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The circle of artists known collectively as Hana no nijyuuyonen gumi are perhaps singular can reasonably be considered the mothers of this genre and Moto Hagio is an everpresent figure in its early development. While other titles predate it (some also listed) and this title was not very popular on its release it quickly built its own following and would set the stage for the genre's first big hit, Kaze to Ki no Uta by Takemiya Keiko
Arguably the first blockbuster title of the genre. Takemiya Keiko stands with Moto Hagio as the most influential figures in the early development of BL
As well as being one of the few works with BL themes to be written by a man, this shares the distinction with Aoike Yasuko's Sons of Eve of representing the introduction of lighter toned works
This is here as stand in for other works by Aoike Yasuko, specifically Son's of Eve which marked a shift in emphasis from the early model of Shonen Ai, which was frequently melodramatic and tragic. After the first decade (and particularly with increasing production of diverse fan works during the 80s), we saw the introduction of lighter, more crowd-pleasing and even outright comic works
Not A BL title (obviously), but it was surprisingly influential in the genre as the focus of the largest portion of yaoi dojinshi throughout the formative decade of the 80s, particularly at Comiket
Heart of Thomas