Queerbaiting Sucks! Here's why...

remymadge
Sep 14, 2020
6 min read

Over the past ten years, LGBTQ+ representation has become increasingly more prevalent in popular TV drama. The main reason for this is television's continual quest to remain "relevant and reflect the social issues inherent in modern life" (Brody 2011: 35). Yes, I'm quoting academic writing, this is serious stuff...

As LGBTQ+ issues have become more of a focus in the news and on social media in recent years, it's unsurprising that these same issues have been reflected on screen. Historically, on TV, queer characters have been stereotyped, made fun of, or often represented the antagonist within a series for no reason other than the fact that they are gay, and therefore the problem (I'm looking at you Ross Geller... Carol was too good for you). Nowadays, queer representation tends to be more sensitively handled and is often there for the gays to enjoy, not for the straights to laugh at. But does that mean the LGBTQ+ community are treated equally to cis-heterosexuals on TV? Heck no! Maybe we've overcome most of the outright, blatant homophobia on screen but with a new age, comes new problems. Which brings us to 'queerbaiting'.

What is it?

If you don't already know, queerbaiting is when a show will have "deliberately inserted homoerotic subtext" to draw in a queer audience, but will "never actualise this subtext"(Brennan 2018: 105). So, for example, two female characters spend six full seasons looking longingly into each others eyes and talking about how much they love each other, but it turns out they are just 'pals' and end up with boyfriends who wear leather jackets and have similar facial hair. Apparently we're just desperate for even an ounce of homoeroticism. We're starving out here! And in fairness, some characters are just too cute to be straight.

Where is it?

Queer subtext is everywhere, if you're looking for it. But producers have undoubtably exploited the queer community's hunger for some kind of mainstream representation and worked queer subtext into their shows in order to grow their audiences and make money. I'm not saying that's why they're all doing it. Maybe they're oblivious to the fact that it sends a harmful message. Maybe they're doing their best to put in as much queer rep as they feel they can. But maybe they're heartless, exploitative money-grabbers too. Examples of shows that have been accused of queerbaiting are, Agent Carter, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, Supergirl and Rizzoli & Isles. In fairness, some of these are great shows and we lapped that shit up whether we liked it or not.

Why is it?

Good question. As mentioned above, a lot of the time queerbaiting is used to draw in more viewers, but there are other reasons too. The only other legitimate one I can think of, that I give a hoot about, is that it's there to make the gays feel included. By that I mean the intention comes from a good place. Perhaps the show runners want to include a same-sex storyline because they feel it's important to normalise queer relationships and to make queer people feel seen. But, these storylines get censored by producers who are afraid that by including a same-sex storyline, they will lose viewers and therefore, lose money. (No shade to producers. I feel you. But if this is your mindset, you need to do better to include minorities). Regardless of why it's there, the outcome is the same. It sends a harmful message. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the pros.

The Pros of Queerbaiting

There aren't any.

No, I'm just kidding. Although I personally don't rate it, interestingly, there is a portion of queer viewers who actually prefer the illusion of queer, rather than actually seeing it on screen. As Harris states in her book 'Beyond Representation', "...due to their scarcity, overt representations of lesbians may carry a raft of social and political anxieties for a lesbian spectator. By contrast, the ‘covert representation of lesbianism, as for example platonic friendship, at least allows us to make what we want of them'" (2006: 149). What she's saying here is that basically lesbian viewers have been burned so many times before that they would rather write their own stories (even if it's just in their heads) rather than have someone else write it for them and potentially mess it up. Which is a fair point.

The Cons of Queerbaiting

Strap in and strap on because I have a list...

Firstly, let's start with looking at queerbaiting as enabling queer invisibility and erasure. When a show depicts a queer coded relationship on screen without actually, explicitly representing a same-sex couple, it reinforces the idea that gay relationships aren't normal in modern society. It suggests that homosexuality doesn't exist or, at the very least, discourages it as the norm, which gives audiences permission to ignore the existence of queer identities. So, why is this bad? Funny you should ask. There are a number of answers to this question, so let's be more specific and instead ask, what message does this send to audiences?

For young queer kids, this sends a harmful message. If every piece of media they consume is telling them that their identity is not valid, that they aren't normal, or that their literal existence isn't worth acknowledging, it becomes incredibly hard for them to accept and love themselves for who they are. Similarly, how are straight kids supposed to learn that being gay is normal so they don't grow up to be homophobic bullies who could potentially ruin some gay kids school experience, or life?

It's arguable that queerbaiting can also contribute to internalised homophobia and the prolonging of a queer kid remaining closeted. In our culture, television is a major source of information and entertainment. It offers a sense of familiarity. It's where we often look for inspiration and a sense of empowerment or belonging when we see a story or character on screen that we feel a personal connection to or identify with. For queer children, a lack of gay identities on screen could cause confusion or rejection of their own identities because they can't see themselves in the stories on TV, leading them to feel like an outsider or freak. It's hard to be something you don't know exists. Queerbait that takes the place of real gay representation on TV is depriving queer children of queer heroes they can use to understand and love themselves.

Queerbaiting “is a strategy that teases the potential for [...] queer representations, then shuts down opportunities for validation with ‘no homo’ jokes” (Brennan 2018: 106). In these instances of queerbait, the use of comic relief perpetuates homophobic undertones within the show (Mueller, cited in Brennan 2018: 106). Not only is this rude as hell, but it also causes implications with the public perception of queerness. The fact is, queerbaiting offers straight audiences permission to laugh at queerness when it is expressed in what are deemed ‘heterosexual’ narratives, consequently enabling homophobia among viewers. If straight audiences are purposefully being fed homophobic jokes and therefore laughing at gays on screen, what is to stop them from doing the same in the real world?

What now?

So, yes, queerbaiting is a big problem but we are seeing an increase in real queer representation on screen too. According to GLAAD's 2019/2020 TV report, 10.2% of regular characters on primetime American TV this year were LGBTQ+, which is the highest percentage so far in all their 15 years worth of reports. This shows progress! It's arguable that the rise of subscription based platforms such as Netflix, hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and HBOmax has really contributed towards this increase. These platforms have lots of money and don't have to sensor their content in order to appease advertisers, because they don't have any. Because of this, they have the freedom to be bolder, more controversial... and gayer. Sure, queerbaiting is still alive and well but it is comforting to know that change is possible.

We live in an incredibly heteronormative world. Every piece of media we have ever consumed has told us that heterosexuality and gender binaries are the norm. Sometimes we don't clock the alienation of others because their identities aren't even on our radar to begin with. But we can only hope that this increase in representation will further normalise queer identities and relationships, making them even more common to see on television and in other types of media.

How Can You Help?

Support queer creators! Set reminders on Netflix for upcoming queer content. Interact on social media with queer shows. Showing broadcasters that we appreciate and support gay content will encourage them to make more!

Queerbaiting sucks! Let's do our best to snuff it out, together.