Ambiguous portrayal in media of someone's sexuality, which may or
may not be gay. Straight audiences
may miss it but LGBTQ+ audiences
may see it that way.
First coined in 1997 by Michael Wilke, a reporter for trade publication Advertising Age, who wrote about a Volkswagen
Golf commercial that aired during the much-publicized, April 1997 coming-out episode of "
Ellen" (watched by 42 million viewers). It was known for the "Da Da Da" song and featured two young men who could be boyfriends or roommates that find a used chair to take home in their hatchback. Volkswagen claimed it didn't intend to hint that the guys were gay but it was okay if audiences read it that way -- a first for advertisers in that era.
Later, Subaru stealthily ran billboards featuring LGBTQ+-coded license plates that said "XENA-LVR," a reference to the 1995-2001 show "Xena: Warrior
Princess," which had a cult status within the
lesbian community, and "P-TOWNIE," which refers to Provincetown, Massachusetts, a
popular destination for the queer community. The license plates would only stand out to those in the know. According to Mulryan/
Nash Advertising that produced the ads, they were intended to reach general audiences as well as provide a coded outreach to LGBTQ+ audiences with a wink and a nod.
