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TikToker Dragged After Claiming It Costs Over $1,400 A Month To Be Gay In New York City
A gay TikToker said it was expensive to be a homosexual living in New York City and showed up with receipts.
Gays can be picky, but metropolitan gays can, stereotypically, be extravagant with their taste in the finer things, and willing to shell out more than just a few dollar bills for indulgences in big cities.
This doesn't apply to every metro homo living the cushy lifestyle, but there are definitely the ones you'll probably never see perusing the plastic dishware aisle at the local Dollar Store.
This boujee gay, Aaron Connelly—a.k.a. TikToker @aaronwconnelly—got pushback for a video explaining why living in the city was particularly pricey for him.
He went viral for sharing his monthly living expenses for "homo necessities" that cost "$1,403.98 a month to be gay in New York City,” without rent, food, or clothes.
But his expenses are not a one size fits all situation.
"Here’s how I figured that out," he said before going down the list starting with paying $330 a month for his Equinox gym membership and $240 a month for cold brew coffees.
You can watch the clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user @quassimatt, who said, "Not the way I do it."
Connelly said he spends $160 on classes at Barry’s Bootcamp, which he attends once a week.
He also spends $150 on Botox, "so it's $600 broken up by a month."
Included in his body care regimen is forking over $120 a month for Russian/Turkish baths in the East Village, which he insisted were “very important.”
For grooming, he spends $150 for monthly haircuts and $80 a month on manicures.
Connelly pays $75 a month in Uber fares to send his Grindr hookups home afterwards "because you're a gentleman."
Speaking of hookups, he pays the $40 monthly fee for Grindr Xtra and $19.99 on the private membership-only networking/dating app Raya.
But wait. There's more!
Because Connelly is mindful of his physical health while pursuing casual sex, he spends $10 a month on PrEP, used to prevent HIV.
As an added safety measure, our responsible Romeo spends an additional $10 a month for Doxy PEP, essentially a morning-after pill for sexually transmitted infections.
There are minor incidentals he regularly pays for to maintain his gay card, which includes a WOW Presents streaming subscription so that every week, he and his friends can start their engines and watch RuPaul's Drag Race, currently on its ninth episode for the show's 16th fabulous season.
Connolly concludes the video by saying:
"I'm sorry, it's expensive to be a homosexual in New York."
But other friends of Dorothy begged to differ.
Connelly got dragged for his ostentatious expense report.
@quasimatt The way he thought making this tiktok would be a slay— (@)
And this user who couldn't tell if Connelly was being sarcastic or tone-deaf noted that fitting in to the gay culture in NYC life that was "not worth it."
While the roasting of the flashy lifestyle was expected, the viral video can serve as a commentary on the exorbitant costs LGBTQ+ community members are faced with, particularly at Pride events.
The celebratory occasion certainly spreads awareness, but it can also be a capitalistic opportunity for sponsors to exploit the event by charging partygoers upwards of $200 a ticket for entry to special VIP parties.
A food service worker who suffered several layoffs and is barely able to pay rent in his West Village apartment after "unexpected housing obstacles" struggled with FOMO after watching his friends partying it up on Instagram stories during Pride.
“I can’t afford these big plans I see everyone doing,” said 29-year-old Kevin O’Connell.
He told The Cut:
“Honestly, it just makes me feel so lonely to not be able to do any of that.”
Queerty also noted "a prevalence of toxic spending in the gay community" due in part "to unrealistic and cis-oriented ideals."
Connelly's closing remark on the video was:
"How did we get here?"
To which one commenter said succinctly, "We didn't. You did."