#sherlock queerbaiting

[teplejtrouba]

i once described Sherlock to my friend as “one of the gayest series to ever gay without actually gaying” and I think it’s pretty accurate

[random4455]

There is an American sitcom called Difficult People and it has a character who works for PBS. In a recent episode the person was listening to viewer voicemails and one said (in a man’s voice) “I didn’t watch Sherlock so I could see Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman NOT kiss!”

This is the first time I’ve heard Sherlock’s queerbaiting directly referenced on TV.

[usuallynotusual]

Queerbaiting in BBC Sherlock

Note: Before you label me as a ‘butthurt LGBTQ fan’ (as if such a thing even exists), I’m straight. Because apparently that makes my opinion valid now.

What is queerbaiting? 

There’s a pretty wide definition, actually, but the one that’s most relevant here is: it's when you make very heavy references to queer relationships or even queer characters in your shows, but then you never follow through on these references. It’s done to increase viewership and draw LGBTQ fans in (because of the promise of positive representation). So basically, it’s a marketing technique, but a harmful one.

Why is queerbaiting harmful?

Think of it this way. You’re gay/bi/a lesbian, and people around you aren’t very accepting or are plain homophobic. You see these two men on TV, and you start thinking...wait, it looks like they’re in love. You go online and realize that you’re not the only one reading the show in this way - there are literally thousands of other people interpreting it the same way. So you tell everyone around you, look at these two men. They’re gay and in love, and this is a popular TV show, and it means that my sexuality and my feelings are valid, and there’s nothing wrong with how I feel. Everyone laughs at you and says “Nope, they aren’t in love. You’re delusional.” 

You think, okay, let them laugh. When this becomes cannon, they’ll know. The queer subtext is all there, and the writers wouldn’t dare not follow through on it, right? But sadly, the queer subtext remains just that: subtext. And suddenly all the homophobes around you stand validated.

But there’s no gay subtext in BBC Sherlock. It’s just a wishful ship.

Wrong. I’m not saying that everyone has to ship Johnlock, but no matter what you ship, you can’t deny the gay subtext in this show. People have written thousands of words worth of meta about it - and it all makes perfect sense. (I believe @inevitably-johnlocked has a master list - or she can link you to one). There are videos decoding all the gay subtext -  let’s take the example of TJLC Explained - 48 videos, and they add up to a total time of 37 hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds - each one decoding a different aspect of the gay subtext in BBC Sherlock. Apart from the TJLC Explained series, there are a lot of other videos doing the same thing. Sure, a small number of such videos and meta are a little far-fetched, but the majority of them are well-referenced, well-written, and properly decode the various literary tropes used by BBC Sherlock. (Like, seriously, kudos to this fandom for being the absolute best meta-writers I have ever seen. You could turn half of these metas in as proper college essays.)

But the writers and BBC have said that there is no gay subtext.

The problem isn’t even so much with Johnlock not becoming cannon - it’s with the way Mofftiss and BBC have responded to being called out for their bullshit. Yes, they did a complete 180 around the time of season 4, saying “that is not the story we want to tell” and “it has never been implied that John and Sherlock are in love”. When so many people, literally thousands, are reading your show the exact same way, it’s because you put the subtext in there. Saying anything else is an insult to our intelligence - and again, it’s blatant queerbaiting and feeding heteronormativity and straight culture.

*yawn* Heteronormativity and straight culture are myths.

In His Last Vow, if Sherlock had come back to life for Molly or Irene Adler, everyone would insist that he’s in love with them. There would be no question about it. He came back to life for John, but him and John are eternal bros, right?

That, my friend, is heteronormativity right there.

Basically, you’re bitter that your ship didn’t become canon. 

LOL. Read above^ you think anyone would put in this much effort just because ‘their ship didn’t become canon’? The Johnlock community is literally comprised of people of all ages, sexualities, nationalities, and genders. So honestly, pegging us as ‘horny teenage fangirls’ - bit ridiculous. We aren’t waving flags and going around yelling “It’s gay because they looked at each other!”, we’re actually ANALYZING and DECODING the show. Before you label us, go read some meta, then tell us we’re still delusional for believing Johnlock could be real.

Besides, I don’t see such an uproar happening about hetero ships. You know why? Because they have representation, whereas LGBTQ representation in media is still severely lacking.

But artists have the right to do what they want with their art. 

Of course they do, but if my art offended an entire sect of society, I think I’d at least apologize, instead of blatantly denying everything and insulting the people who called me out for my bullshit. 

Additions to this post here

[dixseptdixhuit]

Just an info: I barely post about Sherlock anymore and that’s entirely because I’m still FUMING about the whole disaster and I’m kinda nauseous every time I think about it. So, yeah. I just wanted to say it.

[roselymind]

On “queerbaiting” in Sherlock, or rather the absence of it

I first watched Sherlock in November 2016. Late to the party, I know, but also just in time to watch every episode at least four times before the new season came out, and admittedly a few more after that. And although I haven’t been in the fandom for very long, I have a profound appreciation for not only the extraordinarily intelligent writing and the stunningly complex characters and intricate plots but also the obvious, the brilliant acting.

However, you can’t exactly join a fandom without coming across one or two gay ship, and the Sherlock fandom is certainly not excluded from that with their obvious johnlock. When discussion The Lying Detective with one of my close friend’s he drew my attention to some of the anger that surrounded the fourth season and I couldn’t understand why. At first I said they should be happy because of that comforting hug but he said that was precisely why I was mad. That’s when I sought out a hundred posts about the so called queer baiting that was angering people and I want to say something.

You are not owed anything. Just because you want something badly doesn’t mean you deserve to get it. I am not saying that queer baiting is okay, or that it doesn’t happen, but I am saying that it doesn’t exist in Sherlock.

Sherlock and John are two best friends, who are bonded so closely that they consider each other their family, their closest kin. They are two men who harbour an immense amount of respect, trust, and absolute loyalty for each other. They admire each other, know each other, truly know all of the best and worst things about each other and accept them. They live together, work together and it is true, they love each other. But they are not in love with each other, and they do not have to be.

Name another show, as popular as Sherlock, with the same audience, in fact, name any show, that projects a better example of platonic love between men. I have watched a lot of television and I must be missing something because I cannot. In fact, the most emotional vulnerability and availability I have seen from male television characters is centred around women and romantic love. Sherlock is different, and we are lucky for it because their loyalty to each other, their love, and their bond, is not driven by sex. Men do not have to have a sexual agenda underlying their relationships. Sex and romance are not the only motivators for men and we have been blessed with a brilliant television series that not gives us these beautiful characters and sets this vastly underrated example. And sure, there are jokes here and there about the world seeing them as a couple, but the beauty is in the fact that they are jokes, and that they live together in such an accepting world that if they were gay, it would be completely okay. But they aren’t, and for most of the viewership of the show, who don’t will or fantasise about a romantic connection between the two, it is better this way. It is a better message about the purity of a man’s loyalty and intentions, and a message about not only the more practical and academic intelligence but emotional intelligence.

There are plenty of shows with a variety of LGBTQIA characters, and although we are underrepresented, there is no crying need for gay sex in Sherlock, and we should be grateful for that, not bitter.

[emilyannriley]

Reposting my gifset because it feels relevant again right now… Back then after the empty hearse, I just thought it sucked that two big ships got their (albeit fake) moment to shine except the Titanic of ships in the Sherlock ocean. It annoyed me.

It still does. But on a whole new level. What they did is not just plain queerbaiting (and neglecting because they could show the Sherlolly kiss itself is not made out to be a joke, while we get a big fat moment of “WHAT? HOW COULD YOU DARE SAY SUCH A THING? NOT IN MY HOUSE!” cutting into the scene of the almost Sheriarty kiss - which they didn’t even show - the gay kiss (which again they only hinted at but didn’t show as opposed to the theoretical and REALLY exaggerated hetero-kiss) was literally set up like a sitcom scene.. a joke... haha very funny fuck yourself!)

(I didn’t even mean to get that worked up about that part here, that sort of just happened, so back to what I actually planned to say)

It isn’t only queerbaiting. I’m gonna eat Carl Powers shoe if leaving a theoretical johnlock sequence out wasn’t their way of mocking the johnlock fandom, subtly telling us to fuck off? I mean it wouldn’t have been that far off for someone to consider that John is in on it, if they can even imagine Moriarty is. Moriarty who was the reason he assumedly killed himself. Yes of course that would be much more likely than his b(-oy)est friend and flat mate, the person that literally closest to him would be part of the plan.

And naturally the girl that came up with Sherlock being possibly gay must obviously be portrayed as a goth, someone who would be seen as a weirdo by a good deal (sadly I believe the majority) of casual viewers, who’s not to be taken seriously, because gay doesn’t exist in our universe (unless you’re not, of course, or your a sister of a main character who’s character description is “plot device - never actually shows up” and then, oh right, how could I forget, you are also allowed to be gay in this universe and actually show up if you’re a lesbian that we can turn straight for our main character, another exception might be the jokey pub owner gay couple who’s purpose is to be the funny gay ones with a little dog in the basement and we can use you to make another reference to our main characters being a couple when hello, don’t be ridiculous, they’re obviously not, but we get more viewers if we drag the joke until the very end.. what do you mean that’s shit? We say they aren’t gay and if they still believe they are - because we keep making references and make literally every character think they are including their landlady who basically lives with them and should know what’s actually going on except she does not - then hey it’s not our fault because we told you all along, we might have said we lie all the time, but not about this, silly! It’s not our job to please the audience that pays our bills and literally is the reason we’re even able to do this, we write for ourselves, why should an author give a fuck about their fans and if they like their work or not? It’s way funnier to fuck with them and toy with their hopes and feels and then BAM we do one fuckery of a series final!

We’re geniuses! *Mofftiss high five*

[iamtryingtobehappylunatic]

i still can’t believe this is really happening. it is like some really dark nightmare and i can’t wake up.

[221booksinthetardis]

*grabs microphone* Uhm.. my best friend in the whole world is getting married and I’m happily helping her plan the wedding.. but hey, guess what MOFFTISS I AM NOT A PINING MESS, I DON’T LOOK AT HER WITH SAD, HEARTBROKEN EYES, I DON’T “CRY AND CRY ALL DAY SAYING IT’S THE END OF AN ERA” AND YOU CAN BET YOUR POMPOUS TRAITOROUS ARSES I WON’T LEAVE HER WEDDING EARLY!!!!!! Why, you may ask.. well, the answer to this is really quite simple… 👏🏻BECAUSE👏🏻 I’M 👏🏻NOT 👏🏻IN 👏🏻LOVE 👏🏻WITH 👏🏻HER👏🏻!!!!!!!!👏🏻