To kick off Pride Month, we are launching the Weed Made Me Gay campaign, a potent tongue-in-cheek celebration at the intersection of queerness and cannabis culture. The campaign’s title takes an ironic spin on the paranoid delusions of Reefer Madness and the homophobic panic of The Lavender Scare—two all-American moral crusades that tried (and failed) to scare the joys out of being high and being queer. The Weed Made Me Gay campaign exists at the intersection of the close-minded and dangerous legacies of these narratives and the current cultural moment, where DEI initiatives are being dismantled and queer and trans stories are being erased from classrooms and headlines through book bans and beyond.
Weed Made Me Gay echoes the trends of the 1970s and 80s, a time when advocates of cannabis policy reform gave exploitative narratives a new life as political satire. The campaign draws inspiration from the visual language and cultural legacy of icons like Stephen Sprouse, John Waters, and Andy Warhol, as well as the anarchic energy of the Riot Grrrl feminist punk movement. Their influence informs a collage-like aesthetic and defiant tone. The imagery included is both earnest and absurd, with joyful portraits of queer intimacy alongside playful symbols historically coded as “gay”- a bowl of fruit, a lollipop, a slice of cake, a showgirl mid-spin, a floral arrangement – inviting viewers to question what’s subversive, what’s fabulous, and what’s just camp. Queer joy is non-negotiable, cannabis is part of the culture, and we’re not here to be palatable.
To amplify the campaign, Drew Martin has released a limited-edition Weed Made Me Gay preroll pack, with three collectible designs packed with sought-after genetics from the Z strains family, sold exclusively at our stores. We and Drew Martin are donating a portion of proceeds from every sale to GLITS Inc., a Black trans-led advocacy and direct services organization that is dedicated to fighting systemic discrimination against marginalized communities, in New York City and beyond. The organization creates holistic solutions to the health and housing crises that LGBTQIA+ individuals often face, symptomatic of systemic discrimination. It focuses on harm reduction, human rights principles, social justice and community empowerment.
“The Weed Made Me Gay campaign is subversive, silly, and boldly political,” says Joanne Wilson, Founder of Gotham. “We know cannabis culture has a natural kinship with queer culture. Both have been policed, misunderstood, and marginalized. Gotham is known for proudly reclaiming narratives and we are committed to showing up in ways that go beyond surface level allyship, especially when rights and freedom of expression are under threat.”
As a company built and staffed by queer individuals, with well over half of our employees from executive to frontline identifying as LGBTQIA+, Pride is near and dear to our hearts. Weed Made Me Gay is a continuation of our previous campaigns highlighting inclusivity and celebrations of love in every form, including our 2024 High on Love campaign which featured high-profile leaders in fashion, music, beauty and beyond from across the LGBTQIA+ community.
The campaign kicks off with two queer-led art and design exhibitions on June 5th and June 12th at our Chelsea and Bowery locations, respectively followed by a month-long schedule of programming celebrating the queer community, its artists and makers, and the joys of being queer across our four locations culminating at the Pride Parade on June 29th with our first-ever float. Learn all about Pride at Gotham and shop all our LGBTQ+ owned brands here.