Nonbinary Comedian Reid Pope Flips the Script on Thirst Traps—and the Internet Can’t Get Enough

In a digital landscape saturated with glossy selfies and carefully curated “thirst traps,” nonbinary transmasculine comedian Reid Pope has carved out a space that is both subversive and celebratory. Over several months, Pope recreated 106 iconic Instagay thirst traps—a genre typically dominated by cisgender gay men—injecting each with their own irreverent humor and unapologetic authenticity. This project, widely shared across Instagram and other platforms, not only upends expectations of queer beauty, but also ignites dialogue about inclusivity within LGBTQ+ spaces.

Pope’s journey began out of frustration with the limitations and exclusions often encountered by nonbinary and trans people in mainstream queer circles. In their own words, “It’s rare for cis men to recognize non-binary/trans people like myself (let alone re-post photos of bodies like mine in boxers and a binder), but thanks to the lubrication of comedy, these boys were liking, retweeting, and DMing me new photos to recreate”. By mimicking—and gently lampooning—the most popular poses and aesthetics found throughout the “Instagay” universe, Pope not only affirms their own visibility but also broadens the range of queer bodies and gender expressions celebrated online.

Their approach is deeply self-aware. “I have very few footholds. I’m king of undercutting and flipping. At this point, the only thing I can really trust is viscerality. And these dumbass thirst traps were making me feel both physically and viscerally good,” Pope reflected, underscoring how self-expression and self-acceptance are inextricably linked for many LGBTQ+ individuals navigating social media.

Pope’s project lands at a time when LGBTQ+ visibility on platforms like Instagram and TikTok is both at an all-time high and increasingly fraught. According to GLAAD’s 2025 Social Media Safety Index, LGBTQ content creators play a central role in defining online trends, especially as queer pop culture has surged in popularity over the past five years . Social media algorithms, which once required users to actively seek out affirming communities, now deliver LGBTQ+ content directly to millions of users, fostering new avenues for exploration and identity formation.

However, this increased visibility comes with risks. GLAAD’s recent report warns of alarming policy rollbacks on major platforms—including Instagram and YouTube—that undermine the safety of LGBTQ people by removing certain protections and allowing anti-LGBTQ slurs and harassment This complex environment makes projects like Pope’s both radical and necessary, as they offer joy, affirmation, and solidarity even amid growing online hostility.

The enthusiastic response to Pope’s thirst trap recreations—garnering likes, retweets, and DMs from across the spectrum of the queer community—demonstrates a hunger for more inclusive representations of gender, body, and desire. Their playful photos, which can be found on their Instagram (@reidpope), invite viewers to question who gets to be seen as desirable and why, while also providing a powerful reminder of humor’s role in queer liberation.

In a broader context, the project exemplifies the shifting landscape of LGBTQ+ identity and culture in the digital age. As social media continues to influence how young people explore and express queer identities, creators like Pope are at the forefront—challenging norms, expanding possibilities, and inspiring others to embrace the spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences.