The internet is hard. It moves so fast. Yesterday’s memes are distant memory. But there’s one queer meme that you’ll want to know before hitting Portland Pride this weekend: The Babadook.
If you’re unfamiliar, The Babadook is a 2014 Australian horror movie ostensibly about a hidden monster terrorizing a mother and her young son:
But it’s so much more than that. Thanks to the internet, now the Babadook is a queer icon!
It all started when Netflix—presumably by accident—tagged Babadook as an LGBT movie and some observant tumblr users took notice…
But was it an accident?
openly gay and with an affinity for hats and drama, the Babadook was the first time I saw myself represented in a film
— JuanPa (@jpbrammer) April 19, 2017
More background on why this is A-MAZ-ING here and here.
From “Is the Babadook Gay?” by E. Alex Jung on Vulture:
1. The Babadook prefers dark spaces like closets and basements and comes out of dark recesses.
2. The Babadook wears a long, androgynous coat that a certain type of fashion gay might lust over at Comme des Garcons. (Isn’t it obvious that he’s supposed to be Rick Owens?)
3. He loves a hat. (See No. 2.)
4. As those tumblr kids pointed out all those months ago, he literally wrote a book about himself to start some drama.
The case, it is closed. This year: The B in LGBTQ stands for Babadook. Happy Pride!
And thus, Babadook was embraced as a member of the queer community! Here are some of our favorite queer Babadook memes:
Most people have never even seen the most iconic workroom entrance in Drag Race herstory pic.twitter.com/YMUnzIPGR8
— Your Friend’s Dad (@ReginAdeleRey) June 9, 2017
current favorite meme is the lgbt community insisting that the babadook is a gay icon pic.twitter.com/jetZomtDzd
— jenna (@jennafenwick) June 11, 2017
Expect to see many more odes to the Babadook at these Portland Pride events this weekend! He even made an appearance at last night’s Queer Horror event!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1375402362550267/permalink/1423934781030358/
