In the earlier days of the entertainment industry, representation was a brave act. It was essentially the directors and showrunners recognizing the need for representation and going against the norm. However in recent times the word representation has taken on a negative connotation. These days not all but many shows and movies introduce LGBTQIA+ elements simply for the sake of it. This could even be called queerbaiting. But, before using this term to condemn any form of entertainment, we need to be aware not only of what queerbaiting is but also how it is different from representation.

Queerbaiting

The word queerbaiting itself is quite self explanatory. It is when a movie or a show uses sexuality as a way to draw in an audience. These days since representation has become less of a social stance and more of a gimmick, the entertainment industry indulges in queerbaiting quite shamelessly. Sometimes it’s in a more subtle manner such as in the show Sherlock. In this instance a romantic relationship is constantly teased between Sherlock and John Watson. However it never evolves into something more and it is simply used for comedic effect. This is still not as egregious as other shows and movies have been in the past. For example in the show Community, there is no hint of subtlety and the queerbaiting and undertones of homophobia are in full effect. Here the common trope of accusing someone to be gay for being ‘different’ is in full effect. One of the show’s protagonists, Pierce constantly teased Jeff for being gay. Now that we have understood what queerbaiting is, another question arises. What does actual representation look like?

Representation

Actual representation is far more different and positive than queerbaiting. There are of course movies such as Blue Is The Warmest Color, Moonlight and so on as well as shows such as Love,Victor and Heartstopper where the entire plot is centered around LGBTQUIA+ themes. These shows and movies showcase the community in a very positive and more importantly realistic light. These screenplays don’t buy into the stereotypes and instead portray LGBTQIA+ characters and plots in a realistic fashion. However, this representation need not only be seen in shows and movies centered around the community. Movies such as Dear Zindagi and Kapoor & Sons have characters from the community presented in almost a cameo of sorts. This type of representation is also important as anything LGBTQUIA+ doesn’t always have to be a major plot point. Sometimes these themes and characters are just present without necessarily adding anything to the plot. This mirrors real life as members of the community are all around us. We may not notice them because due to the entertainment industry we think that members of the community act a certain way while in reality they do not. They are like any of us and the way they may choose to portray isn’t because of their sexuality, it’s just simply who they are. This is why this sort of representation is extremely important as well because it helps to bust myths and stereotypes. 

Conclusion

Fortunately, these days instances of queerbaiting are going down and instances of representation are going up. This is due to more mainstream awareness regarding such sensitive issues. But this does not mean that this issue has been fully eradicated. It is still present. And thus we need to keep condemning instances of queerbaiting and also celebrating actual representation. 

-Malhar, Delhi