Gay Christmas is upon us again!
Halloween has long been a time for queer people to celebrate and express themselves through extravagant and camp costumes.
If you’re lacking inspiration this year, or the gay holiday has snuck up on you, we’ve put together some of the best and gayest Halloween costume ideas!
Remember that dressing up is fun; cultural appropriation is not. Someone else’s culture is not a costume. Take a look at this video by Yindjibardni/Nyiyparlia woman Rangi Hirini for tips on how to avoid cultural appropriation this Halloween:
Sexy…gay Halloween costumes
If you caught the new Mean Girls movie, you will have heard Avantika as Karen lay down the Halloween law for the girls (and the gays). You can be anything you want to be, and sexy! Chuck on a nurse’s outfit and be a sexy nurse, grab some bunny ears and be a sexy rabbit, or live out your Brokeback Mountain fantasy (with more lube, please!) as a sexy cowboy/cowthey. Watch out for those sexy vampires, though; they might suck your…
Drag it up
Halloween is a great opportunity to experiment with drag! Drag is an art form with a long history of empowering the queer community and enabling the expression of gender and sexuality. You could recreate the drag of one of your favourite Drag Race stars or experiment with your own drag style. If you’re a fan of Rocky Horror, you could go as the trans bicon Dr Frank-n-Furter for Halloween.
Gay couple Halloween costumes
Got a beaux you want to boo with? A Bert to your Ernie, an angel to your devil, an Adam to your Steve? You could go as Louis and Lestat from the deliciously queer reboot of Interview with the Vampire. Or if you’re a sporty gay, get your baseball glam on and show off who the pitchers and catchers are.
Trending Halloween outfits for 2024
Keep it fresh by going as a trending meme or TikTok for the year.
- Get classy with the demure trend or dress up as a stock photo dolphin and belt ‘symphony’ around your party.
- Go as the adorable pygmy hippo Moo Deng, or the local ‘baby’ penguin Pesto!
- Make it a brat spring by dressing in lime green or get SWEATy as your best Troye and Charli duo.
- Invent a new genre of ‘gay pop’ by going as Jojo Siwa from the Karma music video.
- Ride the Olympics wave by dressing as a well-endowed (or well-packed) pole-vaulter.
- If you’re in a triad or bestie trio, you could go as the main characters from Challengers (with a tennis racket and some ball play).
- Throw it back to the mid-2010s as queer Australian horror icon Babadook, which may leave your friends Babashook!
Leather
Leather has been important to the queer community and kink cultures since the 40s. Celebrate your queerness this Halloween with a leather get-up. It’s also a great addition to your regular wardrobe. Read more about leather in our winter fashion essentials article.
When it doubt, harness
If you’re really strapped for time, throw on a harness and call it a day. You can pick up an entry-level harness made of neoprene or elastic for pretty cheap, or upgrade to a leather harness if it’s not your first rodeo.
Now that you’ve got your outfit sorted for the spooky season, make sure you’ve got enough PrEP, HIV medication or condoms, and plenty of lube so you can safely enjoy your Halloween festivities!
Need recommendations for spooky flicks? Here’s our list of queer horror favourites and where to watch them.