Delightful 'Gay-Off' Takes TikTok by Storm

A "gay-off" between queer tenants in an Ohio apartment building has TikTok users cheering for the gay man, whose light-hearted post started off the rivalry, and his lesbian downstairs neighbors, Newsweek reported.

"It all started when 29-year-old Clay, who didn't to share his last name, spotted a doormat outside a third-floor apartment in his building that proudly declared: 'Gayest place in town,'" the magazine recounted.

Looking for a bit of fun, Clay took to TikTok with a video in which he showed his followers the doormat's breezy claim, and quipped, "I don't like that at all." The reason? "Because it implies that my place is not the gayest place in town," Clay declared.

@claygaiken Replying to @lil anxiety / 퓨크 ♬ Totally Gay - Mark Rivers & John Mulaney & Brendan McCreary

Deciding to assert his queer creds, Clay hastened to procure his own out-and-proud welcome mat for his fourth-floor flat. He also appended the message on his downstairs neighbors' mat with a sticky note so that their mat now read "2nd gayest place in town," Newsweek relayed.

But Clay didn't stop there. He threw down the violent gauntlet with a letter in which he let the neighbors know, "I find your doormat to be extremely offensive. I personally believe that MY apt is the gayest place in town and I hereby challenge you to a gay-off."

He also let the neighbors - their identities a complete mystery at the time - know that his TikTok followers were keenly interested to see the "gay-off" take place, and "I really don't want to let them down."

The neighbors good-naturedly jumped in, responding, "Hi Gay-boy, we have no clue what this entails but it sounds gay, so naturally we are in - Cara & Lauren."

@claygaiken Replying to @Shareda Mills team Lesbians, you're up 👀@Lauren Bishop @calabrese101 ♬ Totally Gay - Mark Rivers & John Mulaney & Brendan McCreary

"Since then, the two apartments have been one-upping each other in increasingly flamboyant fashion, rainbow streamers and other Pride-themed decoration," Newsweek recounted, with the mock battle including espionage in the form of a third-party "third-floor spy..."

The platform's content moderators didn't catch on to the joke at first, Newsweek relayed, and "flagged the video for 'hateful behavior,' but quickly reversed the decision after Clay appealed."

The rainbow rivalry has enthralled Clay's TikTok audience, which is growing as the "gay-off" goes on - a happy war of wit that "doesn't come with an instruction manual," Clay observed, "so we're figuring it out as we go."

Clay's feed "has been filled with joy, support, and rampant speculation" from TikTok fans as the battle of queer badinage continues, though Clay noted, the twist of the rival neighbors being a lesbian couple was unexpected to some.

"Everyone assumed the other apartment belonged to a gay man and hoped for an 'enemies to lovers' situation," Newsweek quoted Clay saying. "But I had a strong suspicion it was lesbians. I mean, I used to joke that the third floor was the lesbian floor."

But now the "Lesbian vs. Gay Boy Gay-Off," as Clay has dubbed the back-and-forth, has gathered surprising momentum among Clay's followers.

"i'm so sorry but the rainbow tinsel curtain wins for me," one person commented after the downstairs couple responded with a flamboyant upgrade.

Others agreed: "Your decor is cute, but they came to WIN," another posted.

Agreed another: "yea rainbow tinsel has it in the bag!"

Far from crying foul or claiming rigged results, Clay embraced the feedback: "I really don't stand a chance against two lesbians, but I'm gonna give it my best gay shot."

Clay spoke to the happy surprise of how, even in these hatefully homophobic times, the "Gay-Off" has brought people together.

"The fact that I posted this dumb little joke, and it blew up without a single negative comment," Clay marveled, "it means a lot."

Fans can follow the fabulous free-for-all throughout Pride Month, if not beyond.