Queerbaiting discourse is trending on X again, and we’re all exhausted. A user recently posted a collage of six female singers, including Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, with the caption, “Straight female artists who never dated a woman yet still pretend to be bisexual just to exploit the LGBTQ+ community.” The post was essentially accusing the women pictured of “queerbaiting,” a term that describes media (specifically in entertainment) that hints at representing queerness without doing so explicitly. The ambiguity is used to attract a queer audience without the risk of backlash or alienating other consumers.
In the thread, the user went after the artists, criticizing Eilish for only publicly dating men and maintaining that Roan “decided that she wanted to become a lesbian [because] it was gonna benefit her.” Eilish and Roan, among other women in the post’s collage, have come out as being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Other users were quick to push back on this narrative, with replies including, “mind you you don’t know these women…” and, “did you know that someone’s sexual preference has nothing to do with their dating experience? or how much they choose to share with strangers (you)?”
Let’s be clear: queerbaiting is a very real phenomenon–just not when it’s directed at real people. The phrase has been historically understood within the context of media, such as television, books, or even advertisements, where producers imply queerness in characters without being direct. Some popular examples of queerbaiting in the media include the TV shows Supernatural and Teen Wolf.
In this context, queerbaiting is a valid concern for audiences. The problem with the media’s ambiguity around queerness is that it deprives people of real LGBTQ+ representation, profiting financially from LGBTQ+ viewers without risking backlash from homophobic audiences. But extending this concept past fictional characters and plot lines and onto real people can be damaging.
Even if the women in the Twitter post weren’t lesbian, bisexual, or pansexual, accusing them of queerbaiting only further enforces the pressure of the binary of gender and sexuality both in and out of the queer community.
The paradox of queerbaiting is that a celebrity “owes” the audience the disclosure of their sexuality because of their gender performance, while also advocating for more freedom to break out of those norms they’re enforcing. If Billie Eilish were straight (which she has said that she’s not), shouldn’t she be allowed to still wear less feminine clothing and break gender stereotypes? Accusations of queerbaiting, whether against people who are publicly out or more private about their sexuality, leave no room for people to experiment with their identity expressions–those who do are labeled as “confused,” “doing it wrong,” or “manipulative.”
The LGBTQ+ community (and allies) have made great progress in dismantling gender norms. So it’s ironic, then, to see influential figures like Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, who take liberties with their gender expression, be accused of queerbaiting by the community that advocates for the freedom to do so.
If you’re upset that your fave isn’t being “queer enough” after coming out, take a step back. We’re all susceptible to parasocial relationships, but it’s important to remember that celebrities (or anyone) don’t owe you “proof” of their sexual identity.
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