The original comic was created to illustrated the absurdity of misusing¹ the word “literally.” Then, conservatives captioned it and shared it unironically as an anti-LGBTQ+ meme. Then, a third group understandably found the conservatives’ version laughable, and it’s been mostly shared ironically ever since.

¹I don’t necessarily agree with the post. It’s okay to use “literally” just for emphasis, in my opinion.