fr!! and it’s also when bl readers say they don’t read gl or sl because it’s not as good as bl or doesn’t have those same type of scenes. they are equal to bl if not better.
At least from my part I don't think bl it's a reliable source for LGBTQ+ content, the word gay is no even mentioned in some storys, sometimes authors try to explorer more the theme but for the most part a think is something that has to be separated, I like bl because your have many subgenres, and with or without explicit content
right .. it’s so weird and creepy to see straight ppl just straight up fetishize gay men.. i’m bi and seeing them do that is so uncomfortable
I read a lot of bls (I’ve also read a lot of gl and straight mangas, mainly hentai bc I like sexy scenes, idk it’s interesting, but I used to read in Portuguese -my mother language so it’s not marked here). I find it very disturbing how people fetishize the lgbtq+ community. Especially when they staring bringing bl to real life, for example looking at someone and going “omg he looks like a bottom” and the person is not even lgbt!!!!!!
The same thing happens to lesbians/bi/pan girls, but the main reason for this fetish is porn (with real people)
when they do it irl that makes me feel real icky and the fact most yaois are really harmful romanticising rape, incest and just ew because it's written by girls for girls it just makes it even ickier. I'm in no way saying hentai doesn't have these weird tropes either because they do it's just slightly more idolised in the bl community
i know some yaoi's are good, accurate and written by actual gay,bi or pan men I'm just saying most aren't just to clarify
i see a lot ppl comment the “bottom/top” type of things on vids or content of two friends (usually straight men) and it makes me so uncomfortable, like imagine what the ppl they r referring to feel ... honestly, i think a lot of ppl like bl because its trending rn
I agree with you and I have a similar mindset when choosing what to read (btw BL is not even my favorite genre but it’s the one that kinda relaxes me)... but I get where these readers are coming from. In BL there aren’t any girls lead characters so reading this content enable you to dissociate yourself from the story (basically it’s possible for you not to identify yourself to the characters). I think this is a big asset of BL and what’s led to its popularity
Plus, a lot of female readers are unhappy with the female representation in straight romances and here again, this is understandable. I don’t personally relate to a lot of female characters and straight romance tropes. Yes, you can find some misogyny in BL too but since there are no female lead characters, they are not impacted. Hence female readers don’t feel uncomfortable of bad rep of themselves (for example, characters being objectified)
I think reading only BL is a phase in most cases. And when you try to understand the reasons you can realize it’s not a big deal
I’ve started a lot of bls that romanticized rape and I dropped it at the same time. Like it’s disgusting, truly disturbing.
People think like this sometimes:
Rape in straight stories - ew disgusting
Rape in bl - omg the top is so hot
Or when one person says “ong this manga is so good everyone should read it” and the comments are all “but is it bl??” “Does it have sex?” LIKE WHY THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER
i totally get what you're saying and hell i encourage everyone to read gl and bl but don't let sex be the main focus of the story if you get what I'm saying
I cant bring myself to read painter of the night but I know lots of rape occurs but it's still hugely popular, I have no idea why
Honestly is popular because the art is BEAUTIFUL and the seungho and nakyum are hot. That’s it, the plot is not even that good tbh
ive read ks and i dont think its a yaoi or bl at all i would have read any gender dynamic and still would've seen it as a toxic relationship of projecting abuse and obsession i don't think its intended to be or ever will be a love story but more a psychological horror that's my own opinion i don't wanna push that onto anyone else
i was so close to reading it for the art honestly but I couldn't they could've done so much better than that plot and it hurts T-T
I honestly loved KS bc I actually really like psychological terror, i love seeing how manipulative minds work and all but in POTN is REALLY romanticized
Before anyone calls me a homophobe I'm bi and like,,, look at my reading list. I'm not a fan of hentai, yaoi or anything sexual like that in general, and if it's a good story I don't care about sexual orientation. But straight girls only reading a story if it's yaoi and shounen-ai then getting annoyed there aren't explicit scenes is frustrating. Read it for the love or do you think all gay love is focused around sex bc that's feeding into homophobic stereotypes.
I'm all for normalising bl and gl and straights reading it like other mangas mangas but fetishising doesn't equal normalising.
tldr:some straight ppl be fetishing lgbtq