A phrase meaning "whatever gives you sexual pleasure" or "whatever sexual activity you enjoy." It's used similarly to "
whatever floats your boat," but specifically carries a knowing, often ironic, reference to sexual
preferences and activities.
Originates from the excuse used by anti-gay activist George Rekers in 2010 when caught traveling with a male escort ("rent boy"). Rekers absurdly claimed he only hired the young man to literally lift his luggage.
Popularized by sex columnist Dan Savage and comedians like
Stephen Colbert, who seized on the flimsy excuse. "Lifting someone's luggage" became a euphemism for providing sexual pleasure, often (but not exclusively) in a same-sex context.
The phrase "Whatever lifts your luggage" extends this to a general, sexually-tinged statement of acceptance for someone's preferences or kinks.
As a general statement of acceptance (like "
whatever floats your boat," but sexual):
Person A: "I don't
understand their particular fetish."
Person B: "Hey, whatever lifts your luggage, right? Live and let live."
As a euphemism for the sexual act itself (often using the verb form "lift luggage"):
"He claimed he was just going over to 'study', but judging by the sounds, I think they were lifting some luggage."
"After Rekers got caught, everyone joked about whether he found someone else to lift his luggage."
With direct ironic reference to the origin:
"He spends all day condemning 'the lifestyle' online, but you just know he's secretly
looking for someone to help lift his luggage."
