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The term 'queerbaiting' has evolved from meaning entrapment to marketing ploy to drawing "queer audiences into a piece of media that has no intention of actually meaningfully exploring queerness" says Leigh Pfeffer, host and producer of the podcast History Is Gay. Leigh tracks where the word's various incarnations came from, and why it should not be confused with 'queer coding'.
This episode contains some swears.
The Allusionist live show is coming to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in July and August 2022
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Info and tickets at theallusionist.org/events
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The Allusionist live show is coming to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in July and August 2022 📣 Info and tickets at theallusionist.org/events 📣
EXTRA MATERIALS:
About the “Bury Your Gays” trope.
Useful list of other tropes of the portrayal of queer characters.
Vito Russo (who is sometimes) credited with coining the term ‘queer coding’, in his book The Celluloid Closet ) became an eponym: the Vito Russo Test sets out criteria for queer characters on screen.
And on Making Gay History you can hear or read an interview with Vito Russo from 1988.
Read Emma Nordin’s 2015 paper that Leigh quotes from. “Despite that several people who accuse TV show producers of queerbaiting are very firm when pointing out that queerbaiting is not representation, it is the false promise of representation that seems to anger them the most.”
Otherlusionists relevant to this episode: the most recent episode, about rainbow washing; Polari, about the secret language British gay men used; and signalling in a different context, Lacuna.
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YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
theurgy, noun:
1. The operation or effect of a supernatural or divine agency in human affairs.
2. A system of white magic practised by the early Neoplatonists.
CREDITS:
Leigh Pfeffer is the host and producer of the podcast History Is Gay, which you can find at historyisgaypodcast.com, in the podplaces, and on Patreon.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the show at twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/helenzaltzman and instagram.com/allusionistshow.
