddit thread.
2022 TikTok resurgence
In 2022, a TikTok trend emerged that involved inserting random images or footage of two guys (or two animals) kissing each other into cooking and recipe videos. The Gay Guys Kissing meme popped up in more than a few of these.
As it spread to Instagram, the meme expanded into other types of videos that could include any kind of step-by-step instructions or a demonstration.
Gay Guys Kissing meme examples
Related memes:
- ‘What would you do if we kissed’ meme has people imagining the weirdest places to smooch
- ‘Disrespectful swingers’: Jill Biden-Doug Emhoff kiss at SOTU sparks rumors, dating memes
- The rich, delicious history of *Italian chef kiss*
- We love the ‘All My Homies Hate’ meme
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