Queer baiting (sometimes written as queerbaiting and queer-baiting) is a term coined for a relatively recent socio-cultural phenomenon that affects LGBT+ (umbrella term: queer) fans of media, particularly audio-visual media like television series and films (but also other media like books, podcasts, radio shows, etc).
Contents
Definition
The term refers to what happens "when people in the media (usually television/movies) add homoerotic tension between two characters to attract more liberal and queer viewers with the indication of them not ever getting together for real in the show/book/movie".
The term is used to describe a tactic where a queer relationship or character is hinted at to attract/appeal to the queer market, and then is denied, either modifying the character's behavior (making them enter an opposite gender relationship), playing it off as a joke (sometimes a recurring joke or trope), or denying the assumptions (in interviews, panels and such) without modifying the character's behavior.
History of queer characters in the US media
Queer characters were first shown in television back in 1950s in villainous roles, linking the idea of "queerness" to criminality and immorality (said trope was most exploited in 1980s). Some examples of this fact are the 1961 police drama The Asphalt Jungle, an episode of 1974 NBC program Marcus Welby, M.D., 1974 NBC drama Police Woman, and Midnight Caller in 1988.
After the Stonewall riots of 1969, there was a major silence from media about homosexuality; as for television, the opposite of the queer villain appeared: "socially relevant" and appropriate homosexual.
Popular programs in the 1970s and 1980s such as All in the Family, Cheers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Golden Girls had episodes "featuring sympathetic portrayals of queer characters always following the 'rule' that all stories involving queer characters or storylines would be treated as a one-time occurrence". However, none of those ever showed said character within a queer community or with a same-sex partner.
Representation
The media has very little queer representation outside of queer specific shows (such as The L Word or Queer as Folk). According to research compiled by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the 2012–13 television season saw 4.4% of series regulars as queer characters; a marked increase from the statistics from previous years (2.9% in 2011, 3.9% in 2010, 3% in 2008, and 1.1% in 2007).
They give us just enough to keep us interested, but not enough to satisfy us and make us truly represented.
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.
Audience reaction and consequences
Although the statistics show increasing representation, it can be interpreted as something negative. One of the most popular queer characters currently on television is Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) on FOX's Glee, who "undergoes a coming-out storyline over the course of the show, and after revealing himself as gay, he truly begins to learn to love himself". The character has been criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and caricatured images of gay men (such as the way he dresses, certain mannerisms that can be called effeminate).
Some fans might also see that the characters are being added as plot devices rather than actual characters. For instance, "Glee went on to introduce several more queer characters the program with the most queer series regulars – have drawn criticism for presenting superficial stereotypes of queerness for dramatic effect".
It is true that, since LGBT+ are minorities, most of the viewers will not belong to these groups and not care or maybe even be uncomfortable with openly queer characters. Thus, through queer-baiting, the creators can appeal to the queer market and "avoid the backlash that comes with writing queer characters. In this way they also avoid making any social progress."
Some queer fans might accept it 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". However, some others are unsatisfied by the poor representation they are given. "Fans demand more accountability from writers that get us wrong – or just don’t give us enough."
It can even add up to the point where it hurts the queer audience. Queer baiting often plays potentially queer hints and references as mere jokes, but "if the representations in question utilize humour, are queer people in on the joke or are they the joke?"
It also portrays queer relationships as non-existent, only heterosexual, platonic relationships that were misunderstood.
This dynamic is often set up in such a way that the characters and creators must constantly remind us that the queering of their relationship is a joke, or even a perversion of their friendship. Intentionally or not, this sends a message that a gay relationship is not only less interesting, but less deep, less valuable, and less pure.
The phenomenon creates tension between the queer fans and the medium, which can have negative consequences in the medium's rating, sometimes even causing members of the audience to stop consuming the medium altogether.
Discussion
According to what Michel Foucault wrote in The History of Sexuality (1978), the construction of sexuality was "thoroughly imbued with relations of power"; translating this to the media, we can appreciate material created for a supposedly mainly heterosexual audience.
As proposed in Leslie Fiedler's essay "Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!", in which he argued that a recurrent theme in American literature was an unspoken or implied homoerotic relationship between men. The author claims in said essay that there are homoerotic traits in the relationship between the white boy Huck Finn and the runaway slave Jim", having as thesis that "the canon of American literature portray a 'national myth of masculine love'"
Examples
Supernatural has been debated as an example of this issue, as sexual/romantic tension between the characters Castiel and Dean Winchester has been perceived by a segment of viewers since the introduction of Castiel in the show's fourth season. Fans who interpret the show as deliberately teasing this dynamic cite the show's multiple relationship jokes and repeated use of common romantic tropes. The allegation of queer baiting then arises from the concept that the romantic subtext was deliberate but placed with no intention to follow through explicitly. Fans who do not agree with this interpretation fall into two groups: one which argues that these scenes have been consistently misinterpreted by 'shippers' (see shipping) and special interest groups due to agenda and cognitive bias; and another which argues that romantic insinuation exists but the allegation of queer baiting is preemptive, since the show may still follow through. To further complicate the debate, the show's cast and crew have provided mixed signals with regards to their intent. Jensen Ackles, who plays the character Dean, is on record as saying they "don't play it that way", whereas Misha Collins, the actor who plays Castiel, is on record as saying they sometimes do. Regardless of the accuracy of the designation, the show's perceived queer baiting has caused them trouble; for instance, the attempted CW PR event #AskSupernatural on Twitter got many questions about the topic, and venues outside the show's core fandom, such as TV Guide and The Advocate, have written critiques.
Another debated example of this issue is Sherlock. The characters Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are shown living together and often mistaken for a couple. John Watson often and vehemently defends his sexuality ("I am not gay") while Sherlock remains curiously silent about the topic. In the third season, John marries Mary Morstan after Sherlock fakes his death and disappears. As with Supernatural, fans who support this allegation cite the multiple relationship jokes and repeated use of common romantic tropes directed at Holmes and Watson and claim that the use of these tools with no intention to follow through with an explicit romance constitutes queer baiting. Others defend the show through either the argument that perceived romance is a misinterpretation, or through the alternate argument that the show's plan is to follow through. Unlike Supernatural, the cast and crew of Sherlock have been consistent in their denial of the show's portrayal of romance between John and Sherlock. Writers of Sherlock have also clearly stated that they do not plan to portray an "openly gay" romance between the characters in question. However, their refutations have done little to quell the controversy around this issue, with some fans choosing to believe that these claims are themselves an act meant to increase the surprise of eventual romance, and others arguing that the denial of textual romance in fact solidifies the allegation of queer baiting.
House, which portrays a close (apparently platonic) relationship between the characters of Gregory House and James Wilson, who are both in canon heterosexual relationships throughout the show (House with Lisa Cuddy, Wilson with his wife). They make sexual jokes at and about each other, and in one episode Wilson actually proposes to House as part of a ploy to get a female character interested in him.
In the TV series Merlin, the relationship between Arthur Pendragon and Merlin was described by the creators (after the series ended and the DVD was released with commentary) as "a love story between two men" without ever showing it onscreen aside from Arthur and Merlin acting like a married couple and bickering like one. Although the relationship in Merlin is not explicit, show runner Julian Murphy admits it is a love story. The creators even comment on how "magic (and the magic reveal) is a metaphor for homosexuality", but even here we see discrepancies between the creators of the medium.
Murphy says things like, "on no level is magic metaphorical in this show", to which McGrath will respond, "it's funny, I don't actually feel like you're being sincere".
The creators did include a canonically queer couple, but seemingly as a token so the audience would not complain.
Murphy pays homage to another fan pairing: "I gave you Morgause. Incestuous lesbianism, what more do you want?"