Queerbaiting is a complicated topic with nuances which take some significant space to grapple with in detail. There are concerns with linking shipping with LGBTQ+ activism, complexities around drawing a distinction between queerbaiting and homoerotic subtext, discourse around why certain pairings become such fandom behemoths and arguments which suggest investment in shipping those characters pushes shows with plenty of LGBTQ+ visibility to the margins. Then of course there's the issue of ace erasure and a desire for more platonic male intimacy in pop culture in general.
Despite these complexities I attempt to reframe the debate in this short piece for The Mary Sue, with reference to a simple bugbear of mine. Why does desire for romantic endgames for same-sex pairings get side-eyed, when the same is rarely true when people hope for a romantic culmination to the story arcs of an opposite sex pairing? What does assumed heterosexuality of mainstream television characters and arguments which insist a character is 'straight' tell us about a general lack of LGBTQ+ diversity in television, bierasure and heteronormativity in the mainstream?
The article can be found HERE.
Despite these complexities I attempt to reframe the debate in this short piece for The Mary Sue, with reference to a simple bugbear of mine. Why does desire for romantic endgames for same-sex pairings get side-eyed, when the same is rarely true when people hope for a romantic culmination to the story arcs of an opposite sex pairing? What does assumed heterosexuality of mainstream television characters and arguments which insist a character is 'straight' tell us about a general lack of LGBTQ+ diversity in television, bierasure and heteronormativity in the mainstream?
The article can be found HERE.