Straight-Washing

Straight-washing, also written straightwashing, is when someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, or otherwise queer is portrayed or reframed as straight to fit heterosexual cultural norms. It shows up in film, television, biographies, and video games, where a known or implied same-sex relationship is erased, a queer character is rewritten as straight, or a historical figure's identity is quietly dropped from the story. The term echoes "whitewashing" and points to how mainstream media often strips queerness to reach a wider audience. Critics argue it erases representation and rewrites real lives. A related term, "ciswashing," describes the same erasure applied to transgender people.