History Main / BaitAndSwitchLesbians

An ironic result of this is making a relationship explicit can result in enough fuel for viewers who oppose the {{shipping}} to simply scoff that any evidence of the pairing is "just {{fanservice}}." The fact that a great many shows avoid [[UnfortunateImplications portraying relationships in significant detail muddies it further: so many other shows cop out at the last minute, so why should this one be different?]] The writers won't ever [[HideYourLesbians admit anything anyway]].

** Leona and Diana have a feature story, "Rise With Me," that ends with them sharing a kiss. It's set waaaay back when they were students, leaving enough wiggle room to read it as ExperimentedInCollege instead of the real romance the fanbase was hoping for.

** Creators were [[ShippingGoggles accused]] of Queerbaiting by LGBT fanbase in regards to the relationship between two main characters - Emma and Regina (I.E [[IdiosyncraticShipNaming Swan Queen]]). This went to an extreme as Season 5 launches with Emma risking her soul for Regina's well-being, putting her before her son, parents, and her boyfriend.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has a franchise-wide case of this with Bayonetta and her FriendlyRival Jeanne both being so incredibly sensual and affectionate with each other, especially in the [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 second game]] (where they live together and Bayo rescues Jeanne from hell) they were unsurprisingly shipped together like crazy by a plethora of LesYay fans, aided by some [[https://i0.wp.com/mynintendonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/bayonetta_art.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1 offical artwork]] and ShrugOfGod teasing. Come the [[VideoGame/Bayonetta3 third game]] however and Bayo and Jeanne’s ShipTease is cruelly sunk [[spoiler:with Jeanne dying, Bayonetta officially ending up with Luka and even the version of Bayo from the aforementioned second game does the FusionDance with her central Cereza self whom is with Luka. Suffice to say the response from fans [[https://gamerant.com/bayonetta-3-women-empowering-lgbtqia-representation-relationships-luka-jeanne-sexualization/ wasn’t]] tranquil.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' revealed at Comic-Con that Shiro had been in a relationship with a guy named Adam, and said that a major point of the seventh season would be their development. As it turned out, Adam was an AdvertisedExtra, the romantic nature of his relationship with Shiro is heavily implied but never stated outright, and they share a single brief scene where they have an argument. Following this, [[BuryYourGays Adam is killed off]] and Shiro gets over the death [[AngstWhatAngst remarkably quickly.]]
* By and large, this was PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' with Lyra and Bon Bon. The couple started out as nothing more than two background characters who were paired together thanks to their complimentary color schemes, but as fans took notice of this and began to assume they were a couple the showmakers went ''wild''. The couple kept popping up doing increasingly intimate things, holding hooves, hugging, heart-shaped iris-outs, and being each other's "special someponies" on Hearts and Hooves Day ([[YouMeanXMas an analog for Valentine's Day]]), and even ''supplementary'' material got in on it by [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/1087948 putting the duo alongside other couples on a Valentine's Day card]]. However, the show would insist they were simply '''best''' friends, and when asked about it on Twitter show staff would [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/916117 make it clear they were just friends]]. In the series' final season, they [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/2168245 proposed]] and [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/2127331 married]].

* Pop group Music/{{Tatu}} did this for early marketing. Horny guys think the two singers are lesbians, buy the [=CDs=], find out they're a pretty good group. Continued onstage after they were known not to be, sort of an odd musical equivalent of {{Kayfabe}}.

* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis: Tokyo 2040'' spent its first half building the SenpaiKohai relationship -- and PseudoRomanticFriendship -- between Priss and Linna. The final half of the series drops this subplot like a hot potato for a [[LastMinuteHookup sudden romance between Priss and Leon]] that fits the "offscreen explanation" part of the trope to a T; Leon shows up at her club while she's on stage, does a smarmy clap for her, Priss grins a bit, and from there on in they're treated as dating. Ironically, it was the original ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}VA that gave rise to the mantra among many early anime fans that "All women in anime are lesbians. Unless they're bisexual."

* By and large, this was PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' with Lyra and Bon Bon. The couple started out as nothing more than two background characters who were paired together thanks to their complimentary color schemes, but as fans took notice of this and began to assume they were a couple the showmakers went ''wild''. The couple kept popping up doing increasingly intimate things, holding hooves, hugging, heart-shaped iris-outs, and being each other's "special someponies" on Hearts and Hooves Day (an analog for Valentine's Day), and even ''supplimentary'' material got in on it by [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/1087948 putting the duo alongside other couples on a Valentine's Day card]]. However, the show would insist they were simply '''best''' friends, and when asked about it on Twitter show staff would [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/916117 make it clear they were just friends]]. In the series' final season, they [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/2168245 proposed]] and [[https://trixiebooru.org/images/2127331 married]].

* In the ''[[Film/JoshuuSasori Female Prisoner Scorpion]]'' series, protagonist Matsu's relationship with Yuki is pretty ambiguous. In the first film, they clearly care about each other a lot, but it's not clear if this has a sexual dimension. The third film features the same actress playing someone with the same name, but who is clearly a different character, although Matsu apparently recognises her (it's [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs a tad complicated]]). ''This'' Yuki is either infatuated or fascinated with Matsu, but is fairly [[BrotherSisterIncest Messed up]] [[PitySex when it comes]] [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold to sexual matters]].

* In the GenderBender manga ''Manga/BokuGirl'', Mizuki's constant gender swapping combined with conflicting feelings for female crush Fujiwara and male best friend Takeru result in a BisexualLoveTriangle. Fujiwara eventually comes to the realization that she loves Mizuki no matter the gender, but her confession is turned down upon Mizuki both reaching the same conclusion with Takeru and realizing the series-long crush on Fujiwara was subconsious admiration of her femininity. The end of the story has Mizuki get with Takeru while deciding to live as female.

* {{Convers|ationalTroping}}ed in ''Manga/ILoveYuriAndIGotBodyswappedWithAFujoshi'', where Yoshida explains to Hoshina what Yuri bait is and how to avoid it. The example used is two pictures of what seem to be Yuri couples. A is two girls in underwear with one hand on each other's sides and looking at the viewer. B is two girls holding hands tightly while looking closely into each other's eyes. Which is the likely yuri bait? [[spoiler:A, as the characters in it focus on an unseen third character]].

* In the GenderBender manga ''Manga/BokuGirl'', Mizuki's constant gender swapping combined with conflicting feelings for female crush Fujiwara and male best friend Takeru result in a BisexualLoveTriangle. Fujiwara eventually comes to the realization that she loves Mizuki no matter the gender, but her confession is turned down upon Mizuki both reaching the same conclusion with Takeru and realizing the series-long crush on Fujiwara was subconsious admiration of her feminity. The end of the story has Mizuki get with Takeru while deciding to live as female.

* In the GenderBender manga ''Manga/BokuGirl'', Mizuki's constant gender swapping combined with conflicting feelings for female crush Fujiwara and male best friend Takeru result in a BisexualLoveTriangle. Fujiwara eventually comes to the realization that she loves Mizuki no matter the gender, but her confession is turned down upon Mizuki reaching the same conclusion with Takeru. The end of the story has Mizuki get with Takeru while deciding to live as female.

* [[ConversationalTroping conversed]] in ''Manga/ILoveYuriAndIGotBodyswappedWithAFujoshi'', where Yoshida explains to Hoshina what Yuri bait is and how to avoid it. The example used is two pictures of what seem to be Yuri couples. A is two girls in underwear with one hand on each other's sides and looking at the viewer. B is two girls holding hands tightly while looking closely into each other's eyes. Which is the likely yuri bait? [[spoiler:A, as the characters in it focus on an unseen third character]].

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

* The GenderBender manga ''Manga/IdolPretender'' has Chinami in conflict with his desires for Yuika and his CampStraight friend Oguri. Yuika is the first to [[JumpingTheGenderBarrier Jump the Gender Barrier]] as she accepts Chinami's poasible bisexuality and later her own, and confesses. Chinami starts to come to terms with his body and his growing femininity, so when he finds out Oguri does like his female form, he turns Yuika down for a shot at confessing to Oguri. The manga ends before answering if Oguri accepts.
* In the GenderBender manga Tensei Pandemic the main character is about to have sex with her female crush, only to have said crush spontaneously turn into a guy and screw her.

* In the GenderBender manga ''Manga/IdolPretender'' the main character gets confessed to by her female crush, only to turn her down and hook up with her male BFF.

* In the GenderBender manga ''Manga/BokuGirl'' the main character gets confessed to by her female crush, only to turn her down and hook up with her male BFF.

* Quite a few ''Series/{{Alias}}'' fans suspect that Rachel was [[AbortedArc intended to be a lesbian]] due to her pointedly saying that Agent Grace wasn't her type in an early appearance. For whatever reason, she was confirmed as straight later.
* A decidedly vocal section of the ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' fandom firmly believed that Alex and Olivia were together, ShippingGoggles aside. This was later disproved by Olivia being baffled at the ''idea'' that she might be gay, much to the irritation of the A/O shippers.

* Used in an episode of ''LightNovel/RentalMagica''. In order to ensure the safety of her mage corporation, Addie plans on getting married -- to Honami. Almost the whole episode is spent on them preparing for this girl-girl wedding. Then Itsuki interrupts, runs off with the brides, and declares that he'd rather [[MarryThemAll marry them both]]. It was an AlmostKiss too...

* A particularly egregious example is the relationship between Akihito and Hiroomi in ''LightNovel/BeyondTheBoundary''. The narrative is not at all shy about WillTheyOrWontThey tension between Aki and Mirai, and yet Hiroomi acts ''gay as hell'' whenever he's around Aki, including lovingly touching his body and giving him an AffectionateNickname. When Akihito and Mirai inevitably ended up together, some fans complained about Hiroomi allegedly existing just to trick {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s into watching a show revolving around yet another heterosexual romance.

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' (the movie), Alice says that she and Bella will be "really good friends" in a suggestive manner, and Edward responds with a sneering, "Can you keep your thoughts to yourself!" It turns out that Alice is [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday definitely not gay]], and she really meant they would be good friends.

* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis: Tokyo 2040'' spent its first half building the SempaiKohai relationship -- and PseudoRomanticFriendship -- between Priss and Linna. The final half of the series drops this subplot like a hot potato for a [[LastMinuteHookup sudden romance between Priss and Leon]] that fits the "offscreen explanation" part of the trope to a T; Leon shows up at her club while she's on stage, does a smarmy clap for her, Priss grins a bit, and from there on in they're treated as dating. Ironically, it was the original ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}VA that gave rise to the mantra among many early anime fans that "All women in anime are lesbians. Unless they're bisexual."

* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': Former lore writer Runaan wrote a Twitter post where she accused Riot of queerbaiting with Graves and Twisted Fate after the ''Double Double Cross'' cinematic. Within the post, she explained she had been trying to write the pair as married for years and faced open hostility about it from her higher-ups, only for Riot to claim the HomoeroticSubtext between the pair was intentional after the fandom responded positively to it, suggesting that teasing the pair was okay but [[ButNotTooGay actually having the two be married was unacceptable.]] Riot soon did make efforts to walk the walk for Pride Month 2022, not only making Graves and TF their promotional mascots for the month (providing gay pride-themed cosmetics featuring the two), the very start of the month saw the release of "The Boys and the Bombolini", a short story [[QueerEstablishingMoment explicitly confirming them to be gay in canon]] and in a romantic partnership.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' series has come under fire from fans and critics for doing this with Bayonetta and Jeanne. In the first two games, Bayonetta and Jeanne have a very close friendship, with loads of LesYay and HomoeroticSubtext between them. However, despite the many in-game hints, hopes that Bayonetta and Jeanne would become a couple were all abruptly dashed away by ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'', which decides to [[spoiler:hook Bayonetta up with her male ally, Luka, instead]], much to the utter dismay of LGBT and Yuri fans.