The “why are you gay” video people talk about online is a short clip from a much longer TV interview on Ugandan television, which later turned into a global meme and catchphrase.

What the original video is

  • The viral line “Why are you gae?” (often spelled “gay”) comes from an interview with Ugandan activist Pepe Julian Onziema on a current‑affairs talk show. The host, Simon Kaggwa Njala, opens by asking, “Should I call you mister?” and very quickly follows with “Why are you gae? You are gae.”
  • Onziema is a trans man and LGBT+ rights activist; the program was framed as a debate about homosexuality and gender identity in Uganda, where LGBT+ people face strong stigma and legal pressure.

What is actually going on in the interview

  • The host and a guest pastor repeatedly question and challenge Onziema’s gender and sexuality, reflecting common misconceptions in Uganda at the time (and still today) about LGBT+ people.
  • Onziema spends much of the interview explaining basic concepts (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) and emphasizing that being gay or trans is not a disorder and is not “recruitment,” but an innate orientation or identity.
  • The pastor guest uses graphic, sensational language and props to portray same‑sex relationships as “unnatural” and “un-African,” turning the show into a confrontational spectacle rather than a neutral discussion.

How it became a meme

  • A very short segment—the confused “Why are you gae? You are gae.”—was clipped out of context and circulated on YouTube, Reddit, and other platforms because of the deadpan delivery, the unusual phrasing, and the obvious confusion of the interviewer.
  • Memes often use this line as a humorous reaction sound or caption, detached from its original political and social context, similar to other viral “out of context” TV moments.

Why people criticize the meme today

  • Human rights groups and LGBT+ commentators point out that the interview itself was part of a broader hostile environment toward LGBT+ people in Uganda, including attempts to pass very harsh anti‑LGBT laws.
  • For many Ugandan and African LGBT+ people, the clip is a reminder of public shaming, pathologization, and the risk of violence, even though many viewers outside that context only see it as a funny soundbite.

Other “why are you gay” style videos

  • The popularity of the phrase led to many spin‑offs and references—comedy sketches, street‑interview videos at Pride events, and parody clips that play on the wording or invert the power dynamic.
  • These newer videos are usually made as comedy or social commentary, but they still borrow from the original moment and its association with questioning someone’s sexuality in a confrontational way.

Mini‑takeaway

  • At face value, the “why are you gay video” is a meme‑worthy, awkward interview line. Underneath, it’s a slice of a tense debate about LGBT+ rights in Uganda, where a trans activist was being publicly challenged on national TV.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.