I haven’t thought about gay baiting much, but I know it’s a problem. Drawing in attention by promising representation and gay stories that you’ll never make good on.

It’s rude if nothing else.

Now, here’s my hot take. I think that lesbian and sapphic baiting is something very different.

Yes, there are definitely pieces of media that promise gay women, and then stop just short. That’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the media where girls are warm with each other. Women are more socially allowed to be emotional, and so are allowed to be affectionate with each other.
It’s more normalized for women to cuddle and tell each other things and be vulnerable with each other. Women tend to feel safer with other women and so they’re softer.
Men are taught from a young age that emotions are gay, and they’re weak, and they’re to be avoided. Men are scared of their feelings and themselves and other men, and the judgement of women who buy into the system just as much.
It’s a whole misogynistic, patriarchal mess that puts everyone at everyone else’s throats. And their own. Maybe I’ll talk about the makeup industry sometime. I have feelings about that.

Anyways. Uh. Right, gay baiting.

It’s dangerous to accuse every instance of girls being close with each other gay baiting. Women need women more than ever before now. Don’t make depicting women being close a gamble on whether you’ll “do it right”, because people will just chose to leave it out. It’s easier than a fight.

I don’t really have much of a point past this, or any kind of answer. I guess that’s becoming pretty normal for me, though, huh? Just, thinking out loud about things.