![]() Fluidity, for so many people, offers something the old labels never did.Īnyway, I implore you to go watch some more of the Blue & Red filter videos and all the other joyous queer content on TikTok. Gender and sexualities scholar Phillip Hammack surveyed more than 300 queer California teens, 71 percent of whom identified as “queer,” “pansexual,” or “bisexual” as opposed to “gay” or “lesbian,” while a quarter identified as non-binary. A 2017 study from Ipsos Mori showed that young people are more likely to have a “less binary view of sexuality,” while Gen Z celebrities like Lily-Rose Depp and Jaden Smith have spoken about the freedom of not using traditional labels. Walter Thompson Innovation Group, just 48 percent of Americans aged 13 to 20 identified as exclusively heterosexual, compared to 65 percent of those aged 21 to 34. Rather than stoking fears about how “TikTok turned me queer,” what TikTok reflects is a growing tendency toward more fluid definitions of gender and sexuality.Īccording to a 2016 report from the trend forecasting agency J. But I would argue that it’s one of the best platforms for questioning people, who can allow their algorithm to take them on a journey that could eventually lead them to a more authentic and joyful place. Its time limit (previously 60 seconds, now three minutes), chaotic commenting platform, and lack of a clear timeline make following conversations and debates next to impossible it can turn into a hellscape of “chronically online” takes piled on top of one another extremely fast. TikTok has never been a great place to have nuanced discussions. There are also plenty of popular TikTokers who have been called out for “queerbaiting” for clout, though those accusations can get murky when you acknowledge that, often, “queerbaiting” is someone’s way of exploring their sexuality. TikTok has censored queer content in certain countries to appease their governments, though has claimed this was aimed to “reduce cyberbullying.” I’ve also come across a disturbing amount of anti-trans videos, often created by young women sharing the sort of fear-mongering talking points typical among TERFs. This is not to say that TikTok is an unwavering paradise for queer and questioning people. I’ve stumbled across plenty of videos directed specifically toward women in hetero relationships who have, in adulthood, started to realize they’re “less heterosexual than they thought,” as one put it, or videos devoted to unlearning compulsive heterosexuality. “Looking back at my history of likes, the transition from queer ‘ally’ to ‘salivating simp’ is almost imperceptible,” she writes. The other important part is its algorithm, which is legendarily good (and legendarily quick) at figuring out what you like and want to watch - sometimes before even you might know ♬ Womanizer - Britney SpearsĮarlier this year, Mashable’s Jess Joho wrote about the strikingly common experience of having the TikTok algorithm realizing you’re bi before you do. Unlike on Facebook and Instagram, you could end up going massively viral on the app without your friends and family having any idea, which could allow you to speak more freely than you might otherwise. One of the unique parts about TikTok, though, is that it’s a social media app that doesn’t necessarily connect you with the people you know in real life. In 19th-century England, some gay and lesbian women used a secret language called Polari in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it was common to ask, “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” to determine whether someone was gay. ![]() Whether due to the risk of being outed and punished, or simply a convenient method to find sexual partners, throughout history, folks have used fashion to signal kinks and sexual preferences (the hanky code, for instance). Queer signaling isn’t new, of course the practice is as old as heteronormativity in the sense that queer people have long had to find ways to locate and communicate with one another. ![]() ![]() Many of the most popular TikTok trends have been adopted as queer signals, whether via songs (Girl in Red’s “We Fell in Love in October” as a shorthand for lesbians and women loving women), fashion ( cuffed pants and sleeves to signal bisexuality), emojis (the painted nails, for instance), or dance moves, as David Mack recently covered in a BuzzFeed piece on the limp wrist motion during the bell chime in Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More.” It’s a way of identifying and expressing oneself, while also serving as something of an opening to connect with fellow queer people. ![]() The Blue & Red filter is just one example of how TikTok is providing spaces for people questioning their gender identities and sexualities to explore and connect with one another. #genderfluid #idkifimtrans #lgbt #bi ♬ Gender Crisis - Donnie Fitz ![]()
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