It might manifest itself in the ironic veneration of homophobic public figures, such as in the popularity of this gif of former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe, who once suggested we might produce a scientific answer (solution) to being gay, attempting to straighten her hair. Although it belonged to a particular pocket of the internet, it remains the example par excellence of a larger trend: homophobic jokes aren't regressive instead, they're actually really really funny. But, for many people, it was funny precisely because it was despicable.
A 2018 article in Them argued on the contrary, with the headline 'Painting Millie Bobby Brown as a Homophobe Isn't Funny - It's Despicable'. That's not to say everyone agrees it's in good humour. When it comes to the creation of these homophobic memes, no one is putting in the work like gay men themselves.
