queer-coded

[ kweer-koh-did ]

adjective

1. (of a fictional character) implied to be LGBT+ through deliberate subtext or use of stereotypes, but never explicitly confirmed to be so:

   Even among female audiences, hunks get big bonus points for being gay, or at least queer-coded.

   One of the novel's most incongruous elements is its villain, the queer-coded evil baron.

Word History and Origins

Origin of queer-coded¹

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

And I didn’t know their winking humor was rooted in Hollywood’s pansy craze of the 1920s and ’30s, when actors like Franklin Pangborn played prissy hotel managers and other queer-coded characters at a time when being publicly gay carried the risk of arrest.

From New York Times

While mutant experiences can speak to many different marginalized identities directly or metaphorically, the more queer-coded elements — questions around “coming out,” the fear of being rejected by family, strangers insisting mutants just needed to be “cured” — were often what I related to most then.

From Los Angeles Times

From the returning writer-director Yugo Sakamoto, “Baby Assassins 2” is an expansive, world building sequel that’s as much about the friendships shared by these teams of hired guns — especially Chisato and Mahiro’s queer-coded connection — as much as the body count they amass.

From New York Times

“They feel like really big, gay, expensive comic-book movies. Queer-coded villains are pretty much my favorite trope, and Joker has always been a really queer character to me.”

From New York Times

The son of Queen Mary of Scots, King James is touted as one of the most prominent queer-coded figures in British history.

From Salon