Echoes of “PEG-GING! PEG-GING! PEG-GING!” rang through an over-stuffed lecture hall at Cornell University on February 10, as 300 curious students packed shoulder-to-shoulder to answer one of life’s most vexing questions: Is pegging gay?

The Cornell Moon Society, a “queer organization and satire account” organized the event in question, an evening of debate to determine once and for all whether a woman anally penetrating a man is, in fact, gay. First advertised as a satirical collaboration between the Moon Society and Cornell Republicans, the latter group didn’t actually attach their name to the event, or send any debate representatives. 

The Society’s revivalist, sole admin, and event mediator, Surya Nawiana (‘26), established quick command over the rowdy and eager crowd with their introduction of the evening’s four “expert” debaters: Hayden Watkins (‘27) and Linda Fu (‘27) — there to argue that pegging is not gay — and Max Troiano (‘28) and Aiden (‘26, who asked that we change his name for privacy) — pegging is absolutely gay. (It is worth noting that this panel highlighted male, female, queer, and straight perspectives).

After the chanting and passive slights at unaffiliated, conservative campus groups — unfortunately, they are too busy pegging to attend the pegging debate — were silenced, the first pair of speakers took the spotlight.

Aiden led the “is gay” camp, immediately seeking to establish definitions for “pegging” and “gay;” one seemingly simple, the other harboring centuries of fluidity. He defined pegging as, “a man being penetrated in the anus by an artificial phallus, wielded by a woman.” Simple enough, if you ask me. In his valiant attempt to define gay, Aiden paid homage to the etymological roots of the word – happy, cheerful, carefree — and eventually landed on the modern definition associated with queerness. He closed with a brief jab at “pegging is not gay,” calling the assertion “internalized homophobia,” but ultimately left the meatier arguing to his partner.

Max took the microphone with a fire that instantly earned him the undivided attention of the room. “There is a basic understanding that we all must accept: Gay is good. If you can name a good thing, that thing is probably gay: Boygenius! Matcha! Very large scarves!” he argued.

Max used this gay = good claim to situate the next logical conclusion that not gay = not good. Traffic, the ILR School, mortgages! These things are not good, and thus, not gay.

After properly setting this stage, Max went all in: Pegging is good. Therefore, pegging is gay. A stretch, I will admit, but his confidence secured him audience rapport. After a few smaller points, Max was met with a cheering crowd and surrendered his microphone to the opposition.

Hayden kicked off the “pegging is not gay” portion of the evening with one clear, concise stance: Pegging can be gay, but is not always gay, thus, it cannot be exclusively defined as such. (Unlike things that are always gay — according to Hayden — like being in a fraternity).

Hayden’s most compelling argument was this: If two lesbians use a strap-on, is it implicit that they are imagining that strap-on as a penis? [Audience: NOOOOOOO]. Thus, when a woman penetrates a man with a strap-on, it is completely reasonable to assume that the man is not imagining the strap-on as a penis, but rather a toy being used by his female partner (similar to how a clitoral vibrator is not necessarily regarded as a tongue or finger, even though it performs the same job). Sounds pretty straight to me. Hayden yielded to Linda.

Knowing she needed to make a lasting impact before opening the floor for rebuttals, Linda leaned on audience interaction. She identified a heterosexual couple — that is, a cisgender man and woman who both identified as such — who were willing to discuss their experience, or lack thereof, with pegging. Linda asked the girlfriend two simple questions: If your boyfriend expressed interest in pegging, would that redefine your relationship? [“No”]. And would you still consider the two of you to be in a heterosexual relationship if you pegged him? [“Yes”]. Linda rested her case. She went on to ask smaller questions, for example, Is it gay to want to explore every part of your body, even if that part happens to be in the anus?, but her audience interview ultimately left the strongest impression.

Things went a little off the rails during rebuttals, but debaters eventually took a moment to get serious and acknowledge that the stigma surrounding topics like pegging often mirrors the longstanding historical stigmas associated with queerness, making open conversations like this one—satirical or not—important.

After a quick volume poll revealed that Max and Aiden had successfully convinced the student-jury that pegging is gay, Hayden stepped in to speak on behalf of the defeated opposition and left the room with a concluding statement that echoed loud and true: “I am gay. I’m not going to let anyone tell me what is or isn’t gay, and neither should you.” After a moment of respectful consideration, Linda followed with what was, I believe, the only one-liner that could have possibly topped Hayden’s: “Don’t ask, take it up the ass.”