The Gays are Breaking Up with X and Flocking to Bluesky

Twitter had a reputation as a hangout for toxic trolls even while Twitter still was Twitter, let alone before Elon Musk acquired the platform and renamed it "X."

Once a powerhouse of social media (and still claiming to be a "digital town square," a boast that not everyone buys), X seems to be losing its "x-factor" as queer users defect in droves, a trend that has accelerated in the wake of the last election. All of those people have to be going somewhere, though - and, as it happens, they've spread their wings to take to emerging rival platform Bluesky, which has, reports say, gained more than a million new users after Election Day cast a pall over the prospects of LGBTQ+ Americans holding on to the gains of recent years.

Just ask self-described "#gymbro" Jhon, whose presence on the platform answers his own question:

hi, any gay here ? #gaybluesky #gymbro

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- Jhon (@xnnk.bsky.social) November 13, 2024 at 9:23 PM

Gays who have made the jump have not been shy about saying so - and extending an invite for others to do the same, as leather enthusiast and jockstrap-rocking Otterjock has.

Hey gay bluesky ppl. I saw everyone move from X. Follow me here! Thanks.

#gay #gaybluesky #gaybsky #gaymen #hairygay #daddy #jockstrap #otterjock

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- Otterjock (@otter-jock.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 2:52 PM

After first going online as an invitation-only beta version (full disclosure: This correspondent has had a Bluesky account since those early days), the social media platform started accepting anyone who wanted to sign up. "Anyone" started looking more and more like "everyone" as impetus grew to escape X for greener - or bluer - pastures, and the fact that Bluesky permits steamy posts (with the right settings users can even access explicit content, such as at the extremely NSFW account Viral Porno Gay +18) means that giving up on X doesn't mean losing a certain freedom of self-expression.

The platform openly celebrates queer culture, even hosting FCFs... "Fat Cock Fridays."

Have a look at some of the queer accounts flourishing even now at Bluesky, such as that belonging to self-proclaimed "gay stoner" Rookki:

Wake N Bake 💨

@andrewchristianinc.bsky.social

#stoner #gaystoner #jockstrap

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- Rookii (@rookiibottom.bsky.social) November 23, 2024 at 11:10 AM

Clearly, there's an sense of unspoiled fun as the platform continues to surge.

I'm not as innocent as I look 😏😈

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- James hinchliffe (@tattooedgingerlad.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 12:22 PM

Those who groove on a little bossiness might enjoy the account known as HazHarlan.

Come be a good boy 🥰

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- HazHarlan (@hazharlan.bsky.social) November 24, 2024 at 3:02 AM

Meantime, over at mtnman02, there's a hot daddy who says he is "hung and furry and like[s] to show-off," and he's not kidding!

Hi, I am, in fact, quite gay

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- mtnman02.bsky.social (@mtnman02.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 9:55 AM

And while Brazilians famously enjoyed Twitter (and felt the loss when the service was suspended for a time by order of the government thanks to the misinformation-riddled environment of that platform), they seem poised to make a splash at Bluesky next if Kuma is any indication.

vamos a poner una fotito para iniciar esto :))

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- f r a n :) (@imfranchu.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 10:05 AM

Bears abound...

Come find Daddy on Bluesky.

bsky.app/profile/chi...

@BrutusWolfy is there too: bsky.app/profile/bru...

#gaybear #gaydaddy #gaybluesky

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- Cliff Boyd (@chibear20.bsky.social) December 16, 2023 at 10:30 PM

...as do LGBTQ+ icons...

Well, when put it that way...

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- George Takei (@georgetakei.bsky.social) November 26, 2024 at 7:52 PM

Excited to join the conversation on Bluesky! Let's uplift each other, share our stories, and advocate for love and inclusivity. Can't wait to connect with all of you!
- Laverne Cox (@lavernecox.bsky.social) October 31, 2024 at 12:49 AM

When government uses bureaucracy to brutalize a people-when they try to hide oppression behind the normalcy of government-any representative worth their office must stand in opposition.

Thank you, Te Pāti Māori.

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- Rep. Zooey Zephyr (@zoandbehold.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 3:37 PM

In short, there's already plenty for everyone...

Day 3 of MCM and I barely have any stock left but I'd love to still meet you and sign stuff!

I'm also on a panel at 2pm called Pride in Graphic Novels! Come along and hear me yap about queer comics!

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- Hamish Steele 🇵🇸 (@hamishsteele.bsky.social) October 27, 2024 at 6:31 AM

Might as well flex for my first post

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- ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) Ash (@ashercetchum.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 4:31 PM

Loving the vibes here ❤️
#gaybluesky

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- Pho a-Dolla (@phoadolla.bsky.social) November 13, 2024 at 11:58 AM

...and more is sure to come as the ranks of the platform's users swell.

The (Blue) sky is the limit!