“BL” is the shortened form of “boys’ love”, a phrase used often in entertainment and literature where the two protagonists are both males, and who fall in love with each other. The genre surrounding the romantic relationship can be realistic, sci-fi, fantasy, or even horror. As a literary genre, it was first popularised in Japan so it has its own Japanese term, yaoi; “BL” is used interchangeably with “yaoi”, as they are commonly understood to have almost the same meaning.

Most of the readers of the first wave of BL were women, and the stories mostly portrayed romantic, unreal love and sexual scenes. However, after years of developing the genre, BL has expanded to include many more possibilities and story lines. Some may not focus on sex. More than just beautifully romantic stories, some may present the real social struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community (although there are still ongoing discussions about how BL media may support or suppress LGBTQ+ issues in real life). Importantly, the genre’s readership is expanding—readers now include LGBTQ+ readers and straight men.

I have read Japanese manga since I was a young girl. My sister and I collected many sets of manga in many genres, such as romance, comedy and fantasy, before finding the Boy Love genre. Reading was my hobby, and in high school I also spent my free time writing. Writing and BL were my main interests, and so I wrote many BL short stories and novels. 

Jidanun Lueangpiansamut’s ‘The Girl Who Was Raped Through Her Earholes’ translated by Wichayapat Piromsan (winner of the BKKLIT Translation Prize for Fiction) https://t.co/24UONIOplj via @Issuu pic.twitter.com/Zq8kswWq1M

— BKKLIT (@BKKLIT1) December 6, 2018

At that time, the BL community was small, connecting mainly through online boards. Writers published their literature online and sold their books in occasional BL events that were held in big cities such as Bangkok or Chiang Mai. But because BL books were self-published, they didn’t sell in mainstream bookstores, and many people considered BL literature as a fringe hobby or subculture activity, which neither major companies nor major publishers wanted any part in. 

BL events started to get more attention around 2014 to 2016, with its surge in popularity encouraged by social networks. At the time, Facebook took over from bloggers and started bringing people together, allowing BL fans to easily connect with each other and build a stronger community. BL events were held in Bangkok almost every month. BL readers wondered if the events needed to bring so many people together so frequently, especially since groups of BL readers were actively updated and keeping connected on Facebook and other social media. As many new readers happily explored the community, publishers started to pick up BL literature and bring them to major bookstores. 

Now read: The art movements are dead. Long live the solitary artist, says Ronald Ventura

My own experience mirrors the fortunes of the entire community. My first BL novels were self-published and I sold them in small events in 2014 to 2016. And then a major publisher picked up my novel My Mom’s Ex Is The Hottest Guy in 2017.

My BL novel got attention in the media because of its clickbait title, and I was interrogated in the media, asked what BL was and if it was suitable for young readers. At that time BL was not understood by the media, let alone most adults. Many BL readers felt uncomfortable when the genre was in the limelight—they were afraid that people would think that the BL genre was lame and see the readers in a homophobic light. 

Also read: “I think that watching two men together was distant enough from what I want yet close enough to a love story that I wanted to see it”

But the situation has become continuously better. Nowadays media tends to view BL in a more positive light, thanks to the international success of television series such as SOTUS (2016), Theory of Love (2019), Together (2020), KinnPorsche (2022), and Cutie Pie (2022) abroad, the industry started to realise that BL could make a lot of money for our country.

After the success of many Thai series, international fans started to discover BL literature too. This meant that, for the first time, Thai BL novels were translated, under license, into Japanese, Traditional Chinese and English. However, there was a clamour for translations into other languages, from fans who speak Russian and Spanish for example. To meet the demand, novels were translated unofficially and distributed the black market, without permission or license from the authors and copyright holders. While this is of course controversial, it was a sign of the fans’ devotion to the genre that they wanted to share the stories with more people.

I realise that Thai BL is now finding enthusiastic readers around the world in a way that the classic Thai canon or even award-winning literature has never been able to.

And that is absolutely fantastic.

Jidanun Lueangpiansamut, or Lee, is a Thai writer who is only the second woman in a decade—as well as the youngest ever—to have won the SEA Write award, which she did in 2017 at the age of 25, for her short story collection Singto Nok Khok, She was first known for writing fantasy stories and yaoi novels before shifting to realism and social issues. Besides the SEA Write award, she has also won the Anuman Rajathon Award 2014, Naiin Award 2015 and the BKKLIT Translation Prize (Fiction). Lee is an honouree on the Asia’s Most Influential 2023 list.

This essay is part of Tatler's series of opinion articles from Asia’s Most Influential honourees, featuring a broad range of voices from across the region offering expert perspectives, advice, forecasts and thought leadership.

MORE ESSAYS FROM ASIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL

The art movements are dead. Long live the solitary artist. by Ronald Ventura

Creativity takes courage: Chef Darren Teoh on why failure should be an option