Stranger Things viewers accuse show of ‘queerbaiting’ after repeatedly teasing Will Byers’ sexuality

Stranger Things viewers are criticising the show over its treatment of a storyline involving Will Byers’ sexuality.

Since season three, the Netflix series has hinted that Will might be gay and is struggling to come out after developing feelings for his best friend, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).

Will’s sexuality has become a talking point following the release of season four last week, as the show has provided several more hints that he might be gay.

In season four, Will is shown to be extremely upset with Mike for not staying in touch after he moved to California. He is also shown to recoil when a girl flits with him in class, where he is doing a project on Alan Turing.

Turing is the mathematician and computer scientist who helped to break a number of German ciphers during the war. He was later persecuted for being gay in 1952.

However, Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, said in an interview that the show’s creators, the Duffer brothers, intentionally “never really address it or blatantly say how Will is”.

“I think that’s the beauty of it,” he said, adding: “That it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation – if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends or if he is really gay.”

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, said: “Can I just say, it’s 2022 and we don’t have to label things.”

However, following this interview, many have expressed annoyance with the fact the show might be shying away from directly speaking about the subject, and are now accusing the show of “queerbaiting”.

“Leaving such identities unexplored and open to such interpretation is not the masterstroke they think it is,” TV journalist Scott Bryan said.

“It’s not beautiful and understated when queercoded male characters get all the s*** of being queer and none of the joy or peace that comes with it,” @adspexi added.

Others commented on the irony that Schnapp’s comments arrived just before Pride month began on 1 June.

“In honor of pride month, Netflix is keeping gay characters in the closet,” @nickdiramio wrote, while @Zach_Frank quipped: “So excited for Audience’s Interpretation Month to start tomorrow.”

It’s being suggested by some, though, that Schnapp was merely playing coy and that Will’s sexuality will be explored in a scene set to air when the fourth season concludes later this year.

TV writer Tyler Dinucci wrote: “I think the problem with the Will Byers stuff is they’re gonna reveal he’s gay at some point but it’s going to be a plot point so it makes the ability to answer questions about it at the moment weird.”

Dinucci also praised the writing surrounding Robin (Maya Hawke) and her sexuality.

In other recent Stranger Things news, actor Charlie Heaton addressed fan complaints that his character Jonathan, along with Mike and Will, have been “sidelined” in the new season.

Meanwhile, Brown has been defended after a bizarre series of memes misattributing homophobic quotes to her resurfaced online.

Stranger Things season four is available to stream on Netflix now. Read The Independent’s review here.

The Independent is the official publishing partner of Pride in London 2022