Queerbaiting

The cast and crew of the television series Sherlock have denied that the relationship between the characters Sherlock Holmes (left) and John Watson is meant to be seen as romantic, although some fans interpret it that way. Some critics have described the depiction as queerbaiting.

"Queerbaiting" is a term used to describe certain creative and marketing practices (often related to a work of fiction) that seemingly hint at, but do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. A variety of scholars, cultural critics and fans have claimed that these practices are intended to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of queer relationships and/or queer characters, while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by explicitly portraying those relationships or characters.

Accusations of queerbaiting have been made towards films, television series, books, music, advertisements and other forms of media, but also towards celebrities who express an ambiguous sexual identity through their works and statements. The term arose in and has been popularized through discussions in Internet fandom since the early 2010s. It comes from a larger history of LGBTQ+ discourse in media representation dating back to the 1970s from subtle marketing to LGBTQ+ people through commercials and books.


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