QUEERBAITNG
Queerbaiting, definition and why it's harmful.
Have you ever heard of queerbaiting? Do you know what it means and why it’s important to know?
In June 2021 Billie Eilish, a world-renowned American singer, released her music video Lost Cause along with the following note request: “I love girls” grabbing attention on social media where people wondered about their sexual orientation. Billie Eilish’s followers have always believed that she belonged to the collective, encouraged by her messages on social networks or like the previous one, but the reality is different, despite her suspicions, she is heterosexual.
Writers, singers, actresses, directors, and screenwriters have been labeled “queerbaiting”, as they are the ones who create characters for TV series or music videos to attract LGBTIQ+ consumers, but then it turns out that they are not part of the community. Therefore, we can define the term as follows:
“Celebrity or a public figure capitalizes on the suspicion that they may be romantically involved with another same-sex person for the sake of publicity, promotion or a capitalistic gain”. Tigrillo, a Spanish influencer, and YouTuber also point out: queerbaiting is used to appeal to LGTBIQ+ audiences without losing the more traditional audience along the way. Also, there are times when it is not so explicit that the characters are not queer, but the playwrights communicate that they are queer once the play is over so they don't lose the traditional audience.
Heterosexual people can watch any series and see themselves reflected in every possible way, positively and negatively, whereas queer people have no representation and when it seems that they do, queerbaiting bursts in, sabotages, and shatters all illusions.
Here are some examples of queerbaiting:
- Dumbledore
In 2007, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling said during a talk that the beloved Professor Albus Dumbledore was gay and that she always thought of him as such. She also revealed that he had fallen in love with Grindelwald but still omits her at all times in the books or films.
- t.A.T.u
In the music scene, t.A.T.u. is a musical duo formed by Lena Katina and Julia Volkova, two teenagers who became the most successful girl couple in Russia. "This girl loves that girl" was the acronym for "Eta dievushka lyubit tu dievushku" in Russian. Lena and Julia had to pretend to be a couple when in reality they were not lesbians all refereed by their manager as a promotional strategy. "All The Things She Said", thus in English, was the big hit with which they won the award for Best Song in Russia and also won the MTV Europe Music Awards.
- Sherlock and Watson
The best-known detective couple, these two characters were brought to the screen in the series Sherlock, where the chemistry between their protagonists could be appreciated, however, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, creators of the series, have stated on several occasions that there is not even a romantic relationship between Watson and Holmes. "If the family wants to fantasise about it, great, but that's no small thing to be in the series," Moffat said in 2015.
- Riverdale
A teen series based on the "Archie" comics in which its two female leads kissed in the pilot episode that would generate some sexual tension between them, but both were separated and paired with male characters. The problem comes next when they decided to put the image of the kiss in the trailer of the series, a way to draw the attention of the LGBTI+ audience knowing that the plot was not going to be developed at any point, a clear example of queerbaiting.
I wanted to highlight those that are best known to the public, although the list is very extensive, the following link shows more examples of queerbaiting:
Queer-Baiting In Mainstream Media And It’s Top Examples - Cinebible
The LGBTIQ+ community deserves more; stories they can relate to, respect, and recognition of their struggle for greater visibility. Good representation not only helps to give a voice to those who have so little but helps others to see them as normal people.
Sources:
Escalante, M. I. (23 de 5 de 2020). t.A.T.u.: el dúo basado en una mentira promocional que liberó sexualmente a toda una generación. Obtained from: https://www.infobae.com/teleshow/infoshow/2020/05/23/tatu-el-duo-basado-en-una-mentira-promocional-que-libero-sexualmente-a-toda-una-generacion/
Murphy, C. (10 de 9 de 2021). What Is Queerbaiting? Here's What the Manipulative Marketing Tactic Looks Like—and Why It's Harmful. Obtained from: https://www.health.com/mind-body/lgbtq-health/queerbaiting
Rocha, M. (30 de 6 de 2021). ¿Qué es el queerbaiting y por qué representa un problema para la comunidad LGBTQ+? Obtained from: https://www.glamour.mx/tu-vida/descubre/articulos/queerbaiting-que-es-y-por-que-es-un-problema-lgbtq/20753