What Queers Really Think About Astrology

We know astrology is gay af, but just how deeply tied to queer culture is it?

International Astrology Day falls on March 21st this year. The specific date is determined by the day that the Northward equinox occurs and marks the first full day of Aries Season, the start of the Zodiac calendar. So basically it’s the Zodiac New Years, and what’s gayer than talking about astrology?! (Not a lot … like cats and plants, queer flags … oh, and definitely Sarah Paulson in her huge zipper jacket at Paris Fashion Week).

We at HER thought it would be fun to survey our amazing user family (well over 2,800 of them!) as well as chat with some members of our team to get their hot takes on what astrology means to them:

GENERAL ATTITUDES ON ASTROLOGY

Survey Says

• The majority of users surveyed (74%) believe that astrology is real:
  • 36% of believers were Millennials 
  • 26% of believers were GenZ 

Conclusion: GenZ continues to be the most skeptical generation, even questioning the intentions and motivations of “Big Astrology”

HER Says

Taylor, our head of marketing, is relieved to see GenZ’s rising skepticism. Though assigned-millennial-at-birth, she is a hater and pleased to see once more that she can identify as GenZ. 

WHAT ABOUT HOROSCOPES?

Survey Says

• 73% of queers use horoscopes to better understand themselves, while 57.2% use astrology to help them understand the world around them.
  • Interesting: only 28% believe that horoscopes predict the future

Conclusion: While gays are using the common language of astrology to connect to themselves and others, the weekly horoscope predictions are a little less relevant (unless of course, you’re trying to see what will happen with you and your crush this week for the love of the planets please make it steamy!).

HER Says

We talked to Evie from our marketing team who thought she was an Aquarius until she was 35 only to find out she was born two hours into Pisces season “I was always pretty skeptical about astrology until I found out I was a Pisces and then it all made a lot more sense. I never identified with Aquarius traits, but now I’m a true believer … most of the time.”

THE ZODIAC AND COMPATIBILITY

Survey Says

• More than half of our users said that they have used astrology to better understand their relationship compatibility, with almost 1/3 of queers admitting that they didn’t date someone because of their zodiac sign.

Conclusion: Look, new relationships can be scary, and having something as helpful as astrology to explain the big unknown of lasting love is clutch. 

HER Says

HER’s Sr. Support Specialist, Sabrina Cates, is grateful for the tools zodiac knowledge has given her and her partner: “There is a misconception about being a Virgo ruled by Mercury and having a current partner that is a Gemini and ruled by Mercury as well. You would think that would make an incredible connection and easy communication, but that honestly makes it harder. What helps our relationship is that my partner’s Moon sign (Pisces) and her Rising Sign (also Pisces) are the sister signs to my Sun and Moon (which are both Virgo). This helps when the communication gets thick and heavy. Since Virgo and Gemini are in a lot of ways the same energy.”

WHAT SIGN IS ACTUALLY THE WORST TO DATE

Survey Says

• While our users overwhelmingly could not determine the BEST sign to date (we will say Taurus did eek ahead slightly, but most of the signs were close to being tied or users simply did not know) they sure knew who they didn’t want to date: sorry Gemini!

Conclusions: Look, we’ve all been devastated by a Gemini or three, but what makes for bad relationships can make for even hotter sex (that twin flame energy BRINGS IT in bed! You know we’re right!) 

HER Says

Although our users were quick to hate on Gemini, it seems like our team has actually seen a lot of Scorpio hostility:

We asked Anna, one of our engineers about how the zodiac has shaped her love life, and she said “I’m not a big astrology gal, but one time I dated a girl who said Scorpios suck and then she got her chart done and her rising sign was Scorpio.”

Tesha from our moderation team also feels reluctant to identify as a Scorpio…

“I know I should be more open but I’ve had too many “oh you’re a Scorpio,” eyebrow raise negative energy convos”

——————

And while our community thinks that Astrology is not just queer culture anymore, we all know that while mainstream culture may be talking about it, we’re out here living it! 

At this point our Community Manager, Jill, weighs in. Never has she ever worked in a community that asked her about her sign as much as our HER users: 

“I don’t believe in astrology or follow it at all but I made my partner figure out my big three so I could put it on my HER profile because I got tired of being asked what mine are.”

Happy International Astrology Day! May the start of your Zodiac year be a great one!