“Benching” is a trend sneakily finding its way into modern dating, and it may be even more insidious than ghosting. But what exactly is benching, why are people doing it, and are LGBTQ+ people more likely to experience this particular brand of toxic dating behavior? Tetxu/Shutterstock “Benching” is a sports term being used to describe a toxic dating tactic where someone strategically tries to keep their options open while keeping you on the hook. Benching seems to be gaining popularity as a toxic dating technique right now, but the idea has been around for a decade. Now “benching” has returned with a vengeance — if it ever really really went away in the first place.