5 Gay Board Games From Years Gone By, Including the Ultimate Leather Daddy Monopoly

People talk a lot about queer representation in video games. As well they should, because representation is important! But what about those of us who prefer tabletop gaming? Where’s our queer representation there? Don’t worry, we’ve done some digging, and we’ve discovered some gay board games, new and old, sure to brighten up your next game night!

Here are 5 gay board games we think you’ll love:

1. Gay Monopoly

One of the most popular board games in history is Monopoly. There are hundreds of Monopoly tie-ins, some official and some not. So of course there’s going to be a gay version. Gay Monopoly features some great Tom of Finland art and gay-themed properties like Fire Island and Castro Street. Houses and hotels have been replaced by bars and bathhouses. Chance and Community Chest cards are now Camp and Hanky Code cards.

Yeah, it’s basically a re-skinning of normal Monopoly with stereotypical gay things. But honestly, is that really much different than most of the official Monopoly tie-ins? Sadly, Parker Brothers wasn’t amused and actually sued this gay board game’s creators, so not many copies exist.

There are other gay board games based on Monopoly, too. A more recent version is called Gayopoly, which includes a rule where you can sing to get “out of the closet,” the game’s version of Jail. Unfortunately, Gayopoly is also out of print, though copies are occasionally for sale on Amazon … for a price.

2. Homogenius

Unlike Gay Monopoly, copies of Homogenius are easier to find. Also unlike Gay Monopoly with its Tom of Finland art, Homogenius claims to be “so tame you can play it with your mother!”

This one is a trivia game with questions in two categories, Rumor and Potpourri. The goal is to “come out of the closet” by answering questions that allow you to advance on the gameboard.

3. Dial-Gay for Murder

It isn’t really a board game as such, but it is a party game.

It’s based on the How to Host a Murder style of role-playing game. In the case of Dial-Gay for Murder, players are invited to solve the murder of Paul Pernicious. Pernicious is — or rather was — the head operator at the Dial-Gay Answering Service. But someone strangled him with his own phone cord at the switchboard.

This game came out in 1987 during the heyday of the How to Host a Murder game fad, which would also include tie-ins with All My Children and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

4. That’s So Gay!

This game has been available via Amazon for $25, though it’s currently unavailable, and promises to be “a fun game for those new and experienced in LGBTQ history.”

5. Rainbow Gayme

Like That’s So Gay!, The Rainbow Gayme from 1992 also frames itself as an educational game. And like Homogenius, it’s another trivia game. But unlike Homogenius, you start by coming out of the closet. Like Trivial Pursuit, each colored stone represents a different category.

Orange, “She Said / He Said” – Famous Quotes; purple, “A Matter of Choice” – Multiple Choice; red, “Picture This” – Draw This Item; yellow, “Act Out” – Play Charades; blue, “Group Grope” – How You Would Respond to Situations.

A Few Other Gay Board Games

There are a number of other gay board games in print. Mostly, however, they seem to be of the trivia type. For example, there’s The Gayme, which combines trivia with other party games like “Never Have I Ever…” or Charades.

There’s also Top2Bottom, a popular party game that has several expansions. Top2Bottom is basically a Cards Against Humanity clone but with better graphic design and exclusively queer-related questions and prompts.

If you prefer playing Cards Against Humanity, there are a few unofficial expansions, like Cocks Abreast Hostility. Or, you know, you can even make your own.

And if you’re just sick of cards altogether, try Odious Blocks: Gay Boy Edition, which combines Jenga and Truth or Dare. And the “Tops and Bottoms” edition of Jarring Questions prints its questions on poker chips.

What do you think of these gay board games? Are there any gay board games we missed?

This article was originally published on October 30, 2020. It has since been updated.