is ... queerbaiting?
if you're here i'm assuming you're a silly goose who doesn't know their definitions! well be confused no more! here is a handy guide compiled with my own research from my dissertation about the subject :)
Queerbaiting: what is it?
"Queerbaiting describes an industry tactic where 'those officially associated with a media text court viewers interested in LGBT narratives... without the text ever definitely confirming the nonheterosexuality of the relevant characters'. For this reason, the term is seen as exploitive, and when fans use it to describe a series, its marketing, or the actions of producers, they are engaging in a 'form of queer activism.'" (Brennan, 2019)
So... what does this mean?
it's used in the media
those affiliated with the production intend to reel in LGBTQ+ viewers
they never confirm the sexuality - leaving fans to only speculate
brings in queer audiences without having 'authentic' representation for that community
labelling something as 'queerbaiting' is essentially engaging in queer activism - can be done to make someone think they are standing up for the queer community when, in reality, they aren't
What else do I need to know?
The term itself is very unstable! "extended the terms definition to also account for dissatisfaction with the representation of canonical queerness"
fans have taken this term and adapted it (in differing ways to the original definition) - "such terms are often then modified by fans as conditions change or new imperatives arise" - not necessarily a trustworthy word as the consistent changeability of the definition renders it pretty much useless
Can real people queerbait?
Lets examine this further!
"a straight person might perceive two guys in [a text] as friends, whereas a gay person might pick up on indirect codes and infer that [the text] also is directed towards him"
an assumption I can make in regards to your personal standpoint is that if you believe Kit Connor is a queerbaiter, then you are straight! Queer people pick up on codes presented by other queer people in order to determine whether or not that person is safe to be around - in regards to hate crimes
"the signs of queerness certainly differ between groups and places, it can be easy to make mistakes. Misreading people is a problem, and can be offensive or dangerous..." (Shaw, 2022)* - Shaw also goes on to say how gender presentation is associated with sexuality, heavily due to stereotypes of gender - females must be feminine, males must be masculine
to perpetuate and follow along with this idealogy is, quite frankly, ridiculous, not to mention immensely outdated. insinuating that you can determine someones sexuality based on how they dress, look, walk, talk, behave is not an accurate or credible form of identification (this is excluding queer people reading people to determine who is a 'safe' person to be around).
In short, no. REAL PEOPLE CANNOT QUEERBAIT. To place the insinuation that they can is subject to and enforcing incredibly outdated stereotypes of gender and, as a result, sexuality. Gender is performative and you as an outsider to someone's personal life, are in NO position whatsoever to judge and/or determine how they identify.
Final Thoughts:
"nothing has any meaning until we give it one. We see something, but it has no intrinsic meaning until we make one for it. We construct the meaning." - gender is purely a social construct. we, as a society, have constructed the meaning of gender and, in retrospect, added a meaning to styles of dress, language, tones of voice, masculinity, femininity, etc.
to suggest that a certain gendered presentation of self is indicative of sexual orientation is not only close minded, but also homophobic in a sense. You are reiterating the same harmful rhetoric that queer people have been hearing for decades - 'you can't be gay your feminine', 'you're not straight, you dress too masculine', etc.