Gen Z Dictionary: Queer-coding

Facing Disney first openly LGBTQ character (read all about it in the Industry News on Young Audiences), we came across a world of uninformed opinions, rage and pain. 😢

In doing this I learnt there is a need for education on the semantic relationship between stories and gender identity/definition — especially when our audiences are young.

It’s not an easy one, I know.

But it’s your responsibility to be informed of the narrative nuances of a complex evolution in perception and its impact on young audiences. Do not ever forget that.

Good news is, we’re here to help (and not only us. There’s a whole world of psychologists, educators, journalists, influencers and so much more dedicated to this).

Let’s start with queer-coding.

You can find below, as usual, the easy-to-digest definition of the month.

In addition to that, take the time to watch Rowan Ellis’ brilliant analysis on The evolution Of Queerbaiting: From Queercoding to Queercatching. From The Hays Code to the new phenomenon of “queercatching” she explain in simple words the history of queerbaiting, including people’s favourite like every Disney villain ever, Destiel, Valkyrie, Johnlock, Sterek, Le Fou, Sulu, the Yellow Power Ranger, and more.

And finally, in case you need to dig deeper you can read Fem Magazine essay Disney Movies’ Shifting Narratives: Queer-Coding to LGBT Spotlights.

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