Heartstopper star Kit Connor claims he has had to come out as bisexual after being accused of queerbaiting.
Connor plays the part of Nick Nelson in the show, which is based on Alice Oseman's graphic books of the same name. Nick is a star rugby player who questions his sexuality after meeting and becoming friends with Charlie Spring (Joe Locke).
Later, the bisexuality of his character is revealed.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the 18-year-old actor revealed that he’s bisexual on Twitter. He wrote “Back for a minute. I’m bi,” and added “Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”
Former One Direction singer Harry Styles also previously defended himself against accusations of queerbaiting that have been levelled against him by critics.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Styles revealed that he’s never been in a public relationship with either a man or woman, despite accusations that he has profited off his perceived gay identity due to his LGBTQ+ aesthetic.
Speaking to the publication, Styles said: “Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone.”
He added: “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”
But what is queerbaiting and why were Connor and Styles accused of it?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is queerbaiting?
Queerbaiting is largely an accusation that’s levelled at straight people who appropriate queer culture and aesthetics, without properly crediting the community they’re alluding to, reports Newsweek.
Speaking to Health, research assistant professor at Northwest University Ricky Hill, who is a faculty member of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, said, “Queerbaiting is a ‘marketing ploy’ that suggests at queerness, but never actually delivers it.”
He explained that the practice most notably happens in television programmes, but can also happen in movies, books, music and any other form of media.
Through the use of the plot, aesthetics, interview answers, social media posts, or lyrics, the writer, director or producer will draw in an LGBTQ+ audience with the promise of a positive queer representation but never fulfil it.
Speaking to Health, Kim Hackford-Peer PhD, the associate chair in the University of Utah’s Division of Gender Studies, said: “So the viewers – especially queer people – are drawn in with the hope of seeing possibilities of themselves reflected back to them on the screen or hearing that in the music and are always left sort of waiting for it to actually happen.”
While it’s most commonly thought of as used in media and entertainment, it can also be employed in other spheres, where the promise that LGBTQ+ inclusivity will be featured, but never is.
Why was Harry Styles accused of queerbaiting?
Styles, 28, has suffered accusations of queerbaiting throughout his career, due to the fact he doesn’t conform to a traditionally masculine standard, wearing dresses and also employing a flamboyant persona for photoshoots.
Styles, who is currently dating the actress Olivia Wilde, was accused of queerbaiting in April 2022, when he told Better Homes and Gardens that he has “no obligation to publicly reveal who he sleeps with”.
Speaking to the publication, he said: “I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine.”
He added: “The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”
During a 2018 concert, Styles responded to a fan in the crowd, by saying: “I love you as well, thank you for coming … and I mean, we’re all a little bit gay, aren’t we? We’re all a little bit gay.”
Styles plays a gay man in the movie My Policeman, which is currently in cinemas. Speaking about the role to Rolling Stone, he said: “I think everyone, including myself, has our own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it,” he said.
“It’s not like ‘This is a gay story about these guys being gay.’ It’s about love and about wasted time to me.”
