Hate for Love

 f’’(x): Queerbaiting

P. P. Zhang

Whilst the internet is a place for everyone to make their voices heard, it is usually those with radical views who are also the most vocal. Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about cancel culture. Using that as a segue, today’s point of discussion is around queerbaiting. Queerbaiting essentially means creators who hint at LGBTQ+ representation in their characters, only for it to never happen. It’s often used as a marketing technique to draw in LGBTQ+ audiences. Over time, the term has changed to be applied to celebrities in real life who play LGBTQ+ characters. I’m not big on TV shows and wouldn’t call myself a fan of the teen heartthrob ‘Heartstopper’ but the show did catch my attention this week. Specifically Kit Connor, who plays Nick Nelson, one of the leading characters who happens to be bisexual. All over social media, fans of the show have been accusing Connor of ‘queerbaiting’ due to leaked photos of him holding hands with actress Maia Reficco. 

The issue is contentious because fans feel that straight celebrities and creators should be held accountable for profiting off LGBTQ+ media, as well as encouraging more accurate representation of LGBTQ+ people on camera, rather than giving the role to someone who does not belong to the minority group. But does this only apply to sexual minorities? Perhaps in a racial context, it doesn’t seem to be an issue – often because the storyline would not function properly, for example, if the lead in 12 Years a Slave was not a person of colour. But what about other minority groups? Where is the line drawn there? Are shows like The Good Doctor misappropriating the neurodivergent by casting actors without the disability in question?

The problem with accusing people of queerbaiting is that despite starting off with good intentions, it’s been transformed into something more malicious. As a result of the accusations, Connor – who’s only 18 – has been forced to come out as bisexual to meet fans’ demands. Queerbaiting has become a way for people to harass celebrities for not disclosing their sexuality, a highly personal matter that should remain up to the discretion of the celebrity themself. 

And this isn’t the first time a celebrity has been accused of queerbaiting either. Harry Styles infamously was accused of the offence for wearing a green feather boa without confirming his sexual identity, whilst Billie Eilish was criticised for her somewhat sapphic scenes in a music video. Taylor Swift is beginning to be a common theme in my articles, because she too was accused of queerbaiting for her new album.

Now this raises an entire other issue in itself. Has wokeism passed its peak? In many scenarios, it seems self-professed ‘allies’ are doing the LGBTQ+ community more harm than good. In the Kit Connor example, many fans – who weren’t part of the community themselves – felt that they had a say in canceling Connor for his alleged queerbaiting. 

Now if we cast our minds back to my article concerning cancel culture, we see a similar narrative being painted with the misuse of ‘-phobic’ terms. In both instances, language was changed from the original meaning of the word, to mean something that could be used as a weapon to harass others online. To prevent others in the future like Kit Connor who had the special experience of coming out stolen from him, perhaps it’s time for us to consider whether terms that were created to prevent discrimination and harrassment, are slowly beginning to do the opposite.

Top image, Kit Connor as Nick Nelson in the Netflix show, Heartstopper