Film and TV present more than just the opportunity for entertainment — they present stories as a medium for relating and connecting with others.
For as long as film and TV have existed, they have opened the door for depicting human experiences. Unfortunately, though, the demographics represented place unexpected limitations on an audience’s ability to relate. The representation of the LGBTQA community, specifically, has been a battle from the start.
First and foremost, LGBTQA populations are largely invisible in the world of film and TV. Whether generated from a fear of being problematic, or from a general disregard for this incredibly large portion of the human population, the film industry thus far has managed to largely exclude queer identities. Even when LGBTQA folks are represented, they are often portrayed by straight, cis-gendered actors in stereotypical and often problematic ways.
Austin Maas | Argonaut
Imagine a young LGBTQA person coming out of the closet, running to film and TV for some sense of community, and finding that the only relatable characters are a bunch of limp-wristed, sex-crazed, caricatures of queer identities.
Just as providing a diverse scope of identities is vital, representing that diversity respectfully is paramount to inclusivity.
The problematic nature of film doesn’t stop at stereotypes. Again, imagine that same LGBTQA youth running to film for some external connection to a queer identity they hold, but instead of stereotypes this time, they find a sea of movies that end tragically.
By and large, movies that have featured LGBTQA people have ended in either the death of the queer character, or with their seclusion and loneliness. They find love at long last, but by the end they’ve been beaten up by bullies, attacked legally, received an ill-timed cancer diagnosis or realize that their relationship won’t work out because the world might just end if it does.
Again, this is not helpful.
At this point, that young person has been alienated by stereotypes. They have watched their tragic future unfold right in front of them, and they hope that one day they’ll see a movie where someone like them has the most comfortably mundane relationship ever. They flip on their TV to their favorite show and grip the armrest of their couch in fierce anticipation of the day that those two same-sex characters they’ve been watching for years will finally get together, but it never actually occurs. This is called queerbaiting.
Queerbaiting occurs when a film or TV show presents the possibility of a queer partnership, but never follows through.
This type of screen writing has been utilized in many popular shows — “Supernatural,” “Teen Wolf,” “The Good Wife” and “Sherlock” are just a few examples.
While many films and TV shows thrive on the anticipation generated by a potential love connection, queerbaiting is different in its reasoning and impact. With queerbaiting, it’s far too easy to claim LGBTQA viewership without ever having to actually support it. It’s also incredibly frustrating to watch a show where all the relationships progress normally except the same-sex one, seemingly because it would be blasphemous for those characters to even hold hands.
In an ideal world, a young LGBTQA person could watch a Disney film starring a queer prince in a committed relationship with the strongest of wrists and the brightest of futures.
Until then, though, the LGBTQA community may continue to be ostracized by film and TV companies. But, maybe one day inclusion will have less to do with marketability and more to do with empathy.
Austin Maas can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @austindmaas