Hoyay!

Synonyms:	Ho-Yay,
See also:	slash, honay, subtext
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Hoyay! or HoYay! stands for homoeroticism, yay!

HoYay! refers to moments in canon that fans interpret as homoerotic in nature. It is specifically defined as being the subjective observation of homoeroticism by the fandom and is unintentional on the creator’s part.

In Smallville Fandom

Hoyay! is a cry favored among fans of Smallville, who like to use it especially referring to Clex (Clark and Lex). Made popular by Omar G of Television Without Pity in his Smallville recaps, it's used to celebrate the blatantly obvious sexual chemistry between Clark and Lex on screen.

The first reference to homoeroticism, yay! in Omar's recaps occurred in his recap of the sixth episode, posted on or about November 20, 2001, but the Homoeroticism, Yay! thread in TWOP's Smallville forum may have started earlier.

In Angel Fandom

Sometime during Angel the Series's first season (1999-2000), the fan Jennifer Godwin, also known as Jengod, started a thread on Television Without Pity (then Mighty Big TV) entitled, "Homoeroticism, Yay?" Jengod didn't invent the term or its abbreviation, which were already in popular use on the Angel boards.

Kate Bolin helped popularize the HoYay! concept with the creation on 16 February 2001 of a clique or webring for fans of homoeroticism in both Angel and its parent show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

West Wing Fandom

Hoyay! was also used in reviews of some episodes of The West Wing, in a joking fashion, to describe the charisma between Joshua Lyman and Presidential candidate Matt Santos. No one seriously viewed their relationship as homoerotic, but there were running gags about it in the Television Without Pity reviews, which at that time were written by LTG, a gay man. This reviewer admitted to a huge crush on Santos' campaign staffer Bram Howard, played by Matthew Del Negro.

Other Resources

• Ho Yay on TV Tropes