queerbaiting

{{short description|In media, hinting at but not depicting queer relationships}}

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| image1 = Benedict Cumberbatch filming Sherlock cropped2.jpg

| image2 = Martin Freeman filming Sherlock cropped2.jpg

| footer = 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. Critics have called the depiction queerbaiting.{{cite web |last=Romano |first=Aja |title="Sherlock" fans lash out over sunken JohnLock ship |work=The Daily Dot |date=26 April 2013 |access-date=24 December 2014 |url=http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/sherlock-fandom-johnlock-ship/ |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616181033/http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/sherlock-fandom-johnlock-ship/ |url-status=live }}{{cite AV media |title=Steven Moffat talk about JohnLock and Season 3 & 4 |type=YouTube video |date=13 May 2013 |access-date=24 December 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB6Uzz9G5sM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/QB6Uzz9G5sM| archive-date=18 November 2021| url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |last=Bridges |first=Rose |title=How Do We Solve A Problem Like "Queerbaiting"?: On TV's Not-So-Subtle Gay Subtext |work=Autostraddle |date=26 June 2013 |access-date=14 December 2014 |url=http://www.autostraddle.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-queerbaiting-on-tvs-not-so-subtle-gay-subtext-182718/ |archive-date=22 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022042650/http://www.autostraddle.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-queerbaiting-on-tvs-not-so-subtle-gay-subtext-182718/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Scout |first=Emmett |title=Please Do Not Bait the Queers |work=The Next |publisher=University of Washington |date=19 June 2013 |access-date=14 December 2014 |url=http://www.uwbnext.com/editorials/please-do-not-bait-the-queers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230234609/http://www.uwbnext.com/editorials/please-do-not-bait-the-queers |archive-date=30 December 2014}}

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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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kj5nDwAAQBAJ&q=Queerbaiting&pg=PT279|title=Claiming the B in LGBT: Illuminating the Bisexual Narrative|last=Harrad|first=Kate|date=2018-10-05|publisher=Thorntree Press LLC|isbn=9781944934613|language=en|access-date=2021-02-13|archive-date=2023-11-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125040602/https://books.google.com/books?id=kj5nDwAAQBAJ&q=Queerbaiting&pg=PT279#v=snippet&q=Queerbaiting&f=false|url-status=live}} 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,{{cite journal|first1=Judith|last1=Fathallah|title=Moriarty's Ghost|journal=Television & New Media|volume=16|number=5|date=2014-07-17|doi=10.1177/1527476414543528|pages=490–500|s2cid=145508280}} while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by actually portraying queer relationships.

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.{{cite news |last1=Ritschel |first1=Chelsea |date=9 April 2019 |title=What is queer-baiting and why do celebrities do it? |language=en |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/queerbaiting-lgbtq-ariana-grande-celebrities-james-franco-jk-rowling-a8862351.html |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522181615/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/queerbaiting-lgbtq-ariana-grande-celebrities-james-franco-jk-rowling-a8862351.html |url-status=live }} The term arose in and has been popularized through discussions in Internet fandom{{cite thesis |last1=Nordin |first1=Emma |title=From Queer Reading to Queerbaiting: The battle over the polysemic text and the power of hermeneutics |degree=Master's |publisher=Stockholm University |date=1 January 2015 |url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:839802&dswid=-9433 |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=3 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224533/http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:839802&dswid=-9433 |url-status=live }} since the early 2010s.{{cite news |last1=Honderich |first1=Holly |date=8 April 2019 |title=Queerbaiting - exploitation or a sign of progress? |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47820447 |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=15 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515001353/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47820447 |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite journal |last=Waggoner |first=Erin B. |date=2018-11-10 |title=Bury Your Gays and Social Media Fan Response: Television, LGBTQ Representation, and Communitarian Ethics |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1391015 |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=65 |issue=13 |pages=1877–1891 |doi=10.1080/00918369.2017.1391015 |issn=0091-8369 |pmid=29023204|s2cid=26208120 |url-access=subscription }}

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.

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".{{cite web |last1=Panigrahi |first1=Kerishma |title=Queerbaiting in Online Communities: Television, Fandom, and the Politics of Representation |url=http://kerishma.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/panigrahi_criticalessay.pdf |website=Wordpress |access-date=24 October 2014 |publisher=City University of New York – Hunter College |date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219085401/http://kerishma.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/panigrahi_criticalessay.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2014}}

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". 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."{{cite web |last=Scout |first=Emmett |title=Please Do Not Bait the Queers |url=http://www.uwbnext.com/editorials/please-do-not-bait-the-queers |website=The Next |publisher=University of Washington |access-date=24 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309152309/http://www.uwbnext.com/editorials/please-do-not-bait-the-queers|archive-date=9 March 2016}} 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."{{cite web |last=Bridges |first=Rose |title=How Do We Solve A Problem Like 'Queerbaiting'? |url=http://www.autostraddle.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-queerbaiting-on-tvs-not-so-subtle-gay-subtext-182718/ |website=AutoStraddle |date=26 June 2013 |access-date=24 October 2014 |archive-date=22 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022042650/http://www.autostraddle.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-queerbaiting-on-tvs-not-so-subtle-gay-subtext-182718/ |url-status=live }}

= Critiques =

Critics of those who engage in queerbaiting discourse point to its similarity, and perhaps confusion by audiences, with subtext.{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvrs8xtj |title=Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities |date=2019 |publisher=University of Iowa Press |isbn=978-1-60938-671-9 |doi=10.2307/j.ctvrs8xtj.4 |jstor=j.ctvrs8xtj |s2cid=241889076 |access-date=2022-03-11 |archive-date=2022-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511073051/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvrs8xtj |url-status=live }} 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 queerbaiting discourse argue that LGBT representation no longer needs to be in the shadows of media. Instead of adding artistic value, queer fans view this tactic as perpetuating LGBT marginalization.

=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. According to Ng, as representation has improved, 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". 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.

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.

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.

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.{{cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Sophia |title=Is Queerbaiting Finally Being Put To Bed? |url=https://www.curvemag.com/opinion/readers-voice/is-queerbaiting-finally-being-put-to-bed/ |website=Curve |access-date=May 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524140041/https://www.curvemag.com/opinion/readers-voice/is-queerbaiting-finally-being-put-to-bed/ |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |date=May 22, 2020 |url-status=live}} Perry added that the "queer conclusion" of the show 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".

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".{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Joanna |title=Raya and the Last Dragon's Kelly Marie Tran Thinks Her Disney Princess Is Gay |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/03/raya-and-the-last-dragon-kelly-marie-tran-gay-namaari-raya |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307025741/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/03/raya-and-the-last-dragon-kelly-marie-tran-gay-namaari-raya |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |date=March 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}

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."{{Cite web |title=Luca, Disney and queerbaiting in animation |date=14 July 2021 |url=https://theconversation.com/luca-disney-and-queerbaiting-in-animation-164349 |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=26 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826153551/https://theconversation.com/luca-disney-and-queerbaiting-in-animation-164349 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Disney back-patting for queer-baiting content |url=http://www.thecourieronline.co.uk/disney-back-patting-for-queer-baiting-content/}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Avengers: Endgame's Gay Representation is Bullshit |date=29 April 2019 |url=https://gizmodo.com/avengers-endgames-gay-representation-is-bullshit-1834338186 |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902225620/https://gizmodo.com/avengers-endgames-gay-representation-is-bullshit-1834338186 |url-status=live }} The Rise of Skywalker faced similar 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.{{Cite web |date=8 December 2019 |title=Is Disney continuing to queerbait fans with the Rise of Skywalker press tour? |url=https://culturess.com/2019/12/08/disney-continues-queerbait-us-rise-skywalker-press-tour/ |access-date=9 December 2019 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209092832/https://culturess.com/2019/12/08/disney-continues-queerbait-us-rise-skywalker-press-tour/ |url-status=live }} A number of other Disney films, including the 2017 Beauty and the Beast film and Cruella were promoted as having queer characters (in some cases promoted as having Disney's first openly queer character), yet in each case the portrayal of queerness on screen was either just hinted at or a brief background that could easily be missed.{{Cite web |last=Tadeo |first=Jericho |date=June 5, 2021 |title=Cruella Repeats Disney's Queerbaiting Problem |url=https://screenrant.com/cruella-movie-disney-artie-queerbaiting-lgbtq-problem/ |access-date=June 22, 2021 |website=Screen Rant |language=en |archive-date=June 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622071132/https://screenrant.com/cruella-movie-disney-artie-queerbaiting-lgbtq-problem/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Are 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Power Rangers' queerbaiting LGBT fans? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/03/29/are-beauty-and-the-beast-power-rangers-queerbaiting-lgbt-fans/99744846/ |access-date=2020-04-02 |website=USA Today |language=en}}

=Fiction=

The following characters, or relationships between characters of the same sex, have also been interpreted as examples of queerbaiting by at least some reliable media sources. This interpretation is not necessarily shared by all critics or fans.

==Television==

2 Broke Girls: Max Black and Caroline Channing.{{Cite web |last=Bendix |first=Trish |date=June 30, 2013 |title=2 Broke Girls Keeps Everyone Guessing |url=https://afterellen.com/2-broke-girls-keeps-everyone-guessing/ |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=AfterEllen}}
Glee: Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray.{{Cite web |last=Storey |first=Bailey |date=April 2, 2022 |title=The act of queerbaiting: Why is it so bad? |url=http://www.vsuspectator.com/2022/04/01/the-act-of-queerbaiting-why-is-it-so-bad/ |access-date= |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}
Riverdale: Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge,{{cite news|last1=McGrath|first1=Mary Kate|title='Riverdale', Queer-Baiting, & How One Tweet Exposed The Fan Conversation We Need To Pay Attention To|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/riverdale-queer-baiting-how-one-tweet-exposed-the-fan-conversation-we-need-to-pay-attention-to-52319|access-date=2 December 2017|work=Bustle|language=en|archive-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113413/https://www.bustle.com/p/riverdale-queer-baiting-how-one-tweet-exposed-the-fan-conversation-we-need-to-pay-attention-to-52319|url-status=live}} Archie Andrews and Joaquin DeSantos.{{cite news|last1=Reilly|first1=Kaitlin|title=Riverdale Accused Of Queerbaiting Over That Joaquin/Archie Kiss|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/216897/riverdale-queerbaiting-joaquin-archie-kiss|access-date=15 November 2018|work=Refinery29|language=en|archive-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115113134/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/216897/riverdale-queerbaiting-joaquin-archie-kiss|url-status=live}}
Rizzoli & Isles: Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles.{{cite web |last=Langfelder |first=Natasia |date=February 1, 2016 |title=Let's End Queerbaiting in 2016 |url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/471593-lets-end-queerbaiting-2016 |website=AfterEllen}}
Sherlock: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
Supergirl: Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor.{{Cite web |last=Cataldo |first=Amanda |date=2022-07-13 |title=From 'Stranger Things' to 'Sherlock': 10 TV Shows That Queerbaited Their Fans |url=https://collider.com/tv-shows-that-queerbaited-their-fans/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Collider |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Bromwich |first=Jonah Engel |date=December 4, 2017 |title=Who Do You Ship? What Tumblr Tells Us About Fan Culture |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/style/tumblr-shippers.html |website=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Riley |first=A. J. |date=2020-11-08 |title=Is Supercorp Queerbait? (Short Answer; yes) Written by A.J Riley |url=https://ajrileyarticles.medium.com/is-supercorp-queerbait-short-answer-yes-written-by-a-j-riley-dafe033b9904 |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Medium |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvrs8xtj |title=Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities |date=2019 |publisher=University of Iowa Press |isbn=978-1-60938-671-9}}{{Cite web |last=Tassi |first=Paul |title=You Should Be Watching ‘Our Flag Means Death,’ HBO’s New Most Popular Show |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/03/31/you-should-be-watching-our-flag-means-death-hbos-new-most-popular-show/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-02-25 |title=Supergirl: Is the series alienating fans with queerbaiting? |url=https://culturess.com/2020/02/25/supergirl-alienating-fans-queerbaiting/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Culturess |language=en-us}}
Stranger Things: Will Byers.{{Cite news |last=Finnighan |first=Lucy-Jo |title=Stranger Things slammed by LGBTQ+ fans for "queerbaiting" Will's sexuality |url=https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/stranger-things-slammed-by-lgbtq-fans-for-queerbaiting-wills-sexuality-1837333/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701111051/https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/stranger-things-slammed-by-lgbtq-fans-for-queerbaiting-wills-sexuality-1837333/ |archive-date=2022-07-01 |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=Dexerto |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Stolworthy |first=Jacob |date=2022-06-01 |title=Stranger Things viewers criticise show for 'never really addressing' Will's sexuality |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/stranger-things-season-4-will-byers-b2091644.html |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-07-02 |title=Why are Stranger Things Fans Upset with Mike for How He Treated Will? |url=https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/why-are-stranger-things-fans-upset-with-mike-for-how-he-treated-will-5478223.html |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=news18 |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702061314/https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/why-are-stranger-things-fans-upset-with-mike-for-how-he-treated-will-5478223.html |url-status=live }}
Teen Wolf: Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski.{{Cite web |last=Peeples |first=Jase |date=2014-09-17 |title=Op-ed: The Trouble With 'Teen Wolf' |url=http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/09/17/op-ed-trouble-teen-wolf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001201758/https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/09/17/op-ed-trouble-teen-wolf |archive-date=2020-10-01 |access-date=2020-05-01 |website=advocate.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mallikarjuna |first=Krutika |date=2017-09-29 |title=How 'Teen Wolf' Failed Its Bisexual Fans |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-wolf-bisexuality-representation-jackson |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617193108/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-wolf-bisexuality-representation-jackson |archive-date=2018-06-17 |access-date=2020-05-01 |website=Teen Vogue |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Burke |first=Camryn |date=2019-03-14 |title='Here We Go Again': The Endless Cycle of Queerbaiting in Pop Culture |url=https://thegavoice.com/outspoken/here-we-go-again-the-endless-cycle-of-queerbaiting-in-pop-culture/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826153630/https://thegavoice.com/outspoken/here-we-go-again-the-endless-cycle-of-queerbaiting-in-pop-culture/ |archive-date=2024-08-26 |access-date=2020-05-01 |website=Georgia Voice |language=en-US}}
Voltron: Legendary Defender: Shiro and Adam.{{cite news |last1=Haasch |first1=Palmer |title=Voltron creator addresses fans over season 7's queerbaiting controversy |url=https://www.polygon.com/tv/2018/8/16/17698024/voltron-adam-controversy-netflix-queerbaiting-dos-santos-letter |access-date=26 December 2018 |work=Polygon |date=16 August 2018 |archive-date=15 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615134146/https://www.polygon.com/tv/2018/8/16/17698024/voltron-adam-controversy-netflix-queerbaiting-dos-santos-letter |url-status=live }}
Wednesday: Wednesday and Enid.{{Cite web |last=Iftikhar |first=Asyia |date=2022-11-24 |title=Netflix's Wednesday series sparks debate with LGBTQ+ viewers |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/11/24/wednesday-netflix-wenclair-queer-ship-reaction/ |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=PinkNews |archive-date=2022-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127011236/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/11/24/wednesday-netflix-wenclair-queer-ship-reaction/ |url-status=live }}
House of the Dragon: Rhaenyra and Alicent.{{Cite web |last1=Zilko |first1=Christian |date=25 September 2022 |title='House of the Dragon' Star Emily Carey Addresses 'Queerbaiting' Claims: 'We Weren't Making Them Gay' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/house-of-the-dragon-queerbaiting-1234766419/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a61669451/house-of-the-dragon-rhaenyra-kiss-queer/ |archive-date=14 September 2024 |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=IndieWire}}{{Cite web |last=Opie |first=David |date=2024-07-23 |title=House of the Dragon's queer twist changes how we view Rhaenyra and Alicent's rivalry |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a61669451/house-of-the-dragon-rhaenyra-kiss-queer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723124044/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a61669451/house-of-the-dragon-rhaenyra-kiss-queer/ |archive-date=2024-07-23 |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Digital Spy |language=en}}
9-1-1: Evan "Buck" Buckley and Eddie Diaz. {{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Shealyn |title=9-1-1 Season 8 Finale Review: Buck & Eddie’s Blatant Queerbaiting Takes Away From An Otherwise Heartwarming Conclusion |url=https://screenrant.com/9-1-1-season-8-finale-review/ |website=Screen Rant |access-date=16 May 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Bea |title=Queerbaiting: What is it and why is it a problem? |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/16/what-is-queerbaiting-everything-you-need-to-know/ |website=Pink News |access-date=16 May 2025}}

Some series did portray a same-sex relationship after being criticized for queerbaiting:

Killing Eve: The series was criticized for queerbaiting with main characters Eve and Villanelle's relationship during seasons 1 and 2.{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Sarah|date=6 June 2019|title=Killing Eve accused of queerbaiting by viewers|language=en|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/killing-eve-season-2-queerbaiting-eve-villanelle-romance-sandra-oh-jodie-comer-a8946546.html|access-date=16 June 2019|archive-date=16 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616195813/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/killing-eve-season-2-queerbaiting-eve-villanelle-romance-sandra-oh-jodie-comer-a8946546.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Gutowitz|first1=Jill|date=25 June 2019|title='Killing Eve', 'Dead to Me', and The Confusing State of 'Queerbaiting' on TV|work=Cosmopolitan|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a28072311/what-is-queerbaiting-killing-eve-dead-to-me/|access-date=25 July 2019|archive-date=29 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629025002/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a28072311/what-is-queerbaiting-killing-eve-dead-to-me/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Abraham|first1=Amelia|date=29 June 2019|title=Why culture's 'queerbaiting' leaves me cold|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jun/29/why-cultures-queerbaiting-leaves-me-cold-amelia-abraham|access-date=25 July 2019}} The two characters then kissed in season 3.{{cite news |last=Matadeen |first=Renaldo |date=30 April 2020 |title=Killing Eve Finally Ends Eve & Villanelle's Queerbaiting With an Epic Kiss |url=https://www.cbr.com/killing-eve-finally-ends-eve-villanelles-queerbaiting-with-an-epic-kiss/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525043355/https://www.cbr.com/killing-eve-finally-ends-eve-villanelles-queerbaiting-with-an-epic-kiss/ |archive-date=25 May 2020 |access-date=2 May 2020 |work=CBR}}{{cite news |last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Alakananda |title=Pride Month 2020: How Sandra Oh's Eve Polastri redeemed 'Killing Eve' from falling prey to queerbaiting |url=https://meaww.com/pride-month-2020-sandra-oh-eve-polastri-save-killing-eve-queer-baiting-villanelle-relationship-kiss-444228 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607080716/https://meaww.com/pride-month-2020-sandra-oh-eve-polastri-save-killing-eve-queer-baiting-villanelle-relationship-kiss-444228 |archive-date=7 June 2020 |access-date=7 June 2020 |work=MEAWW |language=en}}
Supernatural: The relationship between Castiel and Dean Winchester, sometimes referred to under the shipping name "Destiel", was seen as queerbaiting by fans.{{Cite web|last=Cruz|first=Eliel|date=17 July 2014|title=Fans Take Supernatural to Task for 'Queer Baiting'|url=http://www.advocate.com/bisexuality/2014/07/17/fans-take-supernatural-task-queer-baiting|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428105618/http://www.advocate.com/bisexuality/2014/07/17/fans-take-supernatural-task-queer-baiting|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web|last=Radulovic|first=Petrana|date=2020-11-06|title=Supernatural actually made Destiel canon(ish)|url=https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/11/6/21552929/destiel-fanfiction-ao3-memes-supernatural-season-15|access-date=2020-11-07|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107004646/https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/11/6/21552929/destiel-fanfiction-ao3-memes-supernatural-season-15|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Strapagiel |first=Lauren |date=2020-11-06 |title=Destiel (Sort Of) Became Canon And "Supernatural" Fans Are Shaking |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/destiel-supernatural |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829061717/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/destiel-supernatural |archive-date=2021-08-29 |access-date=2021-08-30 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}

==Film==

Black Panther: Okoye and Ayo.{{Cite web |last=Arvedon |first=Jon |date=2018-02-12 |title=Black Panther Screenwriter Addresses Rumors of Cut Gay Romance |url=https://www.cbr.com/black-panther-cut-gay-romance-scene/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109033904/https://www.cbr.com/black-panther-cut-gay-romance-scene/ |archive-date=2020-11-09 |access-date=2020-04-02 |work=CBR |language=en-US}}
Captain America: Civil War: Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers.{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Kat |date=2018-11-20 |title=Of Marvel and Queerbaiting |url=https://fullcirclecinema.com/2019/06/01/full-circle-pride-month-of-marvel-and-queerbaiting/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625233404/https://fullcirclecinema.com/2019/06/01/full-circle-pride-month-of-marvel-and-queerbaiting/ |archive-date=2019-06-25 |access-date=27 February 2012 |website=Full Circle Cinema}}
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.{{Cite web |last=Harrington |first=Delia |date=2018-11-20 |title=Fantastic Beasts 2 is Queerbaiting That Puts Dumbledore Back in the Closet |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/fantastic-beasts-2-queerbaiting-dumbledore-back-in-the-closet/ |access-date=2020-04-02 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}
Luca: Luca and Alberto.{{Cite web |last=Monson |first=Leigh |date=June 18, 2021 |title='Luca' continues Disney's legacy of blatant queerbaiting |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/features/luca-continues-disneys-legacy-of-blatant-queerbaiting |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619052222/https://www.whattowatch.com/features/luca-continues-disneys-legacy-of-blatant-queerbaiting |archive-date=June 19, 2021 |access-date=June 22, 2021 |website=What to Watch |language=en}}
Pitch Perfect: Beca and Chloe.{{Cite web |last=Donald |first=Ella |date=2018-01-17 |title=Pitch Perfect Has a Queerbaiting Problem |url=https://www.them.us/story/pitch-perfect-has-a-queerbaiting-problem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025111601/https://www.them.us/story/pitch-perfect-has-a-queerbaiting-problem |archive-date=2020-10-25 |access-date=2020-05-01 |website=them. |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=PITCH PERFECT 3 A Ca-Queerbaits Its Audience|url=https://www.filminquiry.com/pitch-perfect-3-queerbaiting/|last=Obropta|first=Clement Tyler|date=2019-06-27|website=Film Inquiry|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-01|archive-date=2020-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726093410/https://www.filminquiry.com/pitch-perfect-3-queerbaiting/|url-status=live}}
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Finn and Poe.{{cite news |last1=Yee |first1=Lawrence |title=Is JJ Abrams' LGBTQ Tease for 'The Rise of Skywalker' Just More Queerbaiting? (Commentary) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/jj-abrams-lgbtq-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-queerbaiting/ |access-date=9 December 2019 |work=The Wrap |date=6 December 2019 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209092825/https://www.thewrap.com/jj-abrams-lgbtq-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-queerbaiting/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Turner |first1=Molly Catherine |title=Is Disney continuing to queerbait fans with The Rise of Skywalker press tour? |url=https://culturess.com/2019/12/08/disney-continues-queerbait-us-rise-skywalker-press-tour/ |access-date=9 December 2019 |work=Culturess |date=8 December 2019 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209092832/https://culturess.com/2019/12/08/disney-continues-queerbait-us-rise-skywalker-press-tour/ |url-status=live }}
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity: Qing Ming and Bo Ya.{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Hannah |title=Netflix's The Yin-Yang Master Is a Fantasy Epic Tarnished by Queerbaiting |work=CBR |date=February 15, 2021 |access-date=April 20, 2021 |url=https://www.cbr.com/netflix-the-yin-yang-master-boys-love-queerbait/ |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421012016/https://www.cbr.com/netflix-the-yin-yang-master-boys-love-queerbait/ |url-status=live }}
Thor: Ragnarok: Valkyrie.{{Cite news |last=Zane |first=Zachary |date=2017-11-06 |title=Analysis {{!}} 'Thor's' Valkyrie is Marvel's first LGBT character. But you wouldn't know it from the film. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2017/11/06/thors-valkyrie-is-marvels-first-lgbt-character-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-the-film/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221090929/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2017/11/06/thors-valkyrie-is-marvels-first-lgbt-character-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-the-film/ |archive-date=2019-12-21 |access-date=2020-04-02 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}}
Thor: Love and Thunder: Valkyrie, Korg.{{Cite web |last=Rivera |first=Joshua |date=2022-07-18 |title=Thor: Love and Thunder reminds queer fans exactly what Disney thinks they're worth |url=https://www.polygon.com/23219276/thor-love-and-thunder-queerbait-gay-rock-aliens-enough |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927013059/https://www.polygon.com/23219276/thor-love-and-thunder-queerbait-gay-rock-aliens-enough |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=King |first=Jade |date=8 July 2022 |title=We Need To Stop Letting Ourselves Be Queerbaited By The MCU |work=The Gamer |url=https://www.thegamer.com/marvel-queerbaiting-thor-love-and-thunder/ |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709064735/https://www.thegamer.com/marvel-queerbaiting-thor-love-and-thunder/ |url-status=live }}

==Anime==

Izetta: The Last Witch: Izetta and Princess Finé.{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Jacob |title=What's So Gay About Yuri!!! on Ice? |work=Anime News Network |date=November 2, 2016 |access-date=April 20, 2021 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-11-02/what-so-gay-about-yuri-on-ice/.108391 |archive-date=January 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108093115/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-11-02/what-so-gay-about-yuri-on-ice/.108391 |url-status=live }}
Sound! Euphonium: Kumiko Ōmae and Reina Kōsaka.{{Cite web |last=Carlos Saloz |first=Juan |title=Los Animes Que Destaparon el Tabú de la Homosexualidad en España |trans-title=The Animes That Uncovered the Taboo Of Homosexuality in Spain |work=Fotogramas |date=November 28, 2018 |access-date=April 20, 2021 |url=https://www.fotogramas.es/series-tv-noticias/a25331755/anime-homosexualidad-espana/ |language=es |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421022740/https://www.fotogramas.es/series-tv-noticias/a25331755/anime-homosexualidad-espana/ |url-status=live }}
Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Steven |date=2016-04-29 |title=Queerbaiting - LGBT+ Characters in Media (Part 2) |url=https://thegww.com/queerbaiting-lgbt-characters-in-media-part-2/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=TheGWW.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Matadeen |first=Renaldo |date=2023-08-27 |title=Can Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Overcome Naruto's Queerbaiting? |url=https://www.cbr.com/boruto-two-blue-vortex-mitsuki-kawaki-lgbtq-queerbaiting/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=CBR |language=en}}

=Social media=

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.{{Cite web|url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/queerbaiting-on-tiktok-invalidates-lgbtq-stories/|title=Queerbaiting on TikTok invalidates LGBTQ+ stories|date=April 11, 2020|website=Arts + Culture|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028164934/http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/queerbaiting-on-tiktok-invalidates-lgbtq-stories/|url-status=live}} In 2021, Alpha House influencers were accused of queerbaiting, while other straight web personalities received the same accusations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/tiktok-alpha-house-boys-barrett-pall-queerbaiting-accusation-lgbtq-2021-8|title=A group of thirst trap TikTok guys is being accused of having different 'straight' and 'queer' accounts to appeal to multiple audiences|first=Kieran|last=Press-Reynolds|website=Insider|access-date=2022-01-21|archive-date=2024-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826154626/https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-alpha-house-boys-barrett-pall-queerbaiting-accusation-lgbtq-2021-8|url-status=live}} Some influencers came out after being accused of queerbaiting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.intomore.com/the-internet/tiktok-star-theo-carow-comes-bisexual-queerbaiting-accusations/|title=TikTok Star Theo Carow Comes Out as Bisexual After Queerbaiting Accusations|first=Jude|last=Cramer|website=INTO|date=16 August 2021|access-date=21 January 2022|archive-date=26 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826154701/https://www.intomore.com/the-internet/tiktok-star-theo-carow-comes-bisexual-queerbaiting-accusations/|url-status=live}} Noah Beck was also accused of queerbaiting while he kept confirming his identity as straight.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/celebrities/2021/3/08/heres-why-people-are-accusing-tiktok-star-noah-beck-queer-baiting|title=Here's Why People Are Accusing TikTok Star Noah Beck of Queer-Baiting|date=March 8, 2021|website=www.pride.com|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=August 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826154647/https://www.pride.com/celebrities/2021/3/08/heres-why-people-are-accusing-tiktok-star-noah-beck-queer-baiting|url-status=live}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/05/11/tiktok-trend-best-friends-kissing-sexualising-lesbians-fetishisation/|title='Best friends kissing' TikTok trend prompts passionate debate about queerbaiting|date=May 11, 2021|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121105901/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/05/11/tiktok-trend-best-friends-kissing-sexualising-lesbians-fetishisation/|url-status=live}} Many celebrities, including Billie Eilish and Normani,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wonderwall.com/news/billie-eilish-accused-of-queer-baiting-with-instagram-post-465811.article|title=Billie Eilish accused of 'queer baiting' with Instagram post|date=June 11, 2021|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121105903/https://www.wonderwall.com/news/billie-eilish-accused-of-queer-baiting-with-instagram-post-465811.article|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/queerbaiting-lgbtq-community-1201273/|title=Why Queerbaiting Matters More Than Ever|first1=Moises Mendez|last1=II|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 23, 2021|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=April 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403142948/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/queerbaiting-lgbtq-community-1201273/|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Hawgood |first1=Alex |title=Everyone Is Gay on TikTok |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/style/tiktok-gay-homiesexuals.html |work=The New York Times |date=24 October 2020 |access-date=21 January 2022 |archive-date=26 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826154708/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/style/tiktok-gay-homiesexuals.html |url-status=live }}

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite journal|last=Abidin|first=Crystal|date=2019-09-03|title=Yes Homo: Gay influencers, homonormativity, and queerbaiting on YouTube|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2019.1644806|journal=Continuum|volume=33|issue=5|pages=614–629|doi=10.1080/10304312.2019.1644806|s2cid=204369535|issn=1030-4312|url-access=subscription}}

}}