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"In 2007, while giving a book talk, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling revealed an interesting fact about beloved character Albus Dumbledore's love life. "Dumbledore is gay, actually," she said as the audience erupted in cheers. She added: "I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy." Though most fans initially praised the announcement, LGBTQ fans in particular questioned why the author chose to make it informally, while never actually writing explicitly gay characters into the storylines. As it turns out, this type of bait-and-switch is fairly common between fans and creators; there's even a term for it: "queerbaiting." In this first comprehensive examination of queerbaiting, fan studies scholar Joseph Brennan and his contributors examine cases like Rowling's to shed light on the exploitative industry practice of teasing homoerotic possibilities that, while hinted at, never materialize in the program narratives. Looking at everything from popular TV series to video games to children's programs, and more, these essayists--some of the biggest names in the emerging field of fan studies--explore the consequences of the misleading practice, both for fans and creators. The result is a first-of-its-kind collection that is sure to appeal equally to fan, queer, and media studies students and scholars"--

Abstract
Fans employ 'queerbaiting' to call out media producers and performers who they believe have deliberately inserted homoerotic subtext in order to court a queer following and yet never actualize this subtext; it has attracted a level of cultural currency in the popular and scholarly field. In this introduction to the Journal of Fandom Studies special issue on the topic, the issue's guest editor sets out how the term has developed in extant scholarship, including more recent expansion to account for manifest queerness deemed negative. Articles of the present collection, five in total, are then introduced in line with their connection with current debates and how they advance understandings of the term. Future research directions for scholars writing on the topic are also considered.

Abstract
This article analyses discourse on gay and lesbian Internet forum DataLounge that discusses homoeroticism in the BBC's Merlin. Merlin is a cult series that is commonly associated with the 'queerbaiting' phenomenon, a fan activist term that criticizes unrealized homoerotic suggestiveness in mainstream texts. Textual analysis is performed on seven relevant threads created between 2009 and 2012, which have attracted in excess of 700 responses. The threads were authored by predominately gay men and align with the airing of the series, commentators posting in real time. Focus is given in the analysis to discussion of homoeroticism in the text, in particular on how this homoeroticism is interpreted by viewers. Notably, across this sample, homoeroticism in Merlin is discussed in a celebratory way, with no mention of queerbaiting or the exploitative connotations that underscore the term. In fact, such homoeroticism is routinely described as a form of 'fan service' across the sample. The study provides empirical evidence that a sizeable proportion of the Merlin viewership (gay men) have a more 'playful' approach to the queerbaiting phenomenon. The discourse also supports the coining of a new term, 'slashbaiting', which is in line with a view of homoeroticism in contemporary media as a form of fan service, in particular for slash fans.

Abstract
This article performs textual analysis of works from two slash manip artists – Tumblr's wandsinhand and LiveJournal's mythagowood – to argue that the form can be understood as a fannish form of 'readymades'. I perform a comparative analysis of Marcel Duchamp's Fountain and the use of the toilet as a central sign in wandsinhand's practice. The works of mythagowood are then examined. I use excerpts from various interviews with the artist to explore his practice, its connection with the Supernatural canon and his unique construction, 'Sammy'. I compare his practice to that of figurative painter Francis Bacon and the statements his art makes on meat, beasts and sexuality. Framing my reading of the oeuvres of wandsinhand and mythagowood around Duchamp's concept of 'readymades' and Bacon's representation of meat demonstrates the potential for slash manips to explore the instability and malleability of the male sexed body, highlighting these objects' aesthetic, artistic and cultural significance.

Abstract
Aca–fandom, as popularized by Jenkins, forefronts reciprocity and dialogue between researcher and subject and has become the method of choice for many fan studies scholars. This article critiques the centrality of canon in the aca–fan tradition, using Derrida's work on the parergon. I raise various issues for consideration, such as aca–fandom's emphasis on identity, and the potential implications of a researcher presuming commonalities with fan communities. These issues are discussed with regard to my own practice-led research approach. I examine the aca–fan position in relation to 'reflexive' and 'native anthropology', the latter of which highlights advocacy dimensions of the position. I also make a case for the importance of managing responsibilities to academy and community (public or fannish) and distinctions between autonomous and public or political intellectualism. My discussion of the various implications of the aca–fan position leads to my central argument, which is that the aca–fan researcher in the textual tradition would do well to avoid the temptation to fixate on canon at the expense of the fan works themselves.