The Thai 'Boys' Love' TV Dramas Conquering Asia

At her lowest point, fighting burnout and depression in her Chinese hometown, Huang Bingbing says she found comfort in watching the escapist love story of two young men on a then-unknown Thai TV drama. Inspired by her favourite idol from the series, Huang moved to Thailand a year later to start a new life, becoming part of a growing legion of fans of the "Boys' love" romance genre taking Asia by storm. The boys' love genre, which features same-sex male romances, began as a strand of Japanese manga comics in the 1960s known as "Yaoi" but has become a booming cultural export for Thailand, where the LGBTQ community is generally more accepted than in many Asian countries. BL production in Thailand has rocketed in recent years and production houses have organised fan events at home and across Asia. "There are a big group of fans, but they cannot identify themselves as a big fan of BL publicly due to the socio-cultural constraints, like religious matters," he told AFP. Thailand is expected to legalise same-sex marriage later this year - the first country in Southeast Asia to do so - but LGBTQ campaigners say there is still work to be done to change attitudes. Actor Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana, who got his big break in "Love by Chance" and founded his own TV production company in 2020, says he is aiming to go beyond romance stories. At a shrine in Bangkok, the 26-year-old joined the cast and crew of his latest drama, a girls' love show, who gathered to pray for the success of their new series.