Global spotlight: Thailand’s relationship with the BL industry and queer rights
Over the last ten years, Thailand’s Boys Love (BL) industry has enjoyed steady and successful growth both domestically and abroad. Thailand is now considered to be the leader in the production of BL television shows globally. The country is producing BL faster than we can consume it.
Despite BL consumers acknowledging that Thai BL can sometimes be problematic in their portrayal of LGBTQ issues, people are still watching in droves. Domestically and internationally there is demand for the LGBTQ content and Thailand does not seem to have any intention of slowing production any time soon.
Despite local demand for such content, same-sex marriage remains illegal in Thailand. The juxtaposition of its thriving BL industry with its hateful and discriminatory rights for same-sex couples remains a hot topic of discussion in online spaces. Folks all around the world watched with bated breath recently as Thailand’s government denied yet another attempt at legalizing marriage for its LGBTQ community.
How does a country stand so staunchly opposed to something that is clearly well-accepted? Here’s what we know.
Rejecting marriage equality
In November 2021 an appeal to legalize marriage for same-sex couples was vehemently rejected by Thailand’s Constitutional Court. The case was petitioned as a violation of the Thai constitution, that prohibiting same-sex couples to marry was unconstitutional. However, the court rules that section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code was not a violation of the constitution.
The lawsuit was filed by the Foundation for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Rights and sought to dismantle the code in question, which states clearly that marriage is a union between a man and a woman only. Despite ruling against marriage equality, the court did say that Thai legislators “should draft laws that guarantee the rights of gender diverse people.”
Confused by the mixed messaging from their court system, this angered some in the LGBTQ community and many took to social media to lament over the loss. Thailand’s parliament has engaged in the recent debate over recognizing same-sex unions as civil unions, but this does not guarantee these couples the same legal rights as those protected by marriage. Many felt that the comments made by the court were meaningless and the government’s commitment to promoting gender equality was labeled as a farce.
Evidently, the fight for equality in Thailand continues. Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage back in 2019. They were the first Asian country to do so and currently remain the only Asian country legitimizing marriage equality for its LGBTQ population.
The BL Industry
Despite the Thai government’s clear commitment to homophobia, the BL industry is thriving in Thailand. Thailand is currently producing more BL than any other nation and people just can’t get enough. It’s consumed by both straight and queer people all around the world.
BL fans in social media spaces actively watched on as the Thai government denied the Thai LGBTQ community its right to marriage. It almost felt like the entire world was watching. Many thought, considering the popularity of BL and the success of the industry in Thailand, that it was a no-brainer. The government would definitely stand by the people and give them what they were asking for, right?
But no.
Many took to Twitter and other social media spaces to angrily vent their frustrations. A government will deny an entire sub-group of its people access to marriage protections, yet they are willing to capitalize off the same population for income? Sounds like a typical case of rainbow capitalism to us (and hypocrisy!)
Unfortunately, in many places around the world, there still remains a lot of work to be done on reconciling human rights with capitalistic ventures. The Thai people have proven, especially in recent years, that they’re ready for this social change. The government, however, is unwilling to relent and change its laws but is more than happy to make money off the very same issue.
The BL industry, for the most part, doesn’t really address this issue in its stories. If you’re watching Thai BL, you’ll be familiar with that university in Bangkok that all the queers seem to go to – seriously, they’re all going to the same university, regardless of what show you’re watching – and they’re all students of the Engineering faculty. Thailand must be creating the world’s largest army of gay engineers!
Their storylines are often coming-of-age stories that depict first love, the struggle of realizing that you’re in love with someone of the same gender. Sometimes they weave in the odd homophobic rejection from loves ones, but mostly, the same-sex thing is pretty normalized within the world of BL.
However, generally speaking, the issue of marriage equality remains something the industry seems hesitant to tackle within its storylines. As human rights and LGBTQ activists continue to fight for marriage equality in Thailand, a unique opportunity exists within the BL spaces to fight for social change. The industry has to be willing to take on the battle though.
With more international audiences joining the Thai BL bandwagon than ever before, the entire world is now watching Thailand’s progress on this issue. Will international attention be enough to change the minds of those in power? This remains to be seen. Watch this space as the fight for LGBTQ rights in Thailand continues.
