Gay bait

The purpose of this method is to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them, [6] while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by actually portraying queer relationships. A very good looking and/or very well hung straight guy, used by his friends, to lure a gay guy into a con, set-up or petty crime, often in gay bars in Latin America, but also in Internet chat rooms.

Queerbaiting (sometimes called “gay-baiting”) refers to a marketing technique in media where creators hint at queer relationships or characters. They do it to gain an LGBTQ and ally audience without alienating their straight viewership. Queerbaiting refers to the practice of hinting at non-heterosexual relationships or attraction — such as in a TV show — to appeal to an LGBTQ + audience without ever actually depicting such relationships or sexual interactions.

There are dozens of heterosexual performers on OnlyFans who explicitly make content that flirts with the idea of being gay to draw in subscribers and money, and that matter feels more. Growing up gay, the line between overly attached sidekick-type characters and romantic interest always seemed very blurred to me, and sometimes still does.

queerbaiting examples in tv

Understandably, sex and relationships may not be at the top of the priority list when the world needs saving, but in my world, I care more about whether I can get it on with Claude in Fire Emblem than world peace. Being a gay man, I was always less interested in the typical love interests and more in the secondary male friend who usually completes the trifecta of friendship groups often shown in games, TV, and film.

All these stories include a friendship group consisting of three friends, with implied heterosexual romances between two of the three. Along with Fiora, these are the first characters you play as, and you guessed it, they also complete the standard three-piece friendship group archetype. When starting a big adventure like Xenoblade Chronicles , learning a whole new battle system, characters, and plot can be a lot to take in.

Having a character who undoubtedly looks out for you and helps ease you into the game is comforting. Can it be both? Nintendo is known as a family-friendly publisher. In one scene in the original release of Persona 5 , Ryuji is seen being hit on by two gay guys at the beach in a way that paints gay people as perverted, sex-hungry fiends who chase after every straight man in sight.

This was changed in Persona 5 Royal , but the damage was already done. This is increasingly ironic, seeing that Ryuji is the next character on the queerbaiting agenda. There are other ways queerbaiting could be seen happening that are not in a friendship group of three. Throughout Persona 5 , Ryuji is your right-hand man. Still, the number of instances that would be heavily suggestive if this were a heteronormative relationship are plenty.

Since then, Atlus has learned from their past mistakes, as Persona 5 Scramble lets you express interest in Ryuji and even lets you daydream about marriage to him. Congrats Ryuji! The characters share a lot of history with each other prior to the start of the game, and their bond is undeniable. I said that Nintendo tends to avoid adult themes, but Fire Emblem is an exception.

Although the series does have a few gay options for romance, many of them are lesbian relationships, which is a step in the right direction, but does bring up questions about the male gaze and fan service. Fire Emblem: Three Houses even went so far as to have teased the option for more gay male relationships during its pre-release. So much so that gaming websites were convinced characters such as Claude were a gay romance option.

My hand, my heart, even my neck. Things were looking hopeful for gay gamers, until the game came out. To get into a romantic relationship, an S-Support where two characters have maxed out their relationship needs to be established between the two characters. You can play the game with either a male or female protagonist.

The female version of Byleth has five female options to reach that sexy S-Support with, whereas male Byleth can only reach S-Support with three guys, and only one of them is stated as romantic. The other two remain completely platonic, with one even making an effort to mention his wife and child. With Claude being so flirty with me during the game, I was very disappointed realising he was never gay in the first place.

Out of a sea of over 32 recruitable characters, to only have one gay option? This changes when he bumps into Ike, who saves him. Why is Soren so abused? The scene in which Soren says all of this is when he comes out to Ike about what he is, and ends with Ike holding him for a hug while Soren sobs into his chest.