Why are people on the internet claiming the Babadook is an LGBTQ icon?
If you’ve spent anytime on social media recently, you might have noticed that people have been hailing a new LGBTQ icon: The Babadook.
In case you’re not sure who (or what) the Babadook is, here’s what you need to know. The Babadook is a psychological horror movie that came out in 2014, and follows the story of Amelia Vanek and her son Samuel. The pair become haunted by Mr Babadook, a character from a pop-up book who is, according to Wikipedia, “a tall pale-faced humanoid in a top hat with pointed fingers who torments its victims after they become aware of its existence.”
So far so scary, right? So why, then, are people decrying a horrifying monster that attacks hapless individuals as an LGBTQ icon?
Well, it all begins with Netflix and a Tumblr post. According to The Independent, things got tricky when Netflix’s algorithm accidentally tagged the movie under it’s LGBTQ section.https://taco-bell-rey.tumblr.com/post/154301475490/so-proud-that-netflix-recognizes-the-babadook-as
From that moment, people slowly began to adopt the monster as holding some significance to the LGBTQ community. In fact, people on Tumblr began trolling people by insisting that the Babadook was, in fact, gay.
my new favorite Tumblr meme is insisting that The Babadook is gay pic.twitter.com/Id1PJpkkgX
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) February 15, 2017
false
The meme has spiralled out of control since then. In May, DJ Mikey Pop made a meme as if the creature had been competing in RuPaul’s Drag Race, and it was hilarious.
Now that it’s Pride month, a celebration of LGBTQ individuals all over the world, the meme has taken on a life of it’s own, and people on Twitter are LOVING it. false
The Babadook fought so we could live 🏳️🌈 (h/t @kamilumin) pic.twitter.com/YrIHiKnrUh
— ✨ Dean Tāne ✨ (@Maccadaynu) June 7, 2017
false false
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/873020702126768130
Some people even looked at the meme rather poetically. false false
Others soon realized the the B in LGBTQ didn’t just stand for bisexual but also Babadook.
self care is insisting that the b in lgbt stands for babadook
— self care is (@seIfcareis) June 2, 2017
Basically, people are Babashook.
The BABADOOK serving this BABALOOK got me BABASHOOK 👏🏻😩💯 pic.twitter.com/UtreKezshd
— roman 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@slavscammer) June 8, 2017
And they’re honoring him in important ways.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/872458536902590464
Retweet this if you're proud of The Babadook's personal journey pic.twitter.com/t36SM3RU3w
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) June 7, 2017
false
So, all hail our new LGBTQ icon: the Babadook
