Last year saw the resounding success of Jay the Rabbit, a hilarious Facebook comic featuring a witty and often bitchy rabbit. A parody page soon followed, and due to its often-outrageous gay jokes, Gay the Rabbit has now garnered over 53,400 likes on Facebook. BK talks to Witcha Suyara, 30, the freelance movie promoter behind the internet hit. 
 

How did Gay the Rabbit start?

I just wanted to parody Jay the Rabbit, which was such a huge hit on Facebook last year. I chose to make him gay because I am gay, and I think most offices can’t simply be divided into hetero men and women. There must be gays, too. Also, the name fits perfectly. Although I don’t have great drawing skills, I think the important thing is the stories, which carry the message that gays also have parents, bosses, as well as both gay and straight friends, especially cha nee or girlfriends who they are very close with. 

Some people say you’re simply riding on the coattails of Jay the Rabbit’s success.

In the beginning, yes. But now, I think we’ve proved that we have our own content and fans who love our style. All of my gags are split between my gay friends’ experiences and my own. People don’t compare it with Jay anymore. I’m on good terms with Jay the Rabbit, too. 

What kind of jokes do people like most? 

It’s usually those about cha nee friends, dished out in a sarcastic but endearing way. Like how women try to pick up guys in a gay bar. Many people are familiar with these scenes, so they get the humor. When the jokes are too gay-specific, they’re less popular. This shows the diversity of our fans, 60% of our fans are women. 

What brings women here? 

I think they are curious. They want to know what gays are thinking. As you know, it’s hard to define who is straight or gay these days. So they come to collect knowledge about gay men. Some of them are also “Y-Girls” who fantasize about gay romances.

They also come here for a laugh. Reading the comments is a must—many of them are so hilarious. They’re often funnier than the original post! 

Can you name a particularly memorable comment?

I posted a gag about Gay the Rabbit being kicked out of home after his mom found out he was gay. I normally don’t post things in real-time but schedule them. When it went online, fans really came together to comfort Gay, like it had just happened. I checked the page hours later and it was overwhelming. Many people had shared their experiences of coming out to their parents with comments like “I also went through this,” “My mother didn’t talk to me for two years.” But the one that touched me the most was one guy who had already came out to his parents. He said he showed the post to his mom and they smiled about it together. 

Do you have these experiences with your family?

No. Well, not yet. They don’t know that I’m gay. My mom even tried to act as match-maker to get me hitched with her friend’s daughter. She drove me to the girl’s house. I was freaking out. Luckily the girl wasn’t around. I’ve since banned my mom from ever being a match-maker.

Visit Gay the Rabbit at www.facebook.com/iamgaytherabbit

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