mlm
/ɛm ɛl ɛm/
Very CommonMen who love men. An umbrella term for gay, bisexual, and queer men attracted to other men.
Context matters: MLM also stands for multi-level marketing. In queer spaces the identity meaning is assumed. Outside those spaces, clarify.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | this book has mlm rep that actually respects the characters | Praising a book for portraying gay or queer male characters with care. | tumblr, 2023 |
| 02 | mlm solidarity to everyone who had to pretend to care about the super bowl | Playful in-group post for queer men bonding over a shared experience. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | wlw and mlm solidarity we are all going through it | Broad affirmation extending support to both queer women and queer men. | tumblr, 2022 |
| 04 | every mlm deserves a love story that doesn't get cancelled after one season | Frustration at queer male storylines being cut short in TV. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Describing yourself or someone else as a man attracted to men.
- Discussing gay or queer male ships, pairings, or media representation.
- Referring to community spaces or content for queer men.
Do not use it when
- In a business or financial context where multi-level marketing is the topic.Use “multi-level marketing” instead.
- Applying the label to someone without their own input.
MLM vs WLW
mlm
MLM refers to men or man-aligned people attracted to men.
VS
wlw
WLW refers to women or woman-aligned people attracted to women.
Origin and context
Acronym that emerged in LGBTQ+ Tumblr and fandom spaces in the 2010s as a parallel to WLW, covering any man-loving-man identity.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/mlmUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0