Queerbaiting
Hinting at queer relationships
The cast and crew of Sherlock have consistently denied that the relationship between the titular detective and his flatmate is intended to be seen as romantic. Some critics have described the depiction as queerbaiting.[1][2][3][4]

Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation.[5] The purpose of this method is to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them,[6] while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by actually portraying queer relationships.[6]

Queerbaiting has been observed in popular culture and fiction such as films, television series, books, music, ads, various forms of media, but also in celebrities who convey an ambiguous sexual identity through their works and statements.[7] The term arose in and has been popularized through discussions in Internet fandom[8] since the early 2010s.[9] It comes from a larger history of LGBTQ+ discourse in media representation dating back to the 1970s from subtle marketing to LGBTQ+ people through commercials and books.[10]

Assessments

Queer audience concerns

Queer fans have reacted with concern and anger to instances in which an identity—one they consider defining—is used as a mere marketing ploy, a plaything for creatives, a mark of "edginess", or a commodity.[9]

Fans have derided, for instance, queer characters being used as plot devices rather than as characters for their own sake. Glee, for example, a series with many queer series regulars, was criticized by fans for presenting "superficial stereotypes of queerness for dramatic effect".[11][better source needed]

Queer fans consider queerbaiting as "a way to throw us a bone when we normally wouldn't have anything, to acknowledge that we're there in the audience when the powers that be would prefer to ignore us."[3] Emmet Scout wrote that "queerbaiting works on its audience because it offers the suggestion that queer people do have a vital place in these stories, that they might even be the defining figures, the heroes. The suggestion—but not the reality."[4] Rose Bridges summarized the practice's effect on queer fans as receiving "just enough" representation "to keep us interested, but not enough to satisfy us and make us truly represented."[3]

Critiques

Critics of those who engage in queerbaiting discourse point to its similarity, and perhaps confusion by audiences, with subtext.[12] Subtext became popular in media, especially in film, during the 1930s due to the Hays Code which limited what can be shown on screen. The use of subtext has been a literary ploy to tell a variety of stories since. However, those who engage with modern queerbaiting discourse firmly argue that LGBT representation no longer needs to be in the shadows of media.[12] Instead of adding artistic value, queer fans view this tactic as perpetuating LGBT marginalization for further capitalization.

Societal shifts

Media scholars such as Eve Ng have noted that audience complaints about queerbaiting parallel the shift towards increasing queer representation in media and pop culture.[9] According to Ng, as representation has increased, so too have expectations for that representation—and frustrations arise when those expectations are not met. She noted that rather than simply being satisfied with any degree of representation, queer audiences want to be represented through "respectful and meaningful depictions."[9] That is why, according to media researcher Julia Himberg, the ambiguous sexuality projected by twentieth-century entertainers such as David Bowie, Elton John and Madonna was not scrutinized to the same degree as that of their successors.[9]

Various businesses and corporations, such as Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, and Tylenol have showcased queer people and queer families in advertisements, helping to normalize and increase awareness surrounding the queer community.[13]

Queerbaiting has brought the spending power of the queer community to light, and businesses make economic decisions that promote and support the queer community and its representation that ultimately entices the pink dollar. Terms associated with the queer community, like pink money, have shown the importance of queer people within an economy and a society.[13]

In May 2020, reviewer Sophie Perry, writing for a lesbian lifestyle magazine, Curve, noted how queerbaiting has long endured in LGBT representation, noting how She-Ra and Harley Quinn both had same-sex kisses, happening within stories that could have turned out to be "typical queerbaiting" but did not. Perry added that the "queer conclusion" of the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is thanks to ND Stevenson, describing it as very different from the conclusion of The Legend of Korra, which confirmed Korra and Asami's relationship but left it "purposefully ambiguous" so it could air on a children's network. She concluded by calling She-Ra and the Princesses of Power culturally significant and added that as more creative queer people come to the fore, inevitably queerbaiting will "become a thing of the past".[14]

In March 2021, a writer for Vanity Fair, Joanna Robinson asked when "queer coding" veers into the territory of "queer baiting", with Dana Terrace saying it happens a "lot in modern anime", and Robinson saying this is also seen in shows like the end of Supernatural or the "hubbub around Finn and Poe in The Rise of Skywalker".[15]

Examples

Companies and brands

Disney has been accused of queerbaiting on several occasions, with Kodi Maier of the University of Hull arguing that "Disney is willing to create animated films and television shows that suggest queer content, but only so long as it doesn’t damage its conservative image."[16][17] The directors of Avengers: Endgame had spoken in interviews about believing it was "a perfect time" to include queer representation in the franchise, however, it turned out to be a single line said by an unnamed secondary character in the film.[18] The Wrap cited the close friendship between Poe Dameron and Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as one example of queerbaiting.[19] The Rise of Skywalker also faced criticism after director J.J. Abrams stated in the promotional press tour for the film that he had included queer representation in the film, but it turned out to be a single shot of a kiss in the background of one scene.[citation needed] A number of other Disney films, including the Beauty and the Beast in 2017 and Cruella in 2021 were described by critics for ScreenRant and USA Today as having queer characters but portraying queerness in a way that was either hinted at or a brief background that could easily be missed, asserting that this portrayal indicated that these films were queerbaiting audiences.[20][21]

Fiction

There have been various characters, or relationships between characters of the same sex, which have also been interpreted as examples of queerbaiting by at least some reliable media sources and commentators. This interpretation is not necessarily shared by all critics or fans considering the sensitive nature of the topic.

Characters in some films and series falling within the superhero genre have been noted as examples of queerbaiting. Josh Engel of the New York Times and scholar Michael McDermott in the chapter of a 2019 book entitled Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities described the relationship between Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor in Supergirl as one example.[22][12] Reviewers for Polygon, The Gamer, and The Washington Post said that the films Thor: Love and Thunder and Thor: Ragnarok queerbaited audiences with the characters Valkyrie (both films) and Korg (first film).[23][24][25] Okoye and Ayo in Black Panther and Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers Captain America: Civil War were cited by reviewers for Full Circle Cinema and CBR as other examples.[26][27]

Certain procedural, crime, police, teen, and comedy dramas were described as having character relationships that could be considered queerbaiting. ScreenRant and PinkNews cited Evan "Buck" Buckley and Eddie Diaz in 9-1-1 as one example,[28][29] while AfterEllen and scholar Mélanie Bourdaa said the same about Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles in Rizzoli & Isles.[30][31] Reviewers for The Daily Dot, Autostraddle, and The Next asserted that the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in Sherlock was another example, even though the cast and crew denied this was the case.[1][2][3][4] Other reviewers pointed to other series as examples. One critic for Bustle said the same about the relationship between Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge in Riverdale.[32] Critics for The Advocate, Teen Vogue, and Georgia Voice asserted the same was the case for relationship between Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski in Teen Wolf.[33][34][35]

Some critics described specific musical, romantic, and black comedy films and series with queerbaiting betwee characters. Beca and Chloe in Pitch Perfect were described as one example by Them and Film Inquiry.[36][37] AfterEllen cited Max Black and Caroline Channing in 2 Broke Girls as another example.[38] The Spectator said the same about Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray in Glee.[39] Viewers and critics for PinkNews and Junkee alleged the same between Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair in Wednesday.[40][41]

Others described certain fantasy films, and other media, as queerbaiting. Critics for Den of Geek, Capital FM, and The Guardian pointed to possible queerbaiting in two media within the Harry Potter franchise. This included Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald[42] and between Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.[43][44] CBR asserted the same between Qing Ming and Bo Ya in The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity.[45]

Reviewers pointed to some animated series as having queerbaiting. Polygon noted that queerbaiting controversy over Voltron: Legendary Defender, between Shiro and Adam, and Keith and Lance was addressed by the series co-creator Joaquim Dos Santos.[46] Other critics for TheGWW and CBR asserted the series Naruto queerbaited between Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki,[47][48] Anime News Network asserted the same between Izetta and Princess Finé in Izetta: The Last Witch.[49] The relationship between Kumiko Ōmae and Reina Kōsaka in Sound! Euphonium was described as queerbaiting by Fotogramas and Anime News Network.[50][51] In contrast, Christopher Farris and Steve Jones of Anime News Network disputed that the series was queerbaiting was misguided and erased "the concept of bisexuality"[52] and Misty Schultz stated in Anime Feminist the series had "queer subtext".[53]

This contrasted to those series did portray a same-sex relationship after being criticized for queerbaiting. Killing Eve was criticized by The Independent, Cosmopolitan, The Guardian, CBR, and Meaww for queerbaiting with main characters Eve and Villanelle's relationship during seasons 1 and 2.[54][55][56] The two characters then kissed one another in season 3.[57][58] In the series Supernatural, the relationship between Castiel and Dean Winchester, sometimes referred to under the shipping name "Destiel", was seen as queerbaiting by fans as noted in The Advocate.[59] In the fifteenth season, Castiel confesses his love to Dean immediately before dying, prompting criticism that the show was playing into the "bury your gays" trope as noted in Polygon and BuzzFeed News.[60][61].

Another instance of alleged queerbaiting that has received significant attention on social media, especially TikTok, is the relationship between Mike Wheeler and Will Byers in Stranger Things, commonly referred to as "Byler".[62] While never overtly implied, fans who closely followed the series and analyzed its details interpreted the relationship as being hinted at as romantic, with the narrative repeatedly acknowledging Will's feelings for Mike, and many of the series' actors subtly teasing the possibility of a romantic connection between them. In addition, Funko released officially licensed merchandise in 2024, "Pop! Mike Wheeler with Painting” figure, that depicts Mike holding a painting created by Will, the painting functioning as a symbolic expression of love from Will to Mike. Following the release of season 5 in 2025, fans expressed frustration that this dynamic never resulted in a canon relationship, with critics arguing that the emotional subtext had no payoff, leading many to label it as queerbait.[63]

On April Fool's Day 2020, content creators, who were mostly straight men, started to post short videos and challenges on social media, mostly TikTok and Instagram, lip-syncing to will.i.am's "Boys & Girls" and pretending to come out as bisexual.[64] In 2021, Alpha House influencers were accused of queerbaiting, while other straight web personalities received the same accusations.[65] Some influencers came out after being accused of queerbaiting.[66] Noah Beck was also accused of queerbaiting while he kept confirming his identity as straight.[67]

Many "challenges" or "trends" on TikTok or Instagram were accused of queerbaiting. This includes kissing others of the same gender, posting false coming out narratives, or falsely claiming to be in a same-sex relationship.[64][68] Many celebrities, including Billie Eilish and Normani,[69][70] were accused of queerbaiting for their posts on Instagram.

Although this has been criticised, others have argued that the popularity of this trend is an example of the growing acceptance of LGBT people and (among males) a homosocial embrace of a "softer" form of masculinity.[71]

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Spencer, Chloe (March 1, 2017). "Is It Really Queerbaiting? A Brief History of LGBTQIA Censorship in Mainstream Cartoons". Art Decko Magazine.
  • Ng, Eve (2017). "Between text, paratext, and context: Queerbaiting and the contemporary media landscape". Transformative Works and Cultures. 24. doi:10.3983/twc.2017.0917.
  • Brennan, Joseph (March 2018). "Queerbaiting: The 'playful' possibilities of homoeroticism". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 21 (2): 189–206. doi:10.1177/1367877916631050. ISSN 1367-8779. S2CID 146538875.
  • Brennan, Joseph (June 1, 2018). "Slashbaiting, an alternative to queerbaiting". The Journal of Fandom Studies. 6 (2): 187–204. doi:10.1386/jfs.6.2.187_1. ISSN 2046-6692. S2CID 188834385.
  • Bridges, Elizabeth (June 1, 2018). "A genealogy of queerbaiting: Legal codes, production codes, 'bury your gays' and ' The 100 mess'". The Journal of Fandom Studies. 6 (2): 115–132. doi:10.1386/jfs.6.2.115_1. ISSN 2046-6692. S2CID 159000499.
  • McDermott, Michael (June 1, 2018). "The contest of queerbaiting: Negotiating authenticity in fan–creator interactions". The Journal of Fandom Studies. 6 (2): 133–144. doi:10.1386/jfs.6.2.133_1. ISSN 2046-6692. S2CID 158207740.
  • Casey, Jeff (August 18, 2018). "Afterthoughts on "Queer Cannibals and Deviant Detectives," Inspired by Hannibal Season 3". Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 35 (6): 583–600. doi:10.1080/10509208.2018.1499346. ISSN 1050-9208. S2CID 192354667.
  • Brennan, Joseph, ed. (2019). Queerbaiting and fandom : teasing fans through homoerotic possibilities. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. ISBN 9781609386726.
  • Riley, Olivia (September 22, 2020). "Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities ed. by Joseph Brennan (review)". The Velvet Light Trap. 86: 60–62 – via Project Muse.
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