Gay Christmas: The Queer History of Halloween

With its glamorous ghouls, over-the-top parties, and boundless opportunities for self-expression, it should come as no surprise that Halloween is embraced by the LGBTQ+ community. But how did this phenomenon come to be, and how does it influence the music we listen to?

Written by Aidan Comiskey

Halloween in the Castro. Photo courtesy of Shu Wu

There’s no getting around it — from outrageous makeup and camp costumes to unbridled self-expression, Halloween is undoubtedly gay. But while it may seem obvious today how the LGBTQ+ community came to embrace what many have labeled “Gay Christmas,” this distinction wasn’t so clear from the start. How, then, did a pagan-turned-commercial holiday become so queer?

It started in 1948 when Cliff’s Variety Store in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood began its annual children’s Halloween festivals. While San Francisco had become a gay haven during the 1940s and 50s, the Castro remained predominantly Irish Catholic. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, however, the demographics of the Castro district changed. As families started moving out to the suburbs, gay men moved in, following the gay bars and businesses that had opened in the area. The once-children’s festival found itself morphing into a street party for the area’s gay population. The party continued to grow — later aided by groups like the satirical LGBTQ+ activist organization The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — and hundreds of thousands of people came out (pun definitely intended) to celebrate each year.

This same phenomenon occurred throughout the country during the 80s. Similar wild, queer Halloween celebrations arose in the gay enclaves of cities like West Hollywood, New York, and Key West. This isn’t surprising — in a society that shunned (and continues to shun) people for who they are, Halloween is a night when self-expression, no matter how flamboyant, is celebrated by mainstream society. Furthermore, in a time when many members of the LGBTQ+ community remained firmly in the closet, Halloween allowed people to express who they were without fear of social repercussions, disguises being a required part of the festivities.

Kim Petras. Photo courtesy of Thom Kerr and Lucas David

It’s no wonder, then, that Halloween’s gay identity has only become stronger today, with newer LGBTQ+ artists releasing spooky, Halloween-inspired hits to aid in this transformation. Especially influential is Kim Petras, an openly-trans German pop artist, who released her Halloween-themed EP Turn Off the Light earlier this October. The EP blends Halloween and queer cultures to create the ultimate celebration of self, with references to this cultural blend through songs like “TRANSylviania” and “In The Next Life.”

The latter track uses the imagery of horror to create what could be interpreted as a sort of coming-out anthem: Petras sings about being a killer, a possible metaphor about no longer being fearful of society and wanting revenge for the way that it has treated her and the queer community as a whole. The mixtape almost begs to be played at any and every party this Gay Christmas, with its campy vibes, club ambience, and appearance of Elvira, macabre entertainer and horror hero of the gay community.

Turn Off the Light album art, image courtesy of BunHead

In many ways, Turn Off the Light, is like the culmination of a half-century long process, a cathartic embodiment of Halloween’s very gay history. No matter how you may identify, you’re never too old to celebrate who you are on October 31.

So, if you don’t already have plans to attend any fear-inducing festivities tonight, grab a friend or two, be authentically you, and jam to “Omen.” You might just learn a little about yourself in the process.