Abstract:
YAOI or Boys' Love (BL), a genre that features male to male relationship, remains
unusual and absurd in the eyes of the common public. Prejudice and misconceptions
surround this seemingly enigmatic genre while its female fans are ostracized by people
outside the fandom. This study, in order to diminish the erroneous beliefs about YAOI
fans, aimed to describe females who are into Boys' Love fandom in relation to the
following domains: [1] social environments including family, peers and media; [2]
attitudes toward their sex and gender and toward societal norms on gender and sexuality;
and [3] extent of exposure to BL genre. Thirty female YAOI fans aged 18-25 answered the preliminary questionnaire.
Only four proceeded for the in-depth interview on the basis of the breadth of exposure to
the genre. The research ascertained that Boys' Love fans have normal families; the only
distinct characteristic of theirs is that they didn't have an outright patriarch for a father.
All four of the fans never had a boyfriend ever since but they are not homosexuals.
Immersing themselves into YAOI fandom is not for the reason that they wanted to
deviate from societal norms; they are genuinely enthralled with the uniqueness of BL
stories. YAOI became a part of the fans' everyday life and they regard homosexual love,
specifically male homosexual love, as "the purest love" or a "higher form of love".
