Let our voice be heard - Boys’ love under the radio waves

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Ashley Sit

Author Ashley Sit is a law student at HKU enrolled in the BSocSc (Govt & Laws) & LLB​ programme.
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​​Boys’ love (“BL”) novels, television shows, and movies are getting increasingly popular all over the world. BL is a genre in literature and popular culture, which depicts romantic love between two male characters. The audience and fans of this culture are mostly girls or women. However, the influence of BL culture, particularly in television and movies, is unmeasurable. It is more than a sub-culture or a fan-based culture. This article aims to discuss how BL strikes traditional gender roles as well as how the law in Hong Kong and China governs BL shows.

BL breaks traditional boundaries of gender roles

Gender roles are expectations from a society that associate with our assigned sex. For example, women are expected to act femininely, be subordinate in relationships and be caregivers of the family. On the other hand, men are often required to act masculinely, regarded as the dominant character in relationships and breadwinners of the family. Even when feminism is on the rise in these two decades, gender stereotyping of women is still rather prominent [1]. 

In a lot of television drama that depict heterosexual relationships, the female character is usually under the protection of the male character. The so-called “happily ever after” endings are also about the female character marrying the male character and taking care of the family. The rigid framework of gender roles is deeply imprinted in people’s minds. However, when it comes to BL, some male characters are presented “femininely”, where they can be emotionally fragile and protected. Men can also play subordinate roles in a relationship, thus equalizing the power between the two genders. This can be considered as a silent protest against the patriarchal society, trying to break the stern walls built by gender stereotypes. The female audience can therefore dissociate themselves from restrictive gender expectations by identifying with a gender construct provided in boys’ love narratives [2].

Furthermore, in countries, particularly those with highly restrictive religious or cultural beliefs, women will be blamed for exhibiting their sexual desires or having erotic thoughts. Women are being suppressed in the reality. Yet, BL allows women to fantasise about relationships and sexual interactions and projects them to the male characters. These thoughts are confined in their “imagination” and “fantasy” where women will not suffer from any real consequences [3]. The closed, female-dominated BL fan community allows members to freely express their sexual desires and erotic thoughts. Besides, females tend to have more anxiety and consciousness about their own body because, in reality, they are the ones who are usually seen and judged by the male. Even in dramas that depict boy-girl relationships, some female audiences may be frustrated by the beautiful appearance of the female character and subconsciously compare themselves with the good-looking characters. Watching BL does not bring about this problem as the female audience will not associate themselves with the characters. Interestingly, studies showed that heterosexual females are more understanding and compassionate of gays and lesbians than are heterosexual males [4]. Some even attributed this as the reason why females are more attracted to BL.  

What does the law say about BL?

While homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997 and taken off the official list of mental illnesses in 2001[4], China however seems to be still taking a rather restrictive approach to BL. Five years ago, Chinese BL drama “Addiction” swept across China and attracted millions of fans. The Chinese government, however, soon issued a guideline that states “No television drama shall show abnormal sexual relationships and behaviours, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on”. Within just a few months, all depictions of gay people on television were banned as part of a cultural crackdown on “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content”. Now, to feed the huge demand of female audiences on BL, television networks can only depict the close bonding between the male characters but with an explicit declaration disapproving homosexuality, which makes these “BL drama” just a form of entertainment instead of a recognition of these relationships [5]. In 2018, Chinese court even imposed 10-year jail term for an author of a homoerotic book, she was charged profiting from selling “obscene” literature. This is undoubtedly a huge disappointment to LGBTQ+ activists in China on their way of fighting for equality and social recognition. 

In Hong Kong, while censorship over BL is clearly less rigid than that of mainland China, there were still disputes concerning the airing of  homosexual themed programmes. Cho Man Kit v Broadcasting Authority [2008] HKCFI 383 concerned an RTHK documentary, “Gay Lovers”, in which Cho was one of the interviewees. The documentary revealed homosexual couples’ struggles and pain, with interviewees expressing their hopes for recognition of same-sex marriage or civil union. After the documentary was aired, the Broadcasting Authority received complaints about the programme. The Authority concluded that the programme was biased toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and should not be broadcasted during family viewing hours. Despite the fact that the programme lack opposite views on same-sex marriage, the Court did not see this as an insufficiency that hinders impartiality. Since the programme was a study of human condition, the Court simply accepted that it would be absolutely natural to record what would be important to homosexuals, including their hopes in legalising same-sex marriage.  This is undoubtedly good news for the LGBTQ+ community to let their voices be heard in the radio waves. 


Conclusion 

BL is not just a kind of culture, but it is also a channel from women against the patriarchal society. Moreover, as the appearance of homosexual couples becomes more frequent on movie screens and televisions, it is hoped that homosexuality can be normalised among society and recognised around the world. Despite this, countries like China are still restrictive as to the content shown in the radio waves. There is still a long way to go for homosexual communities to voice their thoughts. 

References
 
[1] 殷琦 (2021)【BL 次文化解讀．3】打破性別定型框架，為女性賦權. 立場新聞
https://beta.thestandnews.com/lgbtq/bl-%E6%AC%A1%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E8%A7%A3%E8%AE%80-3-%E6%89%93%E7%A0%B4%E6%80%A7%E5%88%A5%E5%AE%9A%E5%9E%8B%E6%A1%86%E6%9E%B6-%E7%82%BA%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E8%B3%A6%E6%AC%8A
 
 
[2] Welker, James. (2011). Flower Tribes and Female Desire: Complicating Early Female Consumption of Male Homosexuality in Shojō Manga. Mechademia 6: 223.
 
[3] Früh, Werner. (2003). “Triadisch-Dynamische Unterhaltungstheorie” [Triadic-dynamic entertainment theory]. Theorie der Unterhaltung: Ein interdisziplinärer Diskurs. Eds. Werner Früh and Hans-Jörg Stiehler. Cologne: von Halem, 2003. 27-56. Prin
 
[4] Herek GM. (2002). Gender gaps in public opinion and lesbians and gay men. Public Opinion Quarterly.
 
[5] Hannah Ellis-Petersen. (2016). China bans depictions of gay people on television. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/04/china-bans-gay-people-television-clampdown-xi-jinping-censorship
 
[6]. AFP. (2021). ‘Boys’ Love’ dramas dance around China’s LGBTQ censors. Hong Kong Free Press. https://hongkongfp.com/2021/05/29/boys-love-dramas-dance-around-chinas-lgbtq-censors/