When celebrities hold their sexuality ambiguous or take part in overtly queer situations like kissing their male backup dancer — a query is typically raised: “Are they queerbaiting?”
Queerbaiting sometimes refers to a advertising and marketing tactic the place media makes use of queer imagery, lyrics, plots, and dialog to attract in an LGBTQ+ viewers with out the intention to ship correct LGBTQ+ illustration.
Right now, the time period has developed and can be used as a criticism of an individual, particularly a public determine, who’s seen to be portraying themselves as queer or ambiguous to pander to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood for advertising and marketing functions.
However does this hypothesis contribute to erasing queer identities like bisexuality, asexuality, and pansexuality? Ought to sexual fluidity or inventive roles solely be reserved for celebrities who explicitly determine as queer? Is their presence detrimental to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, and are these claims legitimate? It is difficult!
Listed here are 10 celebrities accused of queerbaiting and the way they responded to the allegations.
Harry is essentially the most vocal in opposition to these accusations, stating in an interview with The Guardian, “Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to attempt to be extra fascinating? No.”
“By way of how I wanna costume and what the album sleeve’s gonna be, I are likely to make selections by way of collaborators I wish to work with,” Harry continued. “I would like issues to look a sure method. Not as a result of it makes me look homosexual, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, however as a result of I believe it seems to be cool.”
2.
When Nick Jonas went solo, he was criticized for queerbaiting after incessantly courting the LGBTQ+ neighborhood at homosexual bars and advantages surrounding his music releases.
Along with his public appearances, Nick appeared in tv reveals like The Kingdom and Scream Queens portraying homosexual characters.
Nick responded to claims of queerbaiting by saying, “Everybody’s entitled to their very own opinion. I believe it is unlucky that some folks must discover a damaging in each state of affairs. Clearly, my coronary heart is in the proper place, and greater than something, if they simply checked out my life and my homosexual buddies and the genuine nature of the place my coronary heart is, they’d simply see that they are form of ignorant.”
3.
When Tyler Posey spoke about his sexual fluidity on his OnlyFans account, it sparked antagonistic reactions. An individual claimed he was a “gay-baiter” — solely pretending to be homosexual to generate profits.
Tyler clapped again on the allegations, saying that he is solely attempting to be sincere about himself. He added that the feedback are unusual and merciless, which impressed his consciousness of cyberbullying.
Tyler’s girlfriend, alt-rock singer Phem, who can be queer, helped him notice his sexuality. “She’s helped me notice that I match below the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid, I assume. No, not ‘I assume.’ I don’t need anybody to take this and be like: ‘Effectively, he was form of wishy-washy about it.'”
4.
Billie Eilish was accused of queerbaiting when she launched a music video for “Misplaced Trigger,” a single from her sophomore album. The music video included suggestive interactions with partially dressed girls.
Billie promoted the video on Instagram, her caption studying, “i really like women.” This put up added gasoline to the hearth of the queerbaiting dialog.
In an interview with Elle journal, she mentioned to everybody discussing her sexuality, “Like, oh yeah, that is everybody else’s enterprise, proper? No. The place’s that power with males? I simply wished to make a track as soon as, after which I stored making songs. I by no means mentioned, ‘Hey, take note of my life.’ All my buddies know I do not wanna see any of [the negative chatter]. When folks ship me one thing imply, it hurts my soul.”
In line with Advanced, folks additionally accused Ariana of exploiting the queer neighborhood when she headlined the Manchester Pleasure pageant in 2019 and doubled ticket costs.
Ariana swiftly responded, “The LGBTQ+ neighborhood has been so particular to me and supportive all through my total profession. The relationships I’ve with my LGBTQ+ followers, buddies, and household make me so so blissful.” She claimed the ticket costs had been the venue’s determination and out of her management.
6.
When Normani launched “Wild Aspect,” that includes Cardi B, the artists had been accused of queerbaiting for holding one another whereas nude within the music video.
Cardi B wasted no time firing again at these claims, reminding the haters that she identifies as a bisexual girl.
I don’t like this new “queer baiting” phrase.I really feel prefer it strain artist to speak about their sexuality or their experiences that they don’t really feel snug talking about.If a artist kiss a lady on a video does meaning she gotta present movies & textual content wit wit different girls?
In response to nude pictures of Cardi B and Normani holding one another, she defined it was to hide her being pregnant.
Uuummmm @RollingStone queer baiting? You do know we was attempting to cover an entire child bump proper ?Additionally I’m married to a person however I’ve categorical soo a lot about my bisexuality and my experiences wit women .Impulsively “queer baiting” is the brand new phrase & folks use it to the bottom ! https://t.co/M3kn4NyJBs
7.
Charlie Puth was referred to as out for queerbaiting after he posted a TikTok video purposefully misusing a filter about homosexual intercourse that labeled whether or not he was a prime or a backside.
Folks additionally criticized Charlie for his sexually charged social media engagement, together with innuendos and partially nude photographs, and the queer ambiguity of his newest single with Joonkook of BTS, “Left and Proper.”
Whereas he is but to immediately deal with the queerbaiting accusations, Charlie had this to say concerning the on-line criticism of his work with BTS:
I don’t normally pay any thoughts to issues like this, however one thing must be mentioned. This harmful, poisonous, web screaming match between ‘fandoms’ has to cease. I’m 28 years outdated, so it doesn’t actually imply something to me when some individual I don’t know writes a nasty message to me…
However what I do know is that 10 years in the past, language like this directed in direction of me would’ve affected me deeply in a really damaging method. And I’m fascinated with all the opposite youthful children on twitter seeing stuff like this every day.
It could sound cliche, however please be nicer to one another on right here. No extra screaming about made up nonsense. It does no person any good. All of us want to like one another MORE THAN EVER RIGHT NOW.
8.
James Franco appeared in a number of roles as a homosexual man, and casually joked that he was a “little homosexual” throughout an interview. Critics speculated that he used homoeroticism for business achieve.
In response to the hypothesis, James did an interview with 429 Journal the place “Straight James Franco” spoke to “Homosexual James Franco.” He mentioned, “Effectively, I prefer to assume that I am homosexual in my artwork and straight in my life. Though, I am additionally homosexual in my life as much as the purpose of intercourse, after which you possibly can say I am straight. So I assume it will depend on the way you outline homosexual. If it means whom you might have intercourse with, I assume I am straight.”
James’ present sexual misconduct accusations continued the dialog about whether or not he makes use of his “queerness” to divert consideration away from his extra problematic conduct.
9.
Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, professionally generally known as t.A.T.u, had been as soon as thought-about homosexual icons for his or her unabashed music movies. However, within the 2003 documentary, Screaming for Extra, the duo revealed they’re straight and had been marketed as queer girls for his or her musical act.
“That was my position. I by no means was a lesbian. I by no means was drawn to a lady. I by no means had that,” Katina informed the Every day Beast when questioned. “I had some ideas as a result of I used to be pretending to be who I wasn’t. After which, I used to be fascinated with it lots, ‘Why am I involved?’ There are such a lot of actors taking part in completely different roles in films. I’ll simply have a look at it as a film. If I’m serving to folks with this position, then why not.”
On a Russian TV present, Yulia spoke out in opposition to the homosexual neighborhood, saying that if her son had been homosexual, she would condemn him. “I imagine that an actual man have to be an actual man. God created man for procreation, it’s the nature. The person for me is the help, the power of… I will not settle for [a] homosexual son.”
10.
Lastly, Madonna confronted criticism after she posted a remark in response to Lil Nas X’s BET Award efficiency the place he kissed his male backup dancer.
Madonna posted a side-by-side image on her Instagram story of herself kissing Britney Spears (a second from 2003 that many thought-about queerbaiting) and an image of Lil Nas X’s efficiency together with the hashtag: “#DidItFirst.”
Madonna did not reply, however Lil Nas X brushed all of it off, saying she meant no hurt by the remark.
What do you concentrate on these celebrities who had been accused of queerbaiting? What about their responses?
