History Main / FagHag

Fag Hags are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some Fag Hags even seek out gay men -- either because they find them non-threatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag [[TeamMom who acts as a mother figure]] to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy" -- because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

Compare YaoiFangirl. The GayBestFriend can be an inversion if it's a gay man whose friends are almost entirely straight women. See also LastHetRomance, where the woman may become a Fag Hag in response to her partner outing himself.

Fag Hags are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some Fag Hags even seek out gay men -- either because they find them non-threatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag [[TeamMom who acts as a mother figure]] to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy"--because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

'''Kevin:''' A strip club called the Ho Zone and [[WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame a tragic gay bar called Innuendo.]] Friday nights, football games, and then tailgate parties at the Mallmart parking lot. Saturday night is movie night, regardless of what's playing at the Bijou, and you better get there early, because [[QuirkyTown we don't have reserved seating in Riverdale]]. [[SmallTownBoredom And Sunday nights...Thank God for HBO...]]\\

* In the musical production called Theatre/FairyTales, the song "The Gay Guys" is about a woman bemoaning how every friend, every boyfriend, every husband, and even her father are gay, and warns the man asking her out that before the night is over she'll probably wind up turning him gay too.

''I don't reallly care that you are queer.''

* Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Sophia on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', was famed for her relationship with gay men; she herself joked that she felt most comfortable when she had her "five-fag minimum" around her. Getty explained that, given her career on the New York stage, being surrounded by gay men was inevitable, and she developed incredible {{Gaydar}} as a result. On a more serious note, Getty was also a tireless advocate for AIDS victims who appeared at charity events on a regular basis.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[CoolBigSis Amethyst]] is a fag hag by default due to never showing romantic interest towards anyone, while Steven himself is more of a LezBro; [[TheLeader Garnet]] is a [[FusionDance permafusion]] of the hotheaded Ruby and stoic Sapphire, while [[TeamMom Pearl]] had [[AllLoveIsUnrequited a bad case of unrequited love]] for Rose Quartz, the Crystal Gems' former leader. Later additions to the team include [[GadgeteerGenius Peridot]], who has heavy HoYay with [[MakingASplash Lapis Lazuli]], who herself struggles with the aftermath of her abusive relationship with [[BloodKnight Jasper]]; ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' also later reveals that [[TheBlacksmith Bismuth]] has a crush on Pearl. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that nearly all Gems, though biologically sexless, present female (Steven and two of his own fusions are the only known exceptions), so ''any'' relationship between them is going to be coded lesbian.

* In the musical production called FairyTales, the song "The Gay Guys" is about a woman bemoaning how every friend, every boyfriend, every husband, and even her father are gay, and warns the man asking her out that before the night is over she'll probably wind up turning him gay too.

-->''Gay Boyfriend, Gay Boyfriend''
-->''I don't reallly care that you are queer.''

Fag Hags are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some Fag Hags even seek out gay men -- either because they find them non-threatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag who acts as a mother figure to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy"--because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

* Ed Brubaker's superhero/spy series ''ComicBook/{{Sleeper}}'' has a character ''named'' Fag Hag, because she's an energy vampire that can only drain the lifeforce of homosexuals (complete with Gaydar!) She considers it BlessedWithSuck since her closest friends were always gay.

Some women resent the name "Fag Hag" for multiple reasons including the misogyny that comes along with the term and are rather referred to as "Fruit Flies", "Mo Hos", "Gay Boy Bunnies", "Alternative Lifestyle Assistants" or something along those lines. The Japanese equivalent of this phrase, ''Okoge'', literally means "the rice stuck to the bottom of a pot", playing off of ''Okama'' (literally, a type of pot for cooking rice), the slang term for homosexual men and drag queens. In German, it's "Schwulenmutti". Some people, including gay and straight, eschew terminology all together and simply enjoy their friendships for what they are without the need to put each other down or classify each other in a derogatory way.

* Beautie of ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' is a human-sized robotic fashion doll. She has an apartment above a gay bar and is friends to the local gay community because they're men who won't try to proposition her.

* Kate Bishop of ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'' fame is a more subtle example. She's both good friends with Wiccan and Hulkling of said team (and the three of them are the three longest-serving members of the team), and she became something of a surrogate daughter to a gay couple she met when she moved to the West Coast after she saved their wedding, while also cat-sitting for a lesbian couple. She's been depicted as best friends with ComicBook/AmericaChavez, who is a butch lesbian with whom she has extensive LesYay teased (but Kate insists she herself is straight), and two of her three canon boyfriends (Noh-Varr and Fuse) are bisexual and attracted to one another, while another boy she had extensive ShipTease with (Speed) was implied to be bisexual in a oneshot story. At this point, the only straight people in Kate's life can be counted on one-hand.

** Penny essentially became a hag wannabe after her former boyfriend (and main character) Max turned out to be StraightGay. She's overjoyed upon first being introduced to Derrick, but ends up finding that 100% gay 100% of the time is too much even for her. In a later episode he names her a hag nonetheless, to her joy, especially as an upgrade from being TheBeard.

-->'''Veronica:''' So what's the social scene like here? Any night clubs?\\

** ''Series/GimmeGimmeGimme'' subverts ''Will & Grace'' in a very British way; it throws together an appalling gay man and a sociopathic straight woman, possibly because nobody else would care to share a grotty rented flat with them. Linda becomes reluctant fag hag to Tom.

* Creator/JudyGarland was this. Her social circle included many gay men and she often went to gay bars with them. This helped contribute to her status as a gay icon.

[[quoteright:263:[[Film/FagHag https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/faghag.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:263:[[HypocriticalHumor No, too obvious.]]]]

Compare YaoiFangirl. The PetHomosexual can be an inversion if it's a gay man whose friends are almost entirely straight women. See also LastHetRomance, where the woman may become a Fag Hag in response to her partner outing himself.

* In ''Blog/AskHoopsAndDumbbell'', Dumbbell meets a lesbian who admits that she seeks out friendships with gay stallions because she finds friendship easier when IncompatibleOrientation isn't a risk. Dumbbell accepts this(As opposed to a mare who previously tried to turn him into a PetHomosexual), and the two quickly strike up a friendship.

* When a gay couple moves into the neighborhood in ''Series/DesperateHousewives'', Susan is ecstatic to have them as her PetHomosexual "just like on tv". Needless to say, they hate her instantly. Though a season or two later they eventually start getting along and hanging out.

* The premise of the reality show ''Girl Who Like Boys Who Like Boys'' is filming several groups of girls and their own PetHomosexual as they do... stuff.

* Reiji (Rage) from the ''{{Manga/Gravitation}}'' manga series is a robot panda-driving YaoiFangirl fixated on Shuichi, even following him from America and becoming his band's manager because of this obsession.

* Ed Brubaker's superhero/spy series ''{{ComicBook/Sleeper}}'' has a character ''named'' Fag Hag, because she's an energy vampire that can only drain the lifeforce of homosexuals (complete with Gaydar!) She considers it BlessedWithSuck since her closest friends were always gay.

* ''ComicBook/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'': [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as Clémentine, Valentin's friend, is herself queer, and didn't even realize he was gay at first.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': [[YaoiFangirl Hungary]] ''loves'' to hang out with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Germany and Italy are bi while Japan is [[UsefulNotes/{{Homosexual}} gay]]. She also loves to hang out with [[AnythingThatMoves France]], Spain, and Prussia when she is not [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend beating the ever-loving crap out of them]].

* ''Literature/HouseOfNight'' has Zoey's friends Damien Maslin and Jack Twist. And not a single page goes by that doesn't mention their sexualities

Some women resent the name "Fag Hag" for multiple reasons including the misogyny that comes along with the term and are rather referred to as "Fruit Flies", "Mo Hos", "Gay Boy Bunnies", "Alternative Lifestyle Assistants" or something along those lines. The Japanese equivalent of this phrase, ''Okoge'', literally means "the rice stuck to the bottom of a pot", playing off of ''Okama'' (literally, a type of pot for cooking rice), the slang term for homosexual men and drag queens. In German, it's "schwulenmutti". Some people, including gay and straight, eschew terminology all together and simply enjoy their friendships for what they are without the need to put each other down or classify each other in a derogatory way.

* Doris in ''Film/{{Fame}}'' is referred to as an offensive slur for her friendship with Montgomery.

* There is actually a song called "Fag Hag" by Music/LilyAllen, which doesn't say much about her character, does it?

* In the play ''Freak'', "Fag Hag" is literally the name of a character who practices a scene from ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'' with the "Gay Drama Kid" (another legitimate character in the play). What do you expect from an author who enjoyed the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger could use his accent to say homophobic shit?

* Condie Ling of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndSteveTheHappiestGayCoupleInAllTheWorld'', who makes up for her inability to find a date (by Rick's own word, she turned him gay in high school) by hanging out with homosexuals (who are less prone to reject her, or at least, reject her less violently) and has a serious HetIsEw attitude. She'll have you know she is ''not'' a fag hag, though -- [[InsistentTerminology she is an alternative lifestyle companion]].

The equivalent for a man who hangs out with lesbians is a LezBro (or Dyke Tyke or Little Dutch Boy - think about it), but they're not quite as common in RealLife or pop culture. [[SpearCounterpart Fag Stag]], a Token Straight man in a group of gay men, is slowly becoming more used, but nowhere near LezBro levels, let alone Fag Hag.

* Comedienne Creator/MargaretCho is a self-described fag hag, which she claims stems from growing up in San Francisco and being raised almost exclusively by gay men since she bonded with the gay kids at her school because they were outcasts just as much as she was for being overweight and Asian. "They say certain smells bring you back to your childhood. Well, the smell that brings me back is balls in pantyhose!" She went on to talk about how "We were your date to the prom, and dragged your sorry asses through the Underground Railroad..." Cho can be described as the patron saint of Fag Hags.

* {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s. At best, they'll be genuine friends with gay guys and just so happen to find them attractive. At worst, they'll pretend to be friends just for cheap thrills.
* The Creator/{{CBC}} once even aired a documentary about fag hags.
* Creator/KevinSmith is an outspoken [[SpearCounterpart Fag Stag]].
** Same thing with Creator/DanielRadcliffe.
** Hugh Jackman is another notable Fag Stag, which has unfortunately lent itself to scurrilous gossip that he himself is gay. [[note]]No, say insiders; he's extremely devoted to his wife and has never made overtures toward his gay friends.[[/note]]
** Israeli singer Bo‘az Ma‘uda[[note]]Winner of the fifth season of the Israeli ''Series/PopIdol'' and a one-time contestant on the Series/EurovisionSongContest[[/note]] is a self-admitted fag stag.
* Creator/KathyGriffin. Most notably, one of her closest friends -- and they are genuinely close friends, though he sometimes wishes they weren't, usually when she's embarrassing him live on national television -- is Creator/AndersonCooper, Creator/{{CNN}}'s famous (and famously gay) SilverFox anchor.
* Comedienne Lisa Lampanelli said in her book, ''Chocolate, Please'', that if it wasn't for gay men, "us fat chicks wouldn't have any friends."

* Creator/KayFrancis could be classed as one. She socialised and befriended several (closeted) gay men throughout her acting career.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Diana, Princess of Wales]] was well known for closeness with gay men. Given that her time in the public eye coincided with the worst of the AIDS crisis, the role was all the more important. In one famous moment, Diana removed her gloves and shook hands with a man diagnosed with AIDS in a public appearance; at the time, there was a strong (and entirely incorrect) belief that the disease could be transferred through touch, so Diana doing so -- and later making a televised statement about how AIDS could ''not'' be spread that way -- was considered shocking.
** In a more lighthearted example, Princess Diana and Music/FreddieMercury were also close friends. It's even rumored that one night, Mercury [[DisguisedInDrag helped Diana assume a male disguise]] and took her out on the town to visit all of London's hottest gay clubs incognito.

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'''s Jimmy and Sarah seem to grow into this in later seasons, as Jimmy's CampGay tendencies were amped up more and more.
* On ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', this role goes to [[TagalongKid Amethyst]], while Steven himself is more of a LezBro; [[TheLeader Garnet]] is a [[FusionDance permafusion]] of the hotheaded Ruby and psychic Sapphire, while [[TeamMom Pearl]] had [[AllLoveIsUnrequited a bad case of unrequited love]] for Rose Quartz, the Crystal Gems' former leader. Later additions to the team only strengthen the trope: [[GadgeteerGenius Peridot]] has heavy HoYay with [[MakingASplash Lapis Lazuli]], who herself struggles with the memories of her abusive relationship with [[BloodKnight Jasper]]. In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'', it's even revealed that [[WellIntentionedExtremist Bismuth]] has developed a crush on Pearl. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that nearly all Gems, though biologically sexless, present female (Steven and one of his own fusions are the only known exceptions), so ''any'' relationship between them is going to be coded lesbian; Amethyst herself is the only main female character who doesn't have any romantic feelings toward anyone else, so she gets the Fag Hag role by default.
** Steven's status as this becomes more apparent in later seasons when even his human friends start pairing up in queer relationships (Sadie, for example, starts dating the non-binary Shep, making her pansexual).
** The human Lars becomes a Lez Bro himself later in the series when he becomes the leader of the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Off-Colors]], whose members include Rhodonite (a fusion of a Ruby and Pearl) and the truly massive Fluorite (who is the permafusion embodiment of ''six'' gems, all female and confirmed by WordOfGod to be in a romantic polyamorous relationship).

* Kate Spencer, the titular character of the ''Comicbook/{{Manhunter}}'' comic is very much a; her closest (and arguably only) friend in the superhero business is gay and dating her paralegal. [[spoiler: And if that's not enough, a comic set in the future shows her son is gay, too -- and likely the heir to her title.]]

* Ed Brubaker's superhero/spy series ''{{ComicBook/Sleeper}}'' has a character ''named'' with an offensive slur, because comic book nerds are mouth breathers who don't give a shit about the struggles of minorities.

* In ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', the Engineer, Angie Spica, is a close friend of Apollo, and is "Best Woman" at his wedding to (male) partner [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Midnighter]].

* ''Film/FagHag'', obviously. Uncensored because it is the actual title, though the use of the image isn't because it's only up there to include as many slurs on this page as possible.

* Subversion: Dee from the movie ''Film/Camp2003'' is called an offensive slur [[spoiler: but her definition of the word is a girl who only gay guys would hit on.]]

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in ''Film/KissKissBangBang''; Harry, after working closely with "Gay" Perry, ends up being "humorously" called out as an offensive slur by Perry come the conclusion.

** Bridget's friend Tom calls himself a "slur offensive" as a gay man hanging out with three straight women: [[TownGirls Bridget, Shazzer, and Jude.]]

* Jen from ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' is a self-proclaimed offensive slur, her best friend Jack being gay.

* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit about Dumbledore coming out of the closet, JK Rowling (Amy Poehler) is on ''Larry King'' and reveals cut scenes from ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies. In them, Dumbledore is openly gay and Professor [=McGonagall=] is his offensive slur.

** Kit is the only straight woman in a CastFullOfGay, making her a double inversion of this trope as offensive slur for lesbians -- maybe a Lez Hag?
** Her season 6 boyfriend is also an offensive slur -- by default, being a straight drag queen, whose friends are all gay drag queens.

* ''Series/UglyBetty'' has its offensive slur in the form of Amanda.

** The titular Grace is the offensive slur of Will.
** Karen is Jack's
** ''Series/GimmeGimmeGimme'' subverts ''Will & Grace'' in a very British way; it throws together an appalling gay man and a sociopathic straight woman, possibly because nobody else would care to share a grotty rented flat with them. Linda becomes reluctant offensive slur to Tom.

* There is actually a song called "*** Hag" by Music/LilyAllen, which doesn't say much about her character, does it?

* Referenced in Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive's "The Message" (1982), but not quoted here because despite the rumors, TvTropers are not paid for each instance of bigoted slurs they reproduce on pages.

* In the play ''Freak'', "***" is literally the name of a character who practices a scene from ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'' with the "Gay Drama Kid" (another legitimate character in the play). What do you expect from an author who enjoyed the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger could use his accent to say homophobic shit?

* Chris is an offensive slur to [[CastFullOfGay EVERYONE]] in ''Webcomic/FurPiled''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Rain}}'' has a few instances of this. Rudy addresses Rain as his offensive slur following their break-up. Also, Gavin is Maria's fake boyfriend, making him a Lez Bro. Also, as Gavin is the only straight member of the main characters, he counts as one all his own.

** According to the commentary, they actually wanted to say an offensive slur, but FOX said no, which means that inexplicably FOX is more moral than tvtropes. When they asked the Log Cabin Republicans (gay Republicans) about it, they also said no.

* Condie Ling of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndSteveTheHappiestGayCoupleInAllTheWorld'', who makes up for her inability to find a date (by Rick's own word, she turned him gay in high school) by hanging out with homosexuals (who are less prone to reject her, or at least, reject her less violently) and has a serious HetIsEw attitude. She'll have you know she is ''not'' an offensive slur, though, because you fucking dipshit breeders need to stop using this term -- [[InsistentTerminology she is an alternative lifestyle companion]].

* On ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', this role goes to [[TagalongKid Amethyst]], while Steven himself is more of a LezBro; [[TheLeader Garnet]] is a [[FusionDance permafusion]] of the hotheaded Ruby and psychic Sapphire, while [[TeamMom Pearl]] had [[AllLoveIsUnrequited a bad case of unrequited love]] for Rose Quartz, the Crystal Gems' former leader. Later additions to the team only strengthen the trope: [[GadgeteerGenius Peridot]] has heavy HoYay with [[MakingASplash Lapis Lazuli]], who herself struggles with the memories of her abusive relationship with [[BloodKnight Jasper]]. In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'', it's even revealed that [[WellIntentionedExtremist Bismuth]] has developed a crush on Pearl. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that nearly all Gems, though biologically sexless, present female (Steven and one of his own fusions are the only known exceptions), so ''any'' relationship between them is going to be coded lesbian; Amethyst herself is the only main female character who doesn't have any romantic feelings toward anyone else, so she gets the offensive slur role by default.
** Steven's status as an offensive becomes more apparent in later seasons when even his human friends start pairing up in queer relationships (Sadie, for example, starts dating the non-binary Shep, making her pansexual).

* Comedienne Creator/MargaretCho is a self-described offensive slur, which she claims stems from growing up in San Francisco and being raised almost exclusively by gay men since she bonded with the gay kids at her school because they were outcasts just as much as she was for being overweight and Asian. "They say certain smells bring you back to your childhood. Well, the smell that brings me back is balls in pantyhose!" She went on to talk about how "We were your date to the prom, and dragged your sorry asses through the Underground Railroad..." Cho can be described as the patron saint of offensive slurs.
* That title may have to go to Creator/OscarWilde's close female friend Ada "Sphinx" Leverson, who was the Victorian equivalent of a YaoiFangirl. Leverson's offensive slur-ness was considered as poisonous in some circles as homosexuality. A disguised version of her helped the DepravedHomosexual characters based on Wilde and his lover Alfred "Bosie" Douglas worm their way into society in order to corrupt it in the Wilde-bashing roman a cléf ''The Green Carnation''.

* The Creator/{{CBC}} once even aired a documentary about people who give a shit about LGBT causes.
* Creator/KevinSmith is an outspoken offnesive slur.

** Hugh Jackman is another notable offensive slur, which has unfortunately lent itself to scurrilous gossip that he himself is gay. [[note]]No, say insiders; he's extremely devoted to his wife and has never made overtures toward his gay friends.[[/note]]
** Israeli singer Bo‘az Ma‘uda[[note]]Winner of the fifth season of the Israeli ''Series/PopIdol'' and a one-time contestant on the Series/EurovisionSongContest[[/note]] is a self-admitted offensive slur.

* Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Sophia on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', was famed for her relationship with gay men; she herself joked that she felt most comfortable when she had her "wow sure is convenient we make sure to quote every usage of slurs, isn't it?" around her. Getty explained that, given her career on the New York stage, being surrounded by gay men was inevitable, and she developed incredible {{Gaydar}} as a result. On a more serious note, Getty was also a tireless advocate for AIDS victims who appeared at charity events on a regular basis.

A (term TvTropes uses because it hates gay men) is a woman who associates closely with gay men. The term used to be an insult but is becoming [[InsultBackfire increasingly]] [[AppropriatedAppellation adopted by the women themselves]]. Friendships between (bundle of stick bitches) and gay men allow for closeness and intimacy without the danger of sexual feeling getting in the way.

(Cigarette Witches) are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some (How about we just write other offensive terms? Nigger. Kike. This is fun!) even seek out gay men -- either because they find them non-threatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag who acts as a mother figure to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy"--because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

This trope has been heavily stereotyped in RealLife on all sides. A woman with a gay friend ''at all'' is often called an offensive term even if they simply enjoy each other's company with no ulterior motives. Some women, however, see all gay men as possible {{Pet Homosexual}}s, even though the men in question might find this patronizing. And lastly, by no means do all gay men enjoy female company; at best, some simply get along better with other men, and at worst they can be as misogynistic as a [[HeManWomanHater stereotypical straight male misogynist]].

Some women resent the name "*** Hag" for multiple reasons but we don't really care about that here at TvTropes either, because we like using slurs against all minorities. The Japanese equivalent of this phrase, ''Okoge'', literally means "the rice stuck to the bottom of a pot", playing off of ''Okama'' (literally, a type of pot for cooking rice), the slang term for homosexual men and drag queens. In German, it's "schwulenmutti". Some people, including gay and straight, eschew terminology all together and simply enjoy their friendships for what they are without the need to put each other down or classify each other in a derogatory way.

The equivalent for a man who hangs out with lesbians is a LezBro (or Dam Tyke or Little Dutch Boy - we hate lesbians here at TvTropes too), but they're not quite as common in RealLife or pop culture. [[SpearCounterpart Smoke Stag]], a Token Straight man in a group of gay men, is slowly becoming more used, but nowhere near LezBro levels, let alone (fuck gay people, let's just use slurs as much as we want. It's okay because it's "academic"!)

Compare YaoiFangirl. The PetHomosexual can be an inversion if it's a gay man whose friends are almost entirely straight women. See also LastHetRomance, where the woman may become a supporter of LGBT causes in response to her partner outing himself.

[[quoteright:263:[[Film/https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:263:[[Film/FagHag https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/faghag.jpg]]]]

A Fag Hag is a woman who associates closely with gay men. The term used to be an insult but is becoming [[InsultBackfire increasingly]] [[AppropriatedAppellation adopted by the women themselves]]. Friendships between Fag Hags and gay men allow for closeness and intimacy without the danger of sexual feeling getting in the way.

Fag Hags are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some Fag Hags even seek out gay men -- either because they find them non-threatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag who acts as a mother figure to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy"--because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

This trope has been heavily stereotyped in RealLife on all sides. A woman with a gay friend ''at all'' is often called a Fag Hag even if they simply enjoy each other's company with no ulterior motives. Some women, however, see all gay men as possible {{Pet Homosexual}}s, even though the men in question might find this patronizing. And lastly, by no means do all gay men enjoy female company; at best, some simply get along better with other men, and at worst they can be as misogynistic as a [[HeManWomanHater stereotypical straight male misogynist]].

Some women resent the name "Fag Hag" for multiple reasons including the misogyny that comes along with the term and are rather referred to as "Fruit Flies", "Mo Hos", "Gay Boy Bunnies", "Alternative Lifestyle Assistants" or something along those lines. The Japanese equivalent of this phrase, ''Okoge'', literally means "the rice stuck to the bottom of a pot", playing off of ''Okama'' (literally, a type of pot for cooking rice), the slang term for homosexual men and drag queens. In German, it's "schwulenmutti". Some people, including gay and straight, eschew terminology all together and simply enjoy their friendships for what they are without the need to put each other down or classify each other in a derogatory way.

The equivalent for a man who hangs out with lesbians is a LezBro (or Dyke Tyke or Little Dutch Boy - think about it), but they're not quite as common in RealLife or pop culture. [[SpearCounterpart Fag Stag]], a Token Straight man in a group of gay men, is slowly becoming more used, but nowhere near LezBro levels, let alone Fag Hag.

Compare YaoiFangirl. The PetHomosexual can be an inversion if it's a gay man whose friends are almost entirely straight women. See also LastHetRomance, where the woman may become a Fag Hag in response to her partner outing himself.

* Reiji (Rage) from the ''{{Manga/Gravitation}}'' manga series is a robot panda-driving YaoiFangirl FagHag fixated on Shuichi, even following him from America and becoming his band's manager because of this obsession.

* Kate Spencer, the titular character of the ''Comicbook/{{Manhunter}}'' comic is very much a fag hag; her closest (and arguably only) friend in the superhero business is gay and dating her paralegal. [[spoiler: And if that's not enough, a comic set in the future shows her son is gay, too -- and likely the heir to her title.]]

* Ed Brubaker's superhero/spy series ''{{ComicBook/Sleeper}}'' has a character ''named'' Fag Hag, because she's an energy vampire that can only drain the lifeforce of homosexuals (complete with Gaydar!) She considers it BlessedWithSuck since her closest friends were always gay.

* In ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', the Engineer, Angie Spica, is a close friend of Apollo, and is "Best Woman" at his wedding to (male) partner [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Midnighter]]. Apollo teases that she's his fag hag. She doesn't mind.

* ''Film/FagHag'', obviously.

* Subversion: Dee from the movie ''Film/Camp2003'' is called a FagHag [[spoiler: but her definition of the word is a girl who only gay guys would hit on.]]
* Doris in ''Film/{{Fame}}'' is referred to as a fag hag for her friendship with Montgomery.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in ''Film/KissKissBangBang''; Harry, after working closely with "Gay" Perry, ends up being humorously called out as a fag hag by Perry come the conclusion.

** Bridget's friend Tom calls himself a "Hag Fag" as a gay man hanging out with three straight women: [[TownGirls Bridget, Shazzer, and Jude.]]

* Jen from ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' is a self-proclaimed fag hag, her best friend Jack being gay.

* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit about Dumbledore coming out of the closet, JK Rowling (Amy Poehler) is on ''Larry King'' and reveals cut scenes from ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies. In them, Dumbledore is openly gay and Professor [=McGonagall=] is his fag hag.

** Kit is the only straight woman in a CastFullOfGay, making her a double inversion of this trope as Fag Stag for lesbians -- maybe a Lez Hag?
** Her season 6 boyfriend is also a Fag Stag -- by default, being a straight drag queen, whose friends are all gay drag queens.

* ''Series/UglyBetty'' has its fag hag in the form of Amanda.

** The titular Grace is the Fag Hag of Will.

** ''Series/GimmeGimmeGimme'' subverts ''Will & Grace'' in a very British way; it throws together an appalling gay man and a sociopathic straight woman, possibly because nobody else would care to share a grotty rented flat with them. Linda becomes reluctant fag hag to Tom.

* There is actually a song called "Fag Hag" by Music/LilyAllen.

* From Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive's "The Message" (1982):
-->"Crazy lady, living in a bag, eating out of garbage pails, used to be a fag hag."

* In the play ''Freak'', "Fag Hag" is literally the name of a character who practices a scene from ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'' with the "Gay Drama Kid" (another legitimate character in the play).

* Chris is a Fag Stag to [[CastFullOfGay EVERYONE]] in ''Webcomic/FurPiled''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Rain}}'' has a few instances of this. Rudy addresses Rain as his Fag Hag following their break-up. Also, Gavin is Maria's fake boyfriend, making him a Lez Bro. Also, as Gavin is the only straight member of the main characters, he counts as one all his own.

** According to the commentary, they actually wanted to say Fag Hag, but FOX said no. When they asked the Log Cabin Republicans (gay Republicans) about it, they also said no.

* Condie Ling of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndSteveTheHappiestGayCoupleInAllTheWorld'', who makes up for her inability to find a date (by Rick's own word, she turned him gay in high school) by hanging out with homosexuals (who are less prone to reject her, or at least, reject her less violently) and has a serious HetIsEw attitude. She'll have you know she is ''not'' a fag hag, though-- [[InsistentTerminology she is an alternative lifestyle companion]].

* On ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', this role goes to [[TagalongKid Amethyst]], while Steven himself is more of a LezBro; [[TheLeader Garnet]] is a [[FusionDance permafusion]] of the hotheaded Ruby and psychic Sapphire, while [[TeamMom Pearl]] had [[AllLoveIsUnrequited a bad case of unrequited love]] for Rose Quartz, the Crystal Gems' former leader. Later additions to the team only strengthen the trope: [[GadgeteerGenius Peridot]] has heavy HoYay with [[MakingASplash Lapis Lazuli]], who herself struggles with the memories of her abusive relationship with [[BloodKnight Jasper]]. In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'', it's even revealed that [[WellIntentionedExtremist Bismuth]] has developed a crush on Pearl. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that nearly all Gems, though biologically sexless, present female (Steven and one of his own fusions are the only known exceptions), so ''any'' relationship between them is going to be coded lesbian; Amethyst herself is the only main female character who doesn't have any romantic feelings toward anyone else, so she gets the Fag Hag role by default.
** Steven's status as a FagStag becomes more apparent in later seasons when even his human friends start pairing up in queer relationships (Sadie, for example, starts dating the non-binary Shep, making her pansexual).

* Comedienne Creator/MargaretCho is a self-described fag hag, which she claims stems from growing up in San Francisco and being raised almost exclusively by gay men since she bonded with the gay kids at her school because they were outcasts just as much as she was for being overweight and Asian. "They say certain smells bring you back to your childhood. Well, the smell that brings me back is balls in pantyhose!" She went on to talk about how "We were your date to the prom, and dragged your sorry asses through the Underground Railroad..." Cho can be described as the patron saint of Fag Hags.
* That title may have to go to Creator/OscarWilde's close female friend Ada "Sphinx" Leverson, who was the Victorian equivalent of a YaoiFangirl. Leverson's Fag Hag-ness was considered as poisonous in some circles as homosexuality. A disguised version of her helped the DepravedHomosexual characters based on Wilde and his lover Alfred "Bosie" Douglas worm their way into society in order to corrupt it in the Wilde-bashing roman a cléf ''The Green Carnation''.

* The Creator/{{CBC}} once even aired a documentary about fag hags.
* Creator/KevinSmith is an outspoken [[SpearCounterpart Fag Stag]].

** Hugh Jackman is another notable Fag Stag, which has unfortunately lent itself to scurrilous gossip that he himself is gay. [[note]]No, say insiders; he's extremely devoted to his wife and has never made overtures toward his gay friends.[[/note]]
** Israeli singer Bo‘az Ma‘uda[[note]]Winner of the fifth season of the Israeli ''Series/PopIdol'' and a one-time contestant on the Series/EurovisionSongContest[[/note]] is a self-admitted fag stag.

* Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Sophia on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', was famed for her relationship with gay men; she herself joked that she felt most comfortable when she had her "five-fag minimum" around her. Getty explained that, given her career on the New York stage, being surrounded by gay men was inevitable, and she developed incredible {{Gaydar}} as a result. On a more serious note, Getty was also a tireless advocate for AIDS victims who appeared at charity events on a regular basis.

* There is actually a song called "Fag Hag" by Lily Allen.

* From Grandmaster Flash's and Furious Five's "The Message" (1982):

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'':
** The titular Grace is the Fag Hag of Will.
** Karen is Jack's
** ''Series/GimmeGimmeGimme'' subverts ''Will & Grace'' in a very British way; it throws together an appalling gay man and a sociopathic straight woman, possibly because nobody else would care to share a grotty rented flat with them. Linda becomes reluctant fag hag to Tom.
* ''Series/UglyBetty'' has its fag hag in the form of Amanda.
* The final episode of ''Series/{{SPACED}}'' shows Twist socializing in a gay club, but looking sad as she realizes she's thrown away some of her best friends.
* Edina from ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous'' wants to be one of these, and frequently claims "All my friends are gay!", because she sees having a lot of gay friends as being fashionable. It isn't true. The closest she comes is her ex-husband Justin, and her former friend Max. And both are implied to have actually been turned gay by the act of sleeping with her.
* Jen from ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' is a self-proclaimed fag hag, her best friend Jack being gay.
* In a Christmas episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Jenna Moroney describes her adoptive family as "four twenty-five-year-old gay guys."
** Her entourage in the episode where she decides to be (more) difficult consists of CampGay guys, too.
* Jenny for Eric on ''Series/GossipGirl''.
* ''Series/SexAndTheCity'': All four of the girls at one time or another. Margaret Cho as Lynne:
-->'''Lynne:''' This is my boyfriend Damien. I say boyfriend loosely as he is '''clearly''' a homosexual.
* Referenced and inverted in an episode of ABC's ''Series/AccidentallyOnPurpose''.

* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit about Dumbledore coming out of the closet, JK Rowling (Amy Poehler) is on LarryKing and reveals cut scenes from ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies. In them, Dumbledore is openly gay and Professor [=McGonagall=] is his fag hag.
* ''Series/TheSarahSilvermanProgram'' features Sarah who is best friends and neighbors to Steve and Bryan, the most obese, nerdy, stoner gay couple ever seen.
* The premise of the reality show ''Girl Who Like Boys Who Like Boys'' is filming several groups of girls and their own PetHomosexual as they do... stuff.

* When a gay couple moves into the neighborhood in ''Series/DesperateHousewives'', Susan is ecstatic to have them as her PetHomosexual "just like on tv". Needless to say, they hate her instantly. Though a season or two later they eventually start getting along and hanging out.
* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren''. Peggy goes dancing with a gay guy and it is strictly platonic. But the gay guy's husband suspects that his partner is having an affair with Peggy!
* ''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'': Ashley Juergens apparently, since she became close friends with the school's Token Gay guy.
* Two-time Series/{{Survivor}} player Corinne Kaplan made a point in both games of seeking out and aligning with a gay player. In her second season, it was with a guy who wasn't even in her original tribe, meaning she was willing to adjust her *entire game plan* in favor of working with a gay guy.
-->'''Corinne:''' I love my gays.
* In ''Film/FrankieHowerdRatherYouThanMe'', Jane says she finds the experience of being a hag "quite agreeable" when Frankie asks her if she's worried that being his beard has damaged her chances of meeting someone.

* ''Series/DearWhitePeople'': The woman in the couple who Lionel goes home with realizes she's this as her partner is really gay. She clearly makes her peace with it, because she's still with him near the end of the season.
* ''Series/TheLWord'':
** Kit is the only straight woman in a CastFullOfGay, making her a double inversion of this trope as Fag Stag for lesbians -- maybe a Lez Hag?
** Her season 6 boyfriend is also a Fag Stag -- by default, being a straight drag queen, whose friends are all gay drag queens.

* ''Series/Warehouse13'': Claudia eagerly becomes one once paired with Steve Jinks. She expresses her surprise that she only started becoming one with Steve, because "I mean, I am pretty fabulous, right?"

* Kate Bishop of ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'' fame is a more subtle example. She's both good friends with Wiccan and Hulkling of said team (and the three of them are the three longest-serving members of the team), and she became something of a surrogate daughter to a gay couple she met when she moved to the West Coast after she saved their wedding, while also cat-sitting for a lesbian couple. In recent years, she's been depicted as best friends with ComicBook/AmericaChavez, who is a butch lesbian with whom she has extensive LesYay teased (but Kate insists she herself is straight), and two of her three canon boyfriends (Noh-Varr and Fuse) are bisexual and attracted to one another, while another boy she had extensive ShipTease with (Speed) was implied to be bisexual in a oneshot story. At this point, the only straight people in Kate's life can be counted on one-hand.

* In the recent Christmas episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Jenna Moroney describes her adoptive family as "four twenty-five-year-old gay guys."

Fag Hags are stereotypically portrayed as overweight. At best, she's a classy [[BigBeautifulWoman BBW]]; at worst, she's a neurotic drama queen who is either promiscuous or perpetually single. In many cases, the Hag started hanging out with her gay friend because she was attracted to him, before he turns her down for [[IncompatibleOrientation obvious reasons]] (wishful thinking will ignore even the most FlamboyantGay characteristics). The friendship lasts however, and some Fag Hags even seek out gay men--either because they find them nonthreatening or as [[TheNotLoveInterest a replacement for a 'proper' straight relationship.]] Gays who enjoy the company of these ladies do so for similar reasons, but it isn't uncommon for a gay man to see his Hag as a sort of maternal figure, especially if she's older than him and/or if his own mother rejected him. A Hag who acts as a mother figure to a group of gay men is sometimes called a "Wendy"--because she takes care of the Lost Boys.

Some women resent the name "Fag Hag" for multiple reasons including the misogyny that comes along with the term, and are rather referred to as "Fruit Flies", "Mo Hos", "Gay Boy Bunnies", "Alternative Lifestyle Assistants" or something along those lines. The Japanese equivalent of this phrase, ''Okoge'', literally means "the rice stuck to the bottom of a pot", playing off of ''Okama'' (literally, a type of pot for cooking rice), the slang term for homosexual men and drag queens. In German, it's "schwulenmutti". Some people, including gay and straight, eschew terminology all together and simply enjoy their friendships for what they are without the need to put each other down or classify each other in a derogatory way.

* Ed Brubaker's superhero/spy series ''{{ComicBook/Sleeper}}'' has a character ''named'' Fag Hag, because she's an energy vampire that can only drain the lifeforce of homosexuals (complete with Gaydar!) She considers it BlessedWithSuck, since her closest friends were always gay.
* Beautie of ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' is a a human-sized robotic fashion doll. She has an apartment above a gay bar and is friends to the local gay community because they're men who won't try to proposition her.

* Kate Bishop of ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'' fame is a more subtle example. She's both good friends with Wiccan and Hulkling of said team (and the three of them are the three longest serving members of the team), and she became something of a surrogate daughter to a gay couple she met when she moved to the West Coast after she saved their wedding, while also cat-sitting for a lesbian couple. In recent years, she's been depicted as best friends with ComicBook/AmericaChavez, who is a butch lesbian with whom she has extensive LesYay teased (but Kate insists she herself is straight), and two of her three canon boyfriends (Noh-Varr and Fuse) are bisexual and attracted to one-another, while another boy she had extensive ShipTease with (Speed) was implied to be bisexual in a oneshot story. At this point, the only straight people in Kate's life can be counted on one-hand.

* In ''Blog/AskHoopsAndDumbbell'', Dumbbell meets a lesbian who admits that she seeks out friendships with gay stallions because she finds friendship easier when IncompatibleOrientation isn't a risk. Dumbbell accepts this(As opposed to a mare who previous tried to turn him into a PetHomosexual), and the two quickly strike up a friendship.

* In the recent Christmas episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Jenna Moroney describes her adoptive family as "four twenty-five year old gay guys."

** Mercedes quickly becomes Kurt's "brassy hag" once she (finally) realizes romance is not an option. It's subverted when she hangs out with Kurt and his crush Blaine, and is bored out of her mind as the boys chat about theatre, fashion, and political issues relevant to them as gays. This results in her hearing ''[[BlahBlahBlah nothing but the word "GAY" come out of their mouths.]]''
-->'''Kurt & Blaine:''' Gay, gay, gay gay gay gay gay gay etc.\\

* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit about Dumbledore coming out of the closet, JK Rowling (Amy Poehler) is on LarryKing and reveals cut scenes from ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies. In them Dumbledore is openly gay and Professor [=McGonagall=] is his faghag.

* When a gay couple moves into the neighborhood in ''Series/DesperateHousewives'', Susan is ecstatic to have them as her PetHomosexual "just like on tv". Needless to say they hate her instantly. Though a season or two later they eventually start getting along and hanging out.

* On ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'', once arriving in town Veronica is on the lookout for a new gay best friend, and is ecstatic to meet [[CampGay Kevin]].

'''Kevin:''' A strip club called the Ho Zone and a [[WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame tragic gay bar called Innuendo.]] Friday nights, football games and then tailgate parties at the Mallmart parking lot. Saturday night is movie night, regardless of what's playing at the Bijou, and you better get there early, because [[QuirkyTown we don't have reserved seating in Riverdale]]. [[SmallTownBoredom And Sunday nights...Thank God for HBO...]]\\

** Steven's status as a FagStag becomes more apparent in later seasons, when even his human friends start pairing up in queer relationships (Sadie, for example, starts dating the non-binary Shep, making her pansexual).
** The human Lars becomes a Lez Bro himself later in the series, when he becomes the leader of the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Off-Colors]], whose members include Rhodonite (a fusion of a Ruby and Pearl) and the truly massive Fluorite (who is the permafusion embodiment of ''six'' gems, all female and confirmed by WordOfGod to be in a romantic polyamorous relationship).

* Comedienne Creator/MargaretCho is a self-described fag hag, which she claims stems from growing up in San Francisco and being raised almost exclusively by gay men, since she bonded with the gay kids at her school because they were outcasts just as much as she was for being overweight and Asian. "They say certain smells bring you back to your childhood. Well, the smell that brings me back is balls in panty hose!" She went on to talk about how "We were your date to the prom, and dragged your sorry asses through the Underground Railroad..." Cho can be described as the patron saint of Fag Hags.

** Hugh Jackman is another notable Fag Stag, which has unfortunately lent itself to scurrilous gossip that he himself is gay. [[note]]No, say insiders, he's extremely devoted to his wife and has never made overtures toward his gay friends.[[/note]]

* [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Diana, Princess of Wales]] was well known for closeness with gay men. Given that her time in the public eye coincided with the worst of the AIDS crisis, the role was all the more important. In one famous moment, Diana removed her gloves and shook hands with a man diagnosed with AIDS in a public appearance; at the time, there was a strong (and entirely incorrect) belief that the disease could be transferred through touch, so Diana doing so--and later making a televised statement about how AIDS could ''not'' be spread that way--was considered shocking.