Whitney Chewston (born September 8, 2016), also known as the homophobic dog, is a miniature dachshund who became the subject of an internet meme in 2021. An Instagram page for the dog has gained a significant following, with over 170,000 followers as of February 2025.
Whitney Chewston was born on September 8, 2016,[1] in Columbus, Ohio, and was adopted by her owners, Logan Hickman and Ben Campbell. Hickman recalls that his sister initially wanted to get another dachshund from a breeder but was dissuaded by her husband. Instead, she convinced Hickman to visit the breeder, where he spotted a newly born Whitney.[2]
Career
2016–2021: Instagram account
Whitney began her social media journey on Instagram as a result of her owners wanting to share puppy photos with their families. After several complaints, Whitney was given a personal account to post from.[3] She gained notable traction within Columbus, becoming a local internet celebrity and the subject of many articles, while hovering at around 40,000 followers in early 2021.[4]
2021–present: "Homophobic dog" meme
In March 2021, an Instagram user added the text "not too fond of gay people" to a 2019 photo of Whitney beside a glass of red wine. This image circulated on social media and grew in popularity in early 2022 on Twitter, gaining Whitney the nickname Homophobic Dog.[5] The format of the meme adapted as it spread; users, who were often LGBTQ,[5][6] superimposed homophobic captions on other photos of Whitney "often looking sassy or suspicious".[7]
While the meme continued to grow, users discovered that Whitney's owners were a married gay couple.[5] Her owners have expressed that she is an advocate of LGBT rights, and recent pictures have shown her donning rainbow attire.[2] Her owners have also expressed support for the meme, saying it uses satire to "[shed] light on things and people who actually are homophobic".[5]
On May 15, 2022, a tweet of a fake Washington Post article titled "This dog is the new face of online homophobia", supposedly written by Taylor Lorenz, accrued nearly 450,000 likes in 24 hours.[8] Several accounts responded to the fake headline with criticism of The Washington Post and Generation Z;[citation needed] one of the most high-profile cases was Christina Pushaw, spokesperson of Florida governor Ron DeSantis.[9] Lorenz responded to Pushaw, writing, "I would have assumed a press secretary could recognise the difference between a fake screenshot from a meme page and a real news story, but apparently not".[9] On May 16, the fake title was used as the headline for an article about Whitney in LGBTQ Nation.[6]
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