Queer dialogues with the global south: Western fans and the appeal of Thai boys'love
Publication Description
Contra-flows from Asia to the West have occurred for many decades. The recent popularity of Thai boys’ love dramas, which depict homoerotic relationships between male characters, invites further investigation into their impact on Western perceptions of gender diversity and queer identity. This article examines the appeal of Thai boys’ love to Western audiences and its potential to influence or challenge Eurocentric perspectives on queer discourses. Drawing on a survey of 118 participants and in-depth interviews with 10 individuals residing in Europe and North America, the study finds that most Western fans of Thai boys’ love self-identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, which shapes their interpretations and reception of the content. Using the “Asia as method” and “inter-referencing” framework, this article explores how popular culture from the Global South, like Thailand, can serve as “a point of reference” for reshaping or subverting Western queer discourses. In this sense, Thai boys’ love offers a reflective space through which Western audiences engage with alternative imaginaries of gender and sexuality without entirely displacing their own cultural frameworks.