Everyone’s dragging this TikToker for saying it costs $1,403.98 per month just to be gay

They call it the “gay tax,” hunty!

An NYC gay is going viral this week for his monthly expenses on so-called homo necessities, including a bourgeois gym membership and enough cold brew to make you crave an Imodium. “It costs $1,403.98 a month to be gay in New York City,” he says, “and here’s how I figured that out.”

The list of expenditures begins with a monthly Equinox membership at $330, and cold brew budget of $240.

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And that’s just to get out of bed in the morning! Then you have to get your hair cut and nails trimmed.

That’s another $180!

Our financially unsavvy king also drops $160 on classes at Barry’s Bootcamp (“that’s going like once a week”) and $150 on Botox. Don’t forget $120 on Russian/Turkish baths in the East Village, which are “very important!”

Oh, and we’re not even factoring in rent, clothes or food. Then again, who needs to eat when you’re spending $40 per month on Grindr Xtra? The buffet is unlimited!

But don’t just think the monthly gay budget only includes frivolous self-help expenditures…and really expensive iced coffee. Chivalry is always top of mind!

Calling Ubers home for hookups amounts to $75, because the joy of sleeping alone is priceless.

Watching RuPaul with friends, however, costs $4.99.

As expected, our man’s fierce spending habits are causing quite the reaction. Gays everywhere are perplexed at his exorbitant monthly fees for dating apps and the “men’s regular.”

$100/month on haircuts and it's a buzzcut bffr— Foreskin Princess (@EmilioEmm) March 5, 2024

But there could be another reason why this list is going viral, albeit one that people may not want to admit: we can all sympathize.

Many Pride events in major cities are outrageous these days, sometimes costing hundreds of dollars in entry fees. And unsurprisingly, NYC Pride is the most expensive.

Last year, tickets to elite parties ranged from $299.98 to $100, and that’s not counting service charges or admissions into separately priced “afters.”

Gay vacation meccas such as Provincetown and Fire Island are increasingly for the uber-wealthy, just like concert tickets for your favorite pop diva.

Indeed, there is a prevalence of toxic spending in the gay community, largely thanks to unrealistic and cis-oriented ideals. The fear of body-shaming is real, with gay men finding themselves at higher risk of eating disorders than the general population.

For some, it can seem like taking costly group exercise classes or buying overpriced smoothies in the gentrified part of town are the only tickets into gay life.

And that’s the problem we are trying to eradicate.

But first…could you spare $40? My eyebrows need to be waxed.