Infographic by Charlotte Braden

Halloween is a time for candy, scary movies and dressing up. But for queer folks, Halloween is so much more than that. It’s the one night a year you can be your authentic self without fear of judgment. This is why Halloween is the most important holiday for the queer community. 

Peter Carlson, a professor of religion at California Lutheran University, teaches a course on queer theology. They spoke about the importance of Halloween to the LGBTQ+ community.

“I often say that Halloween is the LGBTQ+ high holy holiday of the year. So yes, I think it is a holiday that is seriously important in the cycle of the queer year,” Carlson said.

Halloween’s roots don’t necessarily begin with queer folks. Halloween’s origins are more related to religious beliefs. 

According to Carlson, Halloween comes from the Christian holiday, All Hallow’s Eve, and the Celtic festival Samhain.

Although the holiday’s origins lie elsewhere, it has been adopted by the queer community as a day of celebration. According to the LGBTQ+ publication Them, Halloween has, “practically been institutionalized as a Gay Christmas,”as it has the ability to provide a space where gender deviance is celebrated.

On Halloween, a girl can dress up as her favorite male athlete, or a boy can dress up like a female pop star, and their femininity and masculinity won’t be judged as it would any other day of the year. 

Crossdressing and gender-bending are not outside the norm on Halloween night. Carlson said that when someone chooses to express themselves on Halloween, it is like a form of drag. 

“It’s drag, but what drag is doing, it’s helping us release our most authentic selves,” Carlson said.

A4TE defines drag as “a type of entertainment where people dress up and perform, often in highly stylized ways. The term originated as British theater slang in the 19th century and was used to describe women’s clothing worn by men.”

Drag queens and drag culture goes hand in hand with the LGBTQ+ community. By normalizing drag, Halloween simultaneously normalizes queer culture. 

This would explain why it’s embraced by the queer community and earned its “Gay Christmas” nickname. 

The freedom Halloween allows is more than just letting people do drag and glam up for one night a year. For some, the ability to express their gender differently than they normally do allows them to discover something much deeper about themselves. 

“I think the very choices kids make in their costumes, especially when they’re not just in the same costume that every other kid is getting. The choices that kids make in their costumes are really revealing about their authentic selves,” Carlson said. 

Halloween also allows people to reflect on and freely express their gender identity. 

According to The Human Rights Campaign gender identity is “one’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One’s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.”

What costumes reveal about our gender identity and self concept of gender was studied by Lisa M. Dinella in The Journal of Genetic Psychology.

 In her study of 110 children ranging from infant through preschool age, she found that “children’s Halloween costume choice is an indicator of children’s gender development processes.” 

The T in LGBTQ+ stands for transgender. As someone who identifies as transgender myself, Halloween was the first time I ever had the opportunity to wear clothing that affirmed my gender identity. I didn’t have to hide, I didn’t have to feel shame, and I could just be. 

For many closeted young transgender or gender non-conforming people, Halloween is a beacon of light on the calendar that lets them be themselves.

“Halloween is an opportunity when it’s safe to explore … that’s the gift that it offers. I would encourage parents to let their kids explore that gift. Don’t tell your kids you can’t be a Disney princess,” Carlson said. 

Without Halloween, I and many other queer folks around the world may have never had the opportunity to step out of hiding and be themselves for one night. For many, that one night gives them the courage to break down the closet door and embrace who they truly are 365 days a year.  

The feeling of being able to be authentically yourself for a day — that is why Halloween is the most important queer holiday.