Essay On Queer Baiting
In recent years, the portrayal of LGBTQA folks on TV has increased. Shows like Glee and Orange is the New Black are inclusive of LGBTQA characters, fulfilling a social demand for representation. The way that canonically LGBTQA characters and their relationships are portrayed is a vastly complicated topic, that I will not be touching on. Instead, I'm going to focus on a different issue that comes up in discussions about LGBTQA representation in the media, queer-baiting.
I am sure that most people with an active media presence are somewhat aware of the concept of queerbaiting. But for those who aren't, queerbaiting generally refers to the growing trend of TV shows to include subtexts of same-sex romance, without ever actually developing …show more content…
Well, anyone who has seen the show Supernatural might have noticed the sexual/romantic tension between the characters Castiel and Dean Winchester. Supernatural has drawn a huge amount of controversy about its queer-baiting tactics in this relationship. Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel share a “more profound bond” and many of the other characters make jokes or comments as if the two were romantically linked. However, these allegations are repeatedly brushed off with a “no homo” type response.
Another example of queer-baiting in television is the BBC Sherlock. In this adaption, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are often mistaken for a couple, in response to this John defends his heterosexuality ("I am not gay"). Meanwhile, Sherlock never comments on his sexuality, leading many fans to believe that he falls under the LGBTQA umbrella, however, these rumors are never confirmed in the show. As with Supernatural, fans point to the multiple relationship jokes and the recurring use of romantic tropes, without any intention to follow through with an explicit romance as queer baiting.
So now you're probably thinking, why is queer-baiting an issue? It's not like the writers are being homophobic, is it?
Although queerbaiting may not be homophobia per se, it is heterosexism, the unspoken assumption that heterosexuality is the norm and anything that falls outside is
I am sure that most people with an active media presence are somewhat aware of the concept of queerbaiting. But for those who aren't, queerbaiting generally refers to the growing trend of TV shows to include subtexts of same-sex romance, without ever actually developing …show more content…
Well, anyone who has seen the show Supernatural might have noticed the sexual/romantic tension between the characters Castiel and Dean Winchester. Supernatural has drawn a huge amount of controversy about its queer-baiting tactics in this relationship. Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel share a “more profound bond” and many of the other characters make jokes or comments as if the two were romantically linked. However, these allegations are repeatedly brushed off with a “no homo” type response.
Another example of queer-baiting in television is the BBC Sherlock. In this adaption, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are often mistaken for a couple, in response to this John defends his heterosexuality ("I am not gay"). Meanwhile, Sherlock never comments on his sexuality, leading many fans to believe that he falls under the LGBTQA umbrella, however, these rumors are never confirmed in the show. As with Supernatural, fans point to the multiple relationship jokes and the recurring use of romantic tropes, without any intention to follow through with an explicit romance as queer baiting.
So now you're probably thinking, why is queer-baiting an issue? It's not like the writers are being homophobic, is it?
Although queerbaiting may not be homophobia per se, it is heterosexism, the unspoken assumption that heterosexuality is the norm and anything that falls outside is