#basically I’m gay

[titiinof]

sometimes i’m trying to fall asleep and my brain is like “and this is when, through the magic of the internet, i met phil. and obviously we were more than friends. this is someone that genuinely liked me. i trusted them. and for the first time since i was a tiny child, i actually felt safe. and the relationship we formed at that point was something that i needed in my life. we are real best friends, companions through life, like actual soulmates, not that souls are a real thing that exist. it’s so lucky to just find someone you can be that compatible with and especially to anyone that has experienced the kind of self-hatred that i have dealt with, one person accepting you can make all the difference.”

[anne20055]

i just saw a dan edit on tiktok, and don’t think about how when BIG came out, he said “and i know, deep in my heart, the word ‘gay’ scares me”, and now fast forward to WAD, he says “i am unapologetically gay” cause now he’s 100% accepted himself

don’t think about that

[tarotfiend]

just got this text from my friend what the fuck

[gayfandomnerd225]

I know it’s none of my business but I can’t help but wonder when and how Dan and Phil came out to each other

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

this was when through the magic of the internet bla bla bla and obviously we were more than WHATEVERR but it was more than just ugghhhhhh this was someone that SHUT UPPPP i trusted i don’t caaaaare and for the first time since i was a small child shutupshutupshutup who gives a shiiiiiit 🙄🙄🙄

[energeticwarrior]

Happy birthday to BIG :) love you Dan and here’s to five years of being unapologetically yourself <3

[dnphobic]

tell me what the video Basically, I’m Gay means to you?

the day BIG came out i was in eighth grade and i opened the notification on my way out of school. i was so overcome with emotion at what even the premise of that video could mean not only for him but for the community he had built made me fall down in front of a group of soccer moms who rushed to my side thinking i was injured (to my humiliation i had to reassure them that no i’m fine, dan howell just came out).

after watching it, i cried and cried and came out to my mom the same weekend. later that month, my science teacher played a clip of the video as “healthy modern representation”.

his impact post BIG is indescribable to anyone who wasn’t there to witness it, i’m so lucky to say that i did.

[g00se-ars0nist]

by far the dumbest thing i’ve ever made, i’m so sorry

[phanchester]

put in the tags where you were and what you were doing when basically i’m gay came out

[hgracieeees]

‘where were you when you heard about 9/11-’ no. where were you when ‘basically i’m gay’ appeared in your your subscription box? where were you when you watched it for the first time?

[unicornosaur]

Many people, including myself, seem to have been greatly impacted by this video so I was curious. Did BIG change your life?

[titiinof]

HAPPY BASICALLY IM GAY DAY!!!

[emotoangel]

the thing is like ,, if this is dnp 5 years after BIG and COTY I cannot WAIT to see what dnp 6, 7, 8+ years after look like. who they are. I am Aphraid™ but also I’m so so happy for them and I’m so excited to see what their future looks like

[mostrizzaward]

happy anniversary to probably the most impactful youtube video i’ve ever watched, basically i’m gay. this video was essential in my journey to accept myself as a lesbian, so thank you @danielhowell for sharing this aspect of your life with us. you’ve changed lives for the better.

[viiennawaits]

canon bisexual buck is to 2024 me what dan howell’s ‘basically i’m gay’ was to 2019 me

[crossstitch-frogs]

Happy 5 years to BIG! I was 17 when it came out, sitting in my childhood bedroom. I saw the notification and my heart literally dropped, I was so surprised. I watched the whole thing instantly, and as soon as I was done i rewatched it. For some reason the thing that sticks out most in my mind is texting the friend who took me to Interactive Introverts in all caps demanding that she watch it immediately. She was on a road trip at the time, so she had to listen to it like a podcast (she was driving).

It took me a while to actually process what happened, and even more time to know how to react to it. That was the first time I had ever considered not using labels (I had completely defined myself as a lesbian at that point), and it launched me into a long period of re-thinking things. Now I have a collection of labels that describe my situation as closely as possible, but generally I just identify as queer.

Happy pride month to everyone and especially to Dan and Phil. I can confirm that i certainly wouldn’t be who I am today without them, and i might not even be here at all. I’m so glad that they are finally happy and free to do whatever they want, and watching them grow while i grow alongside them has truly been a blessing.