"But he's gay": revisiting the heterosexual blooper that changed queer culture forever

Cynthia Izaguirre, the news anchor, said one wrong word, in 2001. She just said one simple little homosexual word, and 22 years later a lesbian is writing about it for an online newsletter as the worl

Sometimes being queer in a cruel world means we can get wrapped up in ourselves, always taking time to note and appreciate the things in our lives and community that are positive, or special. We rightly celebrate our own work, our jokes, our art, our memes, all the things that contribute to what is important to us culturally.

But, I think it’s important to occasionally touch down to earth.

We must allow ourselves to admit that every so often, things that bring us joy or laughs or good vibes are from…the heterosexual community. That’s right. Straight people can and do contribute to our lives in important ways. Some of my best parents are straight! Inspired by Beyoncé (straight) graciously releasing an album for all of us to “gay out” (technical term) to at future parties, I’ve decided to return the favour, and delve into one of my favourite things a straight person has ever done.

It’s also one of history’s best queer culture contributions.