gay-baiting

noun

gay-bait·​ing ˈgā-ˌbā-tiŋ 

variants or less commonly gay baiting or gaybaiting

1

: the act of associating someone with homophobic stereotypes in order to damage their image or credibility especially for political purposes : queerbaiting sense 2

… his TV ad attacking a GOP rival … could be seen as gay-baiting. The ad … includes two gratuitous references to the fact that DeMaio is gay.

—Los Angeles Times

… those deleted social media posts still leverage anti-LGBT bias to, as [Equality Alabama Executive Director Alex] Smith put it, deliver "sucker punches" to a politician—a practice that is referred to as "gay-baiting," and that can be deployed whether the politician is actually LGBT or not.

—Samantha Allen

Countering the use of homophobic epithets and banter, gay-baiting, and bullying based on gender nonconformity that occurs among the student population should be a part of the broader efforts made by administrators …

—Deborah J. Tharinger

2

a

: an effort to appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences through a character or figure whose sexual orientation is ambiguous : queerbaiting sense 1a

… a lot of queer media sticks to either side on the spectrum of in–your–face to … gaybaiting.

—Jackson Zuercher

b

: the act of encouraging speculation that one is gay (see gay entry 1 sense 1) despite not openly being so : queerbaiting sense 1b

They say being ambiguous about your sexuality (when you're straight) is key to gaybaiting.

—Lee Suckling

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined at sense 1