Key Points
- The term 'queerbaiting' is moving further away from its original meaning.
- Advocates say it talks to a broader discussion around the denial of people's bisexuality, purity politics, and fan culture.
After being driven off Twitter following rampant accusations of 'queerbaiting', 18-year-old Heartstopper actor Kit Connor returned seven weeks later to make a reluctant announcement.
"I'm bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye," he said on Tuesday.
Connor's success in the show, which follows a young boy's journey to accepting his bisexuality, had seen fans obsess over his actual sexuality off-screen.
Things escalated when Connor was seen holding hands with a woman. And, after months of speaking out against pressuring actors to come out before they were ready, Connor felt "forced" to hush the claims of inauthenticity.
Kit Connor (left) and his Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke earlier this year at the National Television Awards. Source: Getty / Gareth Cattermole
But its meaning is moving further away from its original definition, and advocates say the term unlocks a broader discussion around bi-erasure, purity politics, and fan culture.
What is 'queerbaiting'?
Scholars came up with the term 'queerbaiting' in the early 2000s to talk about the superficial and tokenistic use of LGBTIQ+ characters in fictional shows.
Thomas Baudinette, who studies 'queerbaiting' in East Asian Media and is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University in Sydney, said the term emerged at a time when the visibility of LGBTIQ+ characters on screen was ramping up.
"This representation had often been utilised - somewhat uncritically - by media producers, to tap into what we call the 'pink economy,'" Dr Baudinette told The Feed.
Rather than showing a serious commitment to exploring queer themes, 'queerbaiting' was a criticism of media that was more concerned with making money by targeting a new audience.
Even hit US sitcom Will and Grace, which stars two openly gay male leads, was accused of cashing in, Mr Baudinette said.
At some point along the way, this definition changed to critique characters in media hinting at but never really depicting a same-sex relationship.
The BBC's series Sherlock and the fantasy series Supernatural are two of the shows which have been long accused of 'queerbaiting' with their two male leads.
Sherlock Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (left) and John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, in the BBC show Sherlock have long been accused of 'queerbaiting'. Source: Supplied / BBC
“When people talk about 'gaybaiting' it’s usually in reference to a film or television series that hints at its characters being same-sex attracted in order to garner the interest of an LGBT+ audience – without actually making anything gay happen on-screen – which can then sometimes really frustrate the audience who feel like they were duped," Shepard told The Feed.
'This added nothing to the show's authenticity'
In the past few years, fans and commentators have removed the term from the fictional world and started using it to criticise people in the spotlight.
Musicians such as Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Cardi B and Nick Jonas have all been accused of it, based on the way they "present" in their performances, video clips, and even in how they dress.
Mr Baudinette said the rise against 'queerbaiting' (in its latest meaning) is fuelled by authenticity or purity politics, meaning that LGBTIQ+ characters should only be played by LGBTIQ+ people.
Now by extension, if someone is "perceived" to be a certain identity in the real world, accusations of profiting off the community can run rife unless they publicly come out.
But this idea removes someone's autonomy to navigate or live their sexuality in an authentic way, Mr Baudinette explains.
"It's based on this idea that you must align with this aspirational 'coming out' and be public about your sexuality and make that the whole facet of your being, and if you don't then you're somehow not a good ally," he said.
Harry Styles has for years knocked back claims that he's sprinkling sexual ambiguity to "be more interesting". Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur
The incident with Connor also stood as another reminder of bi-erasure persisting within the community - i.e. the tendency to ignore, remove or falsify the bisexual experience, Mr Baudinette said.
This is the opposite of what the show hoped for.
"It's related to a really narrow idea of what the community is and looks like," he said.
Australian author Holden Shepard said celebrities don't "owe us anything" to publicly come out. Source: Supplied
“This is not what we as a gay rights movement fought for," Shepard said.
“Taking these ideals to the nth degree and policing authenticity to the point where any real human being is being forced to reveal their sexuality is not okay... nobody owes their private life to the rest of the world – not even celebrities."
Rodney Croome, a spokesperson from the youth queer advocacy group, Just.Equal Australia, said there are different ways to achieve authenticity on screen, including "solid research and sensitive scriptwriting".
“The series, Heartstopper, was very authentic, and forcing one of the main actors to 'prove' he deserved his role by outing him added nothing to that authenticity,” he told The Feed in a statement.
Following the experience, Mr Baudinette said the "toxic" experience for Connor has prompted some reflection from fans.
"I would say that one glimmer of hope has been the kind of soul-searching that has now emerged amongst the fandom and casual consumers.
"The discourse online has been mainly 'Oh my God, what have we done?'"
