Queer Coding and Queerbaiting: No Homo! Unless…
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Photo by Rene Baker, Unsplash
When people like to remind me that our society is so much better than it was about 50 years ago in terms of acceptance, I remind them in return that “better” doesn’t always mean “good”. It merely implies it could’ve been worse. When it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, they can get married now (in some places), they can adopt children (in some places), and they get to see themselves represented in the media.
Sort of.
Queer Coding: For a Little Bit of Backstory
Photo by Amy Humphries, Unsplash
For those who don’t know, queer coding is when creators give a character typically queer traits, all the while never explicitly labelling them as queer. This trope, for the most part, is neutral. It’s the historical context that’s the issue.
In the early days of filmmaking, the U.S. government discouraged any form of overt sexuality, fearing the influence the media had on the public. While LGBTQ+ depictions weren’t outright banned, shining a negative light on them was fine. This is where the problem with queer coding came into play. Male villains were effeminate; female villains, devious.
We can see plenty of examples of the bad guys being portrayed this way in Disney movies. There’s Ratcliffe from Pocahontas, with his concern for fashion. Scar from The Lion King is another gay stereotype, from the limp wrist to the sway of his hips as he struts. We also have Ursula, who was inspired by the late drag queen Divine. Maleficient, with her features drawn sharp to give her a more masculine appearance to juxtapose Aurora’s femininity. Etc. Etc.
Again, queer coding is technically neutral, and plenty of queer people still like these characters (including me). The problem lies in the villainization of queerness. Although we can now have LGBTQ+ onscreen, the harmful tropes haven’t gone away. Plus, another problem arose in the process.
Queerbaiting: Progress (Except I Lied About the Progress Part)
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique where creators hint at their fictional characters being part of the LGBTQ+ community but never depict them as such. It’s similar to queer coding, only the issue is they’re trying to lure in an LGBTQ+ audience by convincing them they’re going to get the representation they’ve wanted for so long. “Fake woke shit,” as I like to call it.
An example would be J.K. Rowling. With her only announcing that Dumbledore was gay after finishing the books and never showing his sexual orientation in the Harry Potter films, Rowling’s fans were rightfully skeptical. Even when the opportunity arose to show some proper representation in the Fantastic Beasts films, they got nothing.
We also have the live-action of The Beauty and the Beast, with LeFou and his little crush on Gaston. This comic-relief of a side character was already queer-coded in the animated film, but in the live-action, he’s just a little bit gayer. Staring at Gaston longingly and… yeah, that’s it. It’s enough that the producers can lure in an LGBTQ+ audience but not too much that they’ll lose their homophobic audience.
Fake. Woke. Shit.
Queer Words from a Queer Person:
Photo by Delia Giandeini, Unsplash
I’m not saying queer villains shouldn’t exist. What I am saying is that you should do more research when it comes to creating queer characters. When coming up with characters who are from marginalized groups, you must always take into consideration historical context. Even if you didn’t mean to write a gay character that plays into negative stereotypes, it’s the impact that counts at the end of the day. When creating a straight character, no one associates their flaws with their sexual orientation because people see being straight as the default; they see it as normal, human. Queer people don’t have that luxury.
The LGBTQ+ community has claimed some of these characters as queer; we don’t hate them. However, we shouldn’t have to decide their sexuality to see ourselves onscreen. Being LGBTQ+ isn’t taboo; we deserve to exist without being viewed as inappropriate. Even if accidental, creating a queer character that plays into harmful stereotypes can negatively affect the queer audience that is already so starved of seeing themselves accurately portrayed in the media.
If you don’t see the importance of representation, it’s because you’ve always been represented.
Shireen Agharazi-Dormani
An artist with strong opinions, a fear of social interactions, and one hell of a sweet tooth. Needs at least 10 hours of sleep and lots of hugs. Handle with care: very sensitive.
