No, Bad Bunny isn’t queerbaiting – and here’s why we need to stop policing sexuality

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Bad Bunny is the latest in a long line of celebrities to face accusations of queerbaiting after he shared a kiss with a male back-up dancer at the 2022 MTV VMAs.

The reaction to the kiss was mostly positive – fans were quick to heap praise on the Puerto Rican rapper for bringing queerness to the VMAs stage. Others were simply glad he managed to inject some excitement into what was, all in all, a fairly tepid awards show.

Naturally, the jubilation didn’t last too long – within hours, a row had broken out on Twitter, with a small number of people accusing Bad Bunny of queerbaiting.

The word “queerbaiting” is generally used in discussions about famous figures, television shows or films that allude to queerness, but identify explicitly with it.

In pop music, Harry Styles has repeatedly been accused of queerbaiting, with some criticising him for adopting a queer aesthetic while steadfastly refusing to define his sexuality.

Harry Styles presale tickets go on sale this week for his 2023 European tour. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Harry Styles)

Long before Styles and his sexuality became the focus of public debate, Madonna and Britney Spears found themselves in their own queerbaiting furore when they kissed on stage at the VMAs in 2003.

So of course, Bad Bunny was always going to face some pushback when he locked lips with another man on stage.

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Shortly after the VMAs aired, one person tweeted: “I love Bad Bunny, loooove. But the queerbaiting has to stop. It’s really cringy. If he’s gay or bi, fine. If not then please stop.”

But a quick scroll through Twitter shows that’s far from the common view.

In fact, most of the reaction has been from fans who are furious to see Bad Bunny being accused of queerbaiting.

Bad Bunny, outspoken advocate for queer rights, trans especially, famously anti toxic masculinity, has respectfully performed in Full Drag several times himself, heatedly kissing a man on stage, is apparently queerbaiting

— Brandy