Gay Best Friend Gifts: What to Get Him When He Has Everything

Buying a present for your gay best friend should be easy. You know him. You know what he likes. You probably know more about his dating history than you ever wanted to. And yet, somehow, when his birthday comes around, you're staring at Google trying to work out what on earth to buy him.

Search for "gay best friend gifts" and you'll quickly discover that the internet has a fairly limited imagination. Rainbow mugs. Rainbow socks. Rainbow T-shirts. Occasionally, a candle. We're sure he's lovely, but does he really need another mug?

If you're looking for something a bit more interesting, think less about what to buy and more about what he'll actually enjoy. A dinner, tickets to something, an inside joke brought to life, or something you can do with a group of friends can all make much better presents. And if he's the sort of person who loves a good pre-drinks, something like Headless Torsos can be a surprisingly good addition to the evening — especially if dating-app stories are already a regular feature of your friendship.

Here are some ideas we'd actually consider.

🎭 The Theatre Gay

He has strong opinions about West End casting. He knows which shows are closing, which ones are transferring and which actor is apparently "criminally underrated". He will happily spend £80 on a ticket and then spend another 45 minutes discussing the lighting design afterwards.

What to get him

• The obvious: theatre tickets.
• The better: theatre tickets for two, followed by dinner and drinks.
• The risky: telling him you've already seen the show without him.

If you really want to impress him, find something slightly obscure that he hasn't heard of yet. He will either be delighted or deeply offended that you knew about it before he did.

💪 The Gym Gay

His gym bag has more skincare products than your bathroom. He knows his macros. He has opinions about protein. He has probably said "I'm trying to put on size" while being visibly more muscular than 98% of the population. His Apple Watch is basically a second personality.

What to get him

• A good gym accessory, quality headphones, new training gear or something he'll actually use.
• You could also get him something that has absolutely nothing to do with fitness, because there is a strong possibility he already owns everything Gymshark makes.

✈️ The Travel Gay

He's either just come back from somewhere, currently somewhere, or planning somewhere. His camera roll contains 600 photos of the same sunset. He knows which hotels have the best rooftop pools and will happily explain the difference between a good and a bad airport lounge.

What to get him

• Travel accessories are the safe option: a really nice passport holder, packing cubes, a good toiletry bag.
• An experience for his next trip.
• Or skip the object entirely and book something for the two of you — a weekend away is hard to beat.

Just make sure you're prepared for him to create a shared Google Map with 73 pins before you've even booked the flights.

🍸 The Brunch Gay

He doesn't "go for lunch". He does brunch. And brunch is not complete without cocktails, preferably somewhere with marble tables, a suspiciously large flower arrangement and a DJ playing remixes of songs from 2012.

What to get him

• Book the brunch. This is one of those occasions where the experience really is the present.
• Find somewhere new, make a reservation and send him the details. You don't even have to wrap anything.

🪩 The Party Gay

He knows where everyone's going after. He somehow knows the door policy. He knows someone who knows someone. And he has never once said "I think I'll just have an early night" and meant it.

What to get him

• Tickets to a party, festival, drag show or concert.
• Or put together a ridiculous pre-drinks kit and host everyone yourself.
• Bonus points for making the playlist. Extra bonus points for not putting on the same six Kylie songs you've been playing since 2014.

📱 The Grindr Gay

He's always on the apps. Always. You could be sitting opposite him at dinner and he'll suddenly look down at his phone with the expression of someone who has just received a message of national importance. He has paid for Grindr Xtra. Possibly Grindr Unlimited. Possibly for several consecutive months. He claims it's "worth it". His camera roll contains evidence to the contrary.

What to get him

• You could obviously renew his Grindr subscription, but you probably shouldn't encourage him.
• Instead, get him something that makes fun of the entire experience: a funny dating-app book, a ridiculous personalised gift or something you can all laugh about together.

🏠 The Homebody Gay

He'd rather have six friends round his flat than go to a club. His sofa is excellent. His kitchen is permanently stocked with snacks. His idea of a wild night is opening another bottle of wine and putting on a film at 11pm. Honestly? Fair enough.

What to get him

• Something for the flat: a nice candle, a cocktail set, a piece of art, a coffee-table book, something ridiculous for the kitchen.
• Or bring the entertainment yourself: a few friends, some food, some drinks and a game can make a very good evening without anyone having to put on uncomfortable shoes.

👑 The Camp Gay

Everything is an event. He doesn't enter a room. He makes an entrance. He doesn't have a favourite song. He has a favourite version of the song. He appreciates drama, glamour and anything that can reasonably be described as "a bit much".

What to get him

• Something equally unnecessary: a ridiculous accessory, something vintage, a fabulous piece of homeware, tickets to something outrageously camp.
• The key is not to overthink it. If your first reaction is "this is completely ridiculous", you're probably on the right track.

🏳️‍🌈 The Pride Gay

He genuinely loves Pride. The flags come out. The outfits come out. The group chat becomes unusable. He has no problem with rainbow everything and, frankly, good for him.

What to get him

• Support a queer artist, independent LGBTQ+ business or charity rather than automatically buying something from a giant brand's Pride collection.
• A piece of art, jewellery, clothing, a book or something made by a queer creator will usually feel much more personal.
• And if you're going to buy something rainbow, at least make it a good one.

The Gay Who Has Everything

You know the one. He buys what he wants, when he wants it. He's impossible to surprise. If you ask what he wants for his birthday, he says: "Honestly, I don't need anything." Annoying.

What to get him

• Stop looking for an object and plan something: a dinner, a weekend away, tickets, a ridiculous night with friends.
• Or give him something that becomes part of the evening rather than something he has to find space for at home.

So... which one is your best friend? Maybe he's one of these. Maybe he's three at once. Maybe he's somehow Gym Gay + Grindr Gay + Theatre Gay, which sounds exhausting but would probably make for a very entertaining evening.

The point is that buying a gift for your gay best friend doesn't have to mean searching for something with a rainbow on it. Think about what he actually likes doing. And if he's the sort of person who has an unhealthy relationship with dating apps and a friendship group that's always ready for another round of drinks, there's one gift that ticks quite a few boxes.

Headless Torsos is a gay dating-app party game based on real messages. You get a dating-app prompt, come up with your best response and see who can make everyone laugh. It's easy to pick up, works with 3–10 players, and gives you something to do together rather than another object to find room for.

Get Headless Torsos → Give it to him, invite everyone round and see which of your friends turns out to be suspiciously good at responding to terrible dating-app messages.