BL opens doors for Thai literature internationally, says writer Jidanun Lueangpiansamut

“BL” is the shortened form of “boy 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…