Queerbaiting may sound weird, but it is actually a very simple concept. Queerbaiting is the act of insinuating that there is an LQBTQ+ relationship in a show or movie just to get LGBTQ+ people to watch it when there really isn't. It is a mean and misleading device that is insulting to the community, and it needs to stop. There is a whole list of shows that have been accused of queerbaiting, including "Teen Wolf," "Riverdale," "Supernatural," and "Pretty Little Liars." Keep in mind that a show can have gay characters and still be guilty of queerbaiting.

Some of the more popular shows like "Riverdale" and "Supernatural" that have been accused of this act in the past let this leak into their media presence as well. "Riverdale" famously posted a picture of their two main female characters sitting on a bed together and captioned it with the hashtag for their relationship. Many people got excited, thinking that this meant that the show might actually include a LGBTQ+ relationship and decided to tune in. They were disappointed, however, to find that the two girls were just friends.

While this issue may seem pointless to most people, it is an important issue in the LGBTQ+ community. We get excited at the possibility of representation, so we eagerly watch a show only to find that we've been lied to. We spend weeks, possibly even months, watching episodes upon episodes of a show, eagerly waiting on the arrival of the characters we hope exist, only to be let down. This means that this show has built a fanbase by lying to people of the LGBTQ+ community. Then you also have to worry about the people who sexualize the LGBTQ+ community and only watch the show to see some "action." These people are just as bad as the writers as they are only watching the show to fuel their own desires.

Writers refuse to spend their time developing adequate plot lines or interesting characters and instead rely on their fans to make up ship names and then run with it.

So that begs the question, what can writers do to avoid queerbaiting? The answer: ACTUALLY WRITE LGBTQ+ CHARACTERS! Instead of pouring your time into falsely marketing your characters as gay, just write gay characters! Spend your time writing boy characters that like to hold hands with other boy characters, or girl characters that daydream about other girl characters.

Please stop "tricking" people into watching your show because they think that they are going to see themselves represented. All that does is make them hate your show even more and post about why they hate it.

I'm not saying that every one of the shows on T.V. has to include LGBTQ+ characters, but it would be nice to have quite a few more that include one. Perhaps as we enter the new year, we'll see this old practice of queerbaiting leaving.