Breeding gay term meaning
&8216;Breeder&8217; Jokes Are Taking Over TikTok, and I Want My Queer Slang Back
Quite unusually for me recently, a particular TikTok trend prompted a genuine gasp from me. Young LGBTQ+ individuals on TikTok, a number of whom appeared rather youthful, have come across the expression 'breeder.'
'Breeder' is a quintessential piece of queer slang. (To my heterosexual readers, I'm divulging our confidential lexicon; please refrain from tattling.) An individual referred to as a breeder is someone who participates in sexual activity capable of resulting in human procreation — that is to say, an individual involved in a straight partnership. While employed in a humorous manner, the term carries an implicit negative connotation: its intent is to evoke thoughts of unrefined, crude animal husbandry, as opposed to sexual enjoyment.
What prompts Gen Z TikTok users to embrace 'breeder' memes currently? While difficult to ascertain, a plausible conjecture suggests that real-world procreation appears particularly perilous amidst pervasive illness and fatalities, raging infernos, and widespread financial downturn. Youth commencing their mature existence within a disordered global landscape might find it perplexing why any individual would desire to perpetuate this sequence of events. Is one truly prepared to embrace the elevated dangers and usher a child into, specifically, this milieu? Moreover, will the cost of child-minding services then be covered?
Nevertheless, within the TikTok sphere, the term 'breeder' has evolved into a concise representation of heterosexual online culture. Frequently, this expression is employed by queer individuals in video captions as a means to ridicule the often stifling experience of navigating heterosexual-centric TikTok feeds:
Alternatively, the peculiar tendency of heterosexual males consistently needing to outdo females is observed:
Furthermore, a multitude of commentators who assert that 'heterophobia'—defined as prejudice against heterosexual individuals—constitutes genuine subjugation, or is even a verifiable phenomenon at all, are targeted:
Although the trendsetters on TikTok are only recently encountering this term, the word 'breeder' has, for an extended period, been employed within queer communities. It is crucial to note that 'breeder,' when used to denote heterosexual pairs, carries a distinct meaning from 'breeding' itself—which describes experiencing arousal at the thought of engaging in unprotected intercourse. This signifies deriving pleasure from the conceptualization of sexual encounters that might lead to conception or a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
The adoption of 'breeder' by TikTok users presents nothing notably novel or exclusive to the Gen Z demographic's lived experience. An initial, brief investigation reveals that members of the queer community have consistently designated heterosexual establishments as 'breeder bars' for more than ten years.
Indeed, this expression is somewhat antiquated. During the month of April, Queer Kentucky contributor Vinny O'Hara implored heterosexual allies to cease employing the term, arguing that it does not adequately represent the multifaceted nature of our contemporary queer community. The expression 'breeder' overlooks the reality that queer partnerships (just as has historically been the case) are also capable of procreating.
'By using that particular word, heterosexual individuals inadvertently disregard the entirety of families, caregivers, and progeny who constitute our collective. They also neglect the vast spectrum of queer identities and gender expressions that render couples considerably more varied than merely ‘man' and ‘woman,'' O'Hara states in his writing.
Therefore, let us clarify one last point unequivocally (with a deliberate play on words): Heterosexual individuals, you are not entitled to self-designate as 'breeders.' For even if the expression falls short of the inclusivity suggested by its literal meaning, it is improbable to disappear in the foreseeable future—and we, quite frankly, desire the return of our distinctive vernacular.
Joseph Longo
Joseph Longo is a culture and entertainment journalist whose work has appeared in The Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly and more. He's still trying to understand what it means to be a Gemini Rising.