No, you're not being 'queerbaited' by straight celebs—you're just thirsty for them

One particularly viral X post about Boone's pic reads, "my favorite thing is when male artists see their popularity slightly falter and they immediately try to thirst trap the f**s." (At the time of writing, the X post has over 37,000 likes.)

But is Boone actually queerbaiting? Or did he just post a picture (what many would consider a "thirst trap") and the gays just willingly walked into the pit?? Let's explore...

Where do we draw the "queerbaiting" line?

By definition, queerbaiting is a marketing strategy employed by creators of film, television, and other forms of media where the wielding of queer aesthetics or the idea of characters possibly being gay is used to capture the attention of the LGBTQ+ community and capitalize on our viewership and dollars. The word was initially used to describe straight television characters who were teased as queer by the writers and actors to give LGBTQ+ viewers breadcrumbs so they'd keep watching.

Today, the word has been co-opted to describe any presumably real-life straight celeb who does anything to "bait" gay men into liking an Instagram post.

It's true, some heterosexual pop stars have publicly toyed with the idea of being queer, but it's hard to say what is authentic and what is a gimmick, and if their intentions were pure or if it was a tactic to sell records. Who can forget Nick Jonas' mid-2010s run through the gay club circuit following his infamous Calvin Klein pics for Flaunt Magazine? Or most recently, hip hop star NLE Choppa faking a coming out moment to promote a new mixtape?

But where is the line between showing love to a community versus taking advantage of a community? Where is the line between simply existing as a hot guy versus trying to capitalize off some twink's thirstiness? And is the latter inherently bad?

Some of those lines we individually have to decide for ourselves, but we do have one in mind we need to discuss.

REAL people cannot queerbait, unless they're actively manipulating you

The concept of queerbaiting gets even dicier when accusations start flying about real people.

In 2022, Netflix's hit LGBTQ+ teen series Heartstopper premiered and the stars of the show, Joe Locke and Kit Connor, became global sensations overnight. But some fans, understandably wary of being manipulated by another TV series or sick of straight actors playing queer roles, began to accuse Connor of "queerbaiting" after he was romantically linked to a woman. The pile-on became so intense that the then 18-year-old felt pressured to speak on his sexuality when he was not ready to.

The demand by fans to know a celebrity's sexuality is insensitive, invasive, and can be potentially dangerous to their real-life safety. We don't know these people's family dynamics, or what countries they're from or visiting where homosexuality is illegal. Fans have been using this idea of "queerbaiting" to justify bullying real people into coming out when each person's sexuality is a private experience that should only be shared if and when they want to.

It is not your business unless they open up to the world on their own accord.

Shouldn't heteronormativity be challenged?

The Benson Boone backlash reminded us of another celebrity whose name often gets thrown around when the queerbaiting discourse goes viral on X: former One Direction bandmate Harry Styles.

Is Styles wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue queerbaiting? How about his gay role in the 2022 film My Policeman? Did he do that film to gain more gay fans, or because he wanted to explore something within himself?

The "As It Was" singer is allowed to explore who he is without having to come out as anything, whether he is queer or not. Isn't it good for all of us if straight men started challenging the boundaries of the masculinity that is forced upon them by society at large?

"I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it," Styles said ambiguously at the time, and that's that.

Just to be clear, Harry Styles is not queerbaiting you. He didn't force you to watch that movie, or like his thirst traps, or buy his music. You did all that because you were attracted to him. And we can use all the allies we can get.

Sex sells, so be SMARTER about what you're buying...

Don't get us wrong, there are some real-life straight men out there that actually queerbait. There are dozens of heterosexual performers on OnlyFans who explicitly make content that flirts with the idea of being gay to draw in subscribers and money, and that matter feels more black-and-white.

Yet, it still works. But that's because people are paying for the fantasy, not the reality.

Real people, like Benson Boone, are just existing. They're not queerbaiting you. They happen to be hot, and it looks like many of you fell into the thirst trap — face first!