‘Homophobic Dog’ Whitney Chewston is an LGBTQ+ icon
Homophobic Dog, aka "not too fond of gay people" dog, is a miniature white dachshund named Whitney Chewston, whose judgemental appearance sitting next to a red glass of wine turned her into a meme.
The photo of Whitney that first went viral features the caption, "Not too fond of gay people." While she was branded a homophobic dog, her true story made her viral sensation all the better.
The origins of the 'Homophobic Dog' meme
Whitney Chewston was first introduced to the internet with her own Instagram account in April 2017.
The dog's adventures and many sassy poses are documented throughout the account. The photo that turned into a viral meme was first shared on June 12, 2019.
It wasn't until March 2021 that the photo first appeared as a macro, posted on the Whisper app. It had the caption, "Not too fond of gay people."
Though it sounds like a hateful message, it was originally made as an inside joke between a group of friends. The joke ended up going viral among the LGTBQ community as they poked fun at people who criticized them. Many felt it was a clever way to address subtle homophobia that people think is somehow less rude than blatant homophobia. It was also used as a reaction meme when news that was critical of, or negatively impacted, the gay community came out.
Whitney Chewston, the gay icon
Despite entering the public realm with the nickname "homophobic dog," Whitney Chewston's real story is all the more entertaining. The expressive miniature dachshund lives with her owners, gay couple Logan Hickman and Ben Campbell, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Whitney Chewston already had a following for her diva attitude, but it only soared as the meme continued to enjoy popularity. These days, she's recognized as a bonafide LGBTQ icon. Every use of the homophobic dog meme raises awareness that judgmental homophobes are very much still out there.
Whitney is a huge supporter of the gay community. She'll always be a champion for gay people and their rights. If people want to continue making memes that bring awareness to homophobia that still exists, we’re all about it.
Logan Hickman per UNIA Magazine
The couple are fans of the memes and the fact that people now know Whitney Chewston is a fervent supporter of the gay community.
I will say is that the homophobic dog memes are hilarious. She’s absolutely not homophobic, but we like the memes, we think they’re funny, and if nothing else, they do a really great job of shedding light on things and people who actually are homophobic. All of those phrases that have become memes... people who created the memes, mostly gay people, have heard those sayings used toward them at some point in their lives. So, it’s satire really, and it’s a great, creative way to bring awareness.
Logan Hickman per UNIA Magazine
That time Whitney Chewston duped Ron DeSantis' spokesperson (and Chick-fil-A)
While being branded a homophobic dog that belongs to two gay owners is already a journey, Whitney Chewston cemented her place in LGBTQ history in May 2022.
Twitter user @mailprivilege shared a fabricated screenshot of a supposed Washington Post article with a photo of Whitney Chewston underneath a headline that read, "This dog is the new face of online homophobia." The faux screenshot poked fun at the irony of the dachshund having gay owners
Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saw the fake headline and fell for it. She retweeted the image, writing, "More cutting edge journalism from the 49-year-old Washington Post activist infamous for showing up masked on random people's doorsteps & sliding into the DMs of TikTok teenagers."
The dig at journalist Taylor Lorenz was for naught, however, as she, the Washington Post, and other members of the staff confirmed no such piece existed on their site.
That same year, the meme had some other notable interactions. On March 25th, 2022, rapper Lil Nas X posted on X.com (formerly known as Twitter): "can u guys send me more pictures of that homophobic dog," where it has since racked up over 120K likes.
To kick off Pride Month 2022, Twitter user @hobertweets used a Whitney Chewston meme to reply to a Chic-fil-A tweet that read, "You're the best part of our day ❤️."
"Great to hear! This little fella will have a great time at your restaurant!" @hobertweets replied in the since-deleted post, to which the chain replied, "Aww!❤️," unaware it was a dig at their homophobic platform.
Meme examples
More dog memes:
- The very longevity of Doge, the Shiba Inu meme that is still such popular
- The ‘let me do it for you’ meme, born from heartbreak
- ‘Horny jail’ was one of the first pandemic memes
- The Tiger Woods big dog meme goes big
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