Opinion – ‘Queerbaiting’ creates unfair pressure on young celebrities

Styles’ fans range from queer kids to elderly men. His shows are bastions of self-acceptance and freedom, where audience members are known to adorn themselves in glitter and feathers. 

But as this image of ‘difference’ – signposted by many of the markers of queer culture – has grown, Styles has faced increasing accusations of queerbaiting from both fans and the media. 

It’s understandable, to some extent. Queer audiences, who have found solace and belonging in Harry’s music, may find it frustrating that Styles’ himself doesn’t openly identify as queer. Either because he isn’t, or because he doesn’t want to.

But it ultimately shouldn’t matter. Nobody should have a monopoly over how another person chooses to present themselves, and certainly not over how they announce their sexuality. 

This week, the queerbaiting conversation reached a heart-breaking new low. Actor Kit Connor, who has starred in the Netflix hit series ‘Heartstopper’, tweeted that he was bisexual. 

‘Back for a minute’ he wrote, alluding to a self-imposed twitter hiatus. ‘I’m bi. Congrats on forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.’

What should have been a cause for celebration left many outraged on Connor’s behalf, including his castmates who have since rallied around in support. 

Heartstopper catapulted Connor to global fame with its sweet portrayal of a gay high-school romance. But with this success has followed pressure on cast members to disclose their sexuality. Of course, they are under no obligation to do so.

There are countless reasons someone may want to keep this information private. Our sexuality is deeply personal, and often complex. 

In Connor’s case, coming out as bisexual speaks to the constant pressure to define our sexual identity into neat boxes. ‘Gay’ or ‘Straight’ are archaic binaries which dismiss the many different versions of queerness that exist beyond and between. 

Young people, like Connor, are also often figuring things out themselves, and may not be ready to divulge information to others. Especially when those ‘others’ are millions of eagle-eyed fans and journalists they don’t know. 

After being seen with members of the opposite sex, rumours emerged that Connor was ‘queerbaiting’ fans by remaining vague about his sexual identity. 

As Patrick Lenton points out, Connor didn’t owe anyone, least of all the entitled public, a detailed explanation of his personal life. But queerbaiting discourse demonizes those that its purveyors seek to protect. 

Attacking someone for not coming out is just as dangerous as attacking them for doing so. It also reduces queer identity to visual markers. 

By suggesting individuals like Harry Styles or Kit Connor can’t wear makeup or kiss boys on TV unless they’re ‘really’ gay, we assume sexuality can be defined so simply. In doing so, we stray into dangerous territory that seeks to define people by preconceived ideas of what sexual identity should look like. Sound familiar?