Slashbaiting, an alternative to queerbaiting

Abstract

Abstract This article analyses discourse on gay and lesbian Internet forum DataLounge that discusses homoeroticism in the BBC’s Merlin. Merlin is a cult series that is commonly associated with the ‘queerbaiting’ phenomenon, a fan activist term that criticizes unrealized homoerotic suggestiveness in mainstream texts. Textual analysis is performed on seven relevant threads created between 2009 and 2012, which have attracted in excess of 700 responses. The threads were authored by predominately gay men and align with the airing of the series, commentators posting in real time. Focus is given in the analysis to discussion of homoeroticism in the text, in particular on how this homoeroticism is interpreted by viewers. Notably, across this sample, homoeroticism in Merlin is discussed in a celebratory way, with no mention of queerbaiting or the exploitative connotations that underscore the term. In fact, such homoeroticism is routinely described as a form of ‘fan service’ across the sample. The study provides empirical evidence that a sizeable proportion of the Merlin viewership (gay men) have a more ‘playful’ approach to the queerbaiting phenomenon. The discourse also supports the coining of a new term, ‘slashbaiting’, which is in line with a view of homoeroticism in contemporary media as a form of fan service, in particular for slash fans.