@software{carlisle_qt_2020, location = {{Retrieved from https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/}}, title = {The Queerbait-Tragicqueer-Cishet-comfort Test}, url = {https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/}, organization = {{The Grey Literature}}, date = {2020-04}, author = {Carlisle, Benjamin Gregory} }
Carlisle BG. The Queerbait-Tragicqueer-Cishet-comfort Test [Internet]. Retrieved from https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/: The Grey Literature; 2020. Available from: https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/
Carlisle BG. The Queerbait-Tragicqueer-Cishet-comfort Test. Retrieved from https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/: The Grey Literature; 2020. https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/.
Carlisle, Benjamin Gregory. The Queerbait-Tragicqueer-Cishet-comfort Test. The Grey Literature, 2020, https://qt.bgcarlisle.com/.
These notes contain possible spoilers
I didn't put down Gio, Mervyn Cocker-Norris's "nephew"/bf as non-tragic, because his bf gets killed and that's also tragic
Mercifully, the Harkonnen character, at least to my eye, seemed extremely straight-coded, if anything
However, in-canon he's "the archetype of the depraved gay sadist" so ...
I found myself flip-flopping on whether he "counts" as gay, which is why I put him down as ambiguously gay
Season 1
These notes contain possible spoilers
Brother Day briefly mentioned that she had sex with a woman before he kills everyone that ever knew her
Season 1
These notes contain possible spoilers
In S01E03 Loki says "a little of both" when asked by Sylvie if he had men or women love interests
That's it
That's all the queer stuff
Season 1
These notes contain possible spoilers
Episode 7
Includes the "gay men are decadent abusers who prey on innocent straights and therefore deserve to receive sexualized violence" trope
Unnamed gay "VIP" tries to sexually assault the cop who is disguised as a waiter
Cop grabs the gay VIP's genitals and forces him to provide evidence about the Squid Game
These notes contain possible spoilers
Bugs and Lexi have a hug and it seems like they're in a relationship, but it's pretty quick
They're both extremely queer-coded to be sure, but someone could definitely watch this and completely miss it
These notes contain possible spoilers
Brax doesn't die, but he has to spend eternity on this hell island, so ...
Literally everyone else gets either a happy ending, a resolution to their conflict, a heroic ending, or they're the bad guy
But the gay dude sacrifices the rest of his life for the straight guy
While the character dies often, I don't think that this counts as "tragic" queer representation
Season 2
These notes contain possible spoilers
There is exactly three (3) gay in Lower Decks:
* Mariner briefly mentions to Tendi that she dated women in S02E03
* Billups is supposed to sex up someone in S02E07 and the prospective sexual partners include both a man and a woman
* In S02E10, at the very end, Mariner tells Jennifer that she likes her
And they all happen so fast
These notes contain possible spoilers
The ending of the last episode has a 10-second gay hand-holding scene between Seven and Raffi:
https://scholar.social/@bgcarlisle/103943617095050296
That guy from the group therapy session with Cap.
These notes contain possible spoilers
Does not die at the end, but people attempt to hang her. Transgender woman.
These notes contain possible spoilers
Even though he lives and the story has a happy ending, the whole story is about the ways he was abused, so it's arguably tragic for that reason
But then the whole point of this story is about how terrible gay conversion therapy is, so it's not the gratuitous tragic representation that we're all so tired of either
The Venom symbiote may have a different sexuality from its host's, however this is not explored enough to merit being called a "queer character," based on the representation in this film alone
In-game lore and associated media
These notes contain possible spoilers
The core campaign is about doing space magic and shooting aliens to save the world and contains little in the way of character or relationship arcs.
The 'lore' component of the game contains reams of actual interesting fiction that is full of romance, and it's basically all gay. In the only well known straight pairing (Mara and Shaxx), one of the two canonically bi, and the other is a pan-poly-hero who is married to most of the players in the game.
One of the major characters alludes the having had an opposite-sex lover, but later admits that she was made up. He's the only character that has been killed off.
Johnny, a young Yorkshire rancher, falls in love with Gheorghe, a Romanian migrant farmhand.
Seasons 1-2
In the leadup to when this show premiered, the writers, actors and everyone involved fucking *crowed* about how they were going to do gay representation "right."
And by that, they meant that you wouldn't be able to tell it's a gay character.
There's an entire episode where as best I can tell, the whole point is to give straight people an opportunity to be self-righteous at queer people for a change
There's a two-second side-hug between Sulu and a guy who we're supposed to take as his partner
In season 5, we learn that Todd is asexual
Season 3+
These notes contain possible spoilers
Character in question is canonically and unambiguously gay; however her storyline ends with her fiancée dying
Despite its cherished place in queer culture, there are no in-canon queer characters.
Very much written for straight comfort:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/andre-braugher-brooklyn-nine-nine_n_7189318
https://www.femestella.com/7-times-brooklyn-99-captain-raymond-holt-gay-sterotypes/
Felix is too good for this world; we don't deserve him.
These notes contain possible spoilers
It is very strongly implied that Grenda Grendinator is trans, however it's played off for comedy and it's ultimately deniable, so I'm not sure that it quite reaches the threshold of providing canonical trans representation
The police officers are also in the same boat
It's strongly implied that they're gay, but it's never quite explicit
Valjean doesn't kiss any cute boys at all
These notes contain possible spoilers
The full extent of the queer content in the whole four seasons is that Korra and Asami briefly hold hands and look at each other while going away on a vacation.
That's it. It happens on the very last episode.
That's all of it.
No more gay stuff.
Marshmallow is a recurring but minor character who is a trans sex worker and presented explicitly as such.
Bob is the show's namesake character and is generally presented as straight, but in S04E05 ("Turkey in a Can"), he responds to a gay deli worker's flirtation with "No, maybe-- wait, I'm straight. I mean, I'm mostly straight," and later, "Also, I'm married. But if I wasn't... who am I kidding, you're out of my league!"
This is a very heteronormative gay couple.
This is "the fairy"
I'm not sure where they give his name
We got it from IMDB
One of the pirates is arguably queer-coded, but that's it.
These notes contain possible spoilers
The gay character dies in S01E01, so it's hard to make the argument that he isn't a tragic gay character. However by the end of the 3rd season, he moves on, so there's that.
There is another gay character in season 2, however this character has a whole weirdo "Shakespeare can turn you straight" plot line that is way too much to unpack here.
These notes contain possible spoilers
Aside from a scene in which Inara tries to seduce a villain who is a woman, there's one scene in which Inara euphemistically suggests that she has a sexual preference for women
While the bulk of the film is about Hedwig's misfortunes, it comes across as empowering, and so it's hard to say that it's "tragic"
All of them
Frodo and Sam don't count
S07E14, "Chimera"
These notes contain possible spoilers
Odo links with Laas and Kira specifically points out that it's a very intimate thing to do.
Later on, Quark hammers the point home that we're talking about queerness with his "Changeling Pride Parade" comment.
All of them
I have not included Dumbledore as a queer character because I am only considering representation that is provided in-canon.
Post-hoc revelations made by the author after the book sales are already in the bag do not count.
Fuck off, JKR.
S04E05, "Rejoined"
These notes contain possible spoilers
While both Dax and Khan survive the episode, they are denied a happy ending.
These notes contain possible spoilers
Okay, so it's implied that they die off-screen of AIDS after the end of the film, which is pretty tragic, I gotta admit.
But I feel like this movie should get a pass on that because it was made in 1992 and that was kind of the *actual experience* of gay men at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Also: this is a very very white movie. They were not trying to interrogate any intersections of queerness and race, so watch out for that. :/
It's not good queer representation, and it's not a good movie. It's trashy, racist, sexist and it verges on being a softcore porn.
But it technically passes the test.
I got the name for the gay waiter from IMDB; I'm not sure it's right. But the character is definitely named, because there's a big conversation about him telling the cop his first name.
These notes contain possible spoilers
Early in the film, Mr Green says explicitly that he is being blackmailed for being a homosexual.
However, in the alternate ending where we're told what "really happened," Mr Green reveals that he is straight.
All the numbered episodes
The blink-and-you-miss-it lesbian kiss happens in Star Wars IX at the very end.
It is, as they say, a "problematic" fave
Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome!!
These notes contain possible spoilers
As the very last joke of the film, Jerry reveals to Osgood that he's a man, and Osgood says that he still wants to marry him.
We don't get any more information than that, and it's played off as deadpan on the part of Osgood, so that means that he's bi or pan.
Please do not provide individual ratings of many related media where one summary rating will be equally informative. For example, I have included one entry for all the numbered episodes for Star Wars films, rather than a separate entry for each one.
Submissions will be reviewed for accuracy and informativeness before being posted.
Please indicate the piece of media to be corrected, what needs to be fixed, and provide a short justification for why.
Benjamin Gregory Carlisle PhD
of the media reported here have at least one (1) named queer character who:
Please note that having "full marks" on this test does not mean that this media is necessarily an example of good queer representation.
Please also note that having less than "full marks" on this test does not mean that this media is necessarily bad queer representation.
This test is intentionally a somewhat blunt instrument that is best used to illustrate larger meta-level trends; media analysis of an individual work of art should be more nuanced than filling in four checkboxes.
Media | Queer character(s)1 | Name2 | Clearly queer3 | Non-blink-and-you-miss-it4 | Non-tragic5 | Not written for cishet comfort6 | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amsterdam (2022) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Film |
Yes | Joy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
See How They Run (2022) Film |
Yes | Mervyn Cocker-Norris | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
The Batman (2022) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) Television series Season 1 |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Sandman (2022) Television series S0107-S0110 |
Yes | Hal Carter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Black Widow (2021) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Don't Look Up (2021) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Dune (2021) Film |
Yes | Vladimir Harkonnen | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
Foundation (2021) Television series Season 1 |
Yes | Azura | Yes | No | No | No | |
Free Guy (2021) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Loki (2021) Television series Season 1 |
Yes | Loki | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Madres paralelas (2021) Film |
Yes | Ana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Squid Game (2021) Television series Season 1 |
Yes | - | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
The French Dispatch (2021) Film |
Yes | Roebuck Wright | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Green Knight (2021) Film |
Yes | Gawain | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | - |
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) Film |
Yes | Bugs | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Fantasy Island (2020) Film |
Yes | Brax Weaver | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
Hades (2020) Video game |
Yes | Zagreus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Star Trek: Discovery (2020) Television season Season 3 |
Yes | Adira Tal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020) Television season Season 1 |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020) Television season Season 2 |
Yes | Beckett Mariner | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Star Trek: Picard (2020) Television series |
Yes | Raffi Musiker | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Tenet (2020) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Avengers: Endgame (2019) Film |
Yes | - | Yes | No | No | No | |
Code 8 (2019) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Knives Out (2019) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Parasite (2019) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Boys (2019) Television series |
Yes | Maeve | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Mandalorian (2019) Television series |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Twilight Zone (2019) Television programme S01E07, "Not all men" |
Yes | Cole | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Anon (2018) Film |
Yes | Amanda Volz | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | - |
Assassination Nation (2018) Movie |
Yes | Bex Warren | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
Boy Erased (2018) Film |
Yes | Jared Eamons | Yes | Yes | See notes | Yes | |
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Film |
Yes | Oliver T'sien | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Isle of Dogs (2018) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Haunting of Hill House (2018) Television series |
Yes | Theodora Crain | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Horror of Dolores Roach (2018) Podcast Season 1 |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Venom (2018) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
American Gods (2017) Television series |
Yes | Salim | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Charité at War (2017) Television series Season 1 |
Yes | Martin Schelling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Destiny 2 (2017) Video Game In-game lore and associated media |
Yes | Like, all of them | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
God's Own Country (2017) Film |
Yes | Johnny Saxon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Star Trek: Discovery (2017) Television season Seasons 1-2 |
Yes | Dr Hugh Culber | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
The Orville (2017) Television series |
Yes | Bortus | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
Arrival (2016) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Black Mirror (2016) Television programme S03E04, "San Junipero" |
Yes | Kelly Booth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016) Television series |
Yes | Silas Dengdamor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Inferno (2016) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Moonlight (2016) Film |
Yes | Chiron | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Snowden (2016) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Star Trek Beyond (2016) Film |
Yes | Sulu | No | No | Yes | No | |
Stranger Things (2016) Television series |
Yes | Robin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Good Place (2016) Television series |
Yes | John Wheaton | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Sense8 (2015) Television series |
Yes | Like, all of them | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Big Short (2015) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Expanse (2015) Television series Up to S01E08 |
Yes | Franklin DeGraaf | Yes | Yes | No | No | - |
Bojack Horseman (2014) Television series |
Yes | Todd Chavez | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Call the Midwife (2014) Television series Season 3+ |
Yes | Patsy Mount | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
How to Get Away with Murder (2014) Television series I've only watched up to season 1 |
Yes | Connor Walsh | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
The Babadook (2014) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Imitation Game (2014) Film |
Yes | Alan Turing | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | - |
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013) Television series |
Yes | Raymond Holt | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
Orphan Black (2013) Television series |
Yes | Felix Dawkins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Gravity Falls (2012) Television series |
Yes | Grenda Grendinator | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Les Misérables (2012) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
Looper (2012) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Skyfall (2012) Film |
Yes | Raoul Silva | No | Yes | No | Yes | - |
The Legend of Korra (2012) Television series |
Yes | Korra | No | No | Yes | No | |
Welcome to Night Vale (2012) Podcast |
Yes | Cecil | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Bob's Burgers (2011) Television series |
Yes | Marshmallow, Bob Belcher | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Drive (2011) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Inception (2010) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Angels & Demons (2009) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Modern Family (2009) Television series |
Yes | Cameron Tucker | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
Lucky Number Slevin (2006) Film |
Yes | Yitzchok | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
Shortbus (2006) Film |
Yes | Caleb | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Sweeny Todd (2006) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Da Vinci Code (2006) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Torchwood (2006) Television series |
Yes | Captain Jack Harkness | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) Television series |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
Constantine (2005) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Doctor Who (2005) Television series Season 10 |
Yes | Bill Potts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Lockpick Pornography (2005) Book by Joey Comeau |
Yes | Alex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
V is for Vendetta (2005) Film |
Yes | Deitrich | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | - |
Battlestar Galactica (2004) Television series |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Primer (2004) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Slings and Arrows (2003) Television series |
Yes | Oliver Welles | Yes | Yes | See notes | Yes | |
The Italian Job (2003) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Firefly (2002) Television series |
Yes | Inara | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Donnie Darko (2001) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Gosford Park (2001) Film |
Yes | Henry Denton | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Film |
Yes | Hedwig | Yes | Yes | See notes | Yes | |
Lord of the Rings (2001) Film All of them |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
American Psycho (2000) Film |
Yes | Luis Carruthers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Queer as Folk (2000) Television series American |
Yes | Emmett Honeycutt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
October Sky (1999) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1999) Television programme S07E14, "Chimera" |
Yes | Laas | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
The Big Lebowski (1998) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Harry Potter (1997) Books and film All of them |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
Fargo (1996) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995) Television programme S04E05, "Rejoined" |
Yes | Jadzia Dax | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
The Usual Suspects (1995) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Pulp Fiction (1994) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Super Mario Bros. (1993) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Firm (1993) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Living End (1992) Film |
Yes | Jon | Yes | Yes | See notes | Yes | |
Samurai Cop (1991) Film |
Yes | Joselito C. Rescober | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Terminator 2 (1991) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Thelma and Louise (1991) Film |
Yes | Louise | No | No | No | Yes | - |
Total Recall (1990) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Aliens (1986) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Back to the Future (1985) Film All of them |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Brazil (1985) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Clue (1985) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | |
The Breakfast Club (1985) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Terminator (1984) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blade Runner (1982) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Indiana Jones (1981) Film All of them |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Scanners (1981) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
9 to 5 (1980) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Altered States (1980) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Alien (1979) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Star Wars (1977) Film All the numbered episodes |
Yes | Commander D'Acy | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Film |
Yes | Magenta | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Dark Star (1974) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Cabaret (1972) Film |
Yes | Sally Bowles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Dr Strangelove (1964) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
My Fair Lady (1964) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Psycho (1960) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Some Like It Hot (1959) Film |
Yes | Osgood Fielding III | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Vertigo (1958) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
12 Angry Men (1957) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Rear Window (1954) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
It Came from Outer Space (1953) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Singin' in the Rain (1952) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Casablanca (1942) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Citizen Kane (1941) Film |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
No | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1. Does not include fan-theories or details disclosed outside the media itself. Does not include campy or kinky cishet people. This only includes in-canon, non-metaphorical queer representation. For clarity: "allies" are not queer.
2. The name of the queer character that passes or comes closest to passing all the requirements of The Queerbait-Tragicqueer-Cishet-comfort Test. In the case that there are many queer characters who would score the same, the first in alphabetical order. Because the name of a queer character may itself be a spoiler, they have been blurred. Mouse-over the cell in the table to reveal the name, or tap it on a mobile browser.
3. Would mis-reading this queer character as cishet be very difficult for even a naive cishet person, or one who is very determined to refuse to believe a character is queer? Of course it is impossible to write a queer character in such a way that the most determined cishet person couldn't refuse to acknowledge it.
4. If the canonicity of a character's queerness depends entirely on a very small detail or a very short scene, it is blink-and-you-miss-it queer representation.
5. Does the queer character in question meet with a sad ending, or is their story primarily about their misfortunes? This includes, but is not limited to "bury your gays" media, where the queer character is killed.
6. Does this character seem to have been written mainly to coddle the sensibilities of cishet people, or to make the point that queer people are, or should be, indistinguishable from cishet people? If unclear, use this tool.