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.
