So far, BL is published on specific magazines, and most anime adaptations are OVAs that aren’t aired on TV. The word “fujoshi” - used today to mean “female fan of BL” - even has seriously misogynistic origins. It’s still frowned upon, both for being gay content and for being mainly romance aimed at women. I’m seeing a worrying number of people not only saying that all BL and fujoshi promote homophobic stereotypes, but that BL is the primary or sole instigator of homophobia in Japanese society (excuse me, I choked on drink there).įor those who don’t know, Boy’s Love (BL) is a niche category of shoujo/josei manga that focuses on M/M relationships (commonly known in the west as “yaoi”, though that is a misnomer). Since BL and fujoshi discourse is the hot topic du jour, let’s talk a bit about gay stereotypes in Japanese manga and anime. BL, “Okama”, and gay stereotypes in animanga
