LGBTQ+ IS NOWHERE CLOSE TO ACTUALLY GETTING EQUALITY.
I'm gonna keep this short as possible
Just because you like BL or GL doesn't mean you actually support LGBTQ+ people or their rights. You might even be contributing to the same harmful stereotypes. I'll focus on BL since I don't know much about GL.
1. BL fans and their stereotypes.
* Twinks = bottom, muscular = top. Because apparently, body types determine sexual roles. Ofcourse this isn't always the case since theres buff bottoms but again, the top is usually stronger than the buff bottom (and this is where the usual black flags top comes in. Bottom = weaker, top = stronger.) * The "gay for you" trope and obsession with turning straight characters to gay = reinforce the misconception that someone can be turned gay by the right person. Like a straight character that falls in love with a gay man and only ever falls for one gay guy and is uninterested or not attracted to any other gays at all. Discovering your sexuality through a relationship isn't problematic, but gay men aren't trophies, and heterosexuality isn't an obstacle to overcome— vice versa. * Omegaverse. I'm not even gonna get into that mess.
2. BL fans and IRL people. * Saw two guys together? Shipped. I literally saw a post of a guy carrying his friend with a disability, and the comments were full of BL/yaoi jokes. THEY'RE BOTH MINORS, BTW. * Saw an actual gay couple? Instead of wishing them well, people comment, "We know who's the top and bottom." LIKE, WHAT THE FUCK? THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE. Imagine strangers analyzing your relationship and assigning you sex roles for their entertainment.
3. "It's just fiction." I get that some people take fictional stories too far and doesn't get that fiction can be seperated with reality. But fiction can still influence expectations, normalize stereotypes, and shape how people perceive real communities. Enjoying a trope doesn't automatically make you a bad person, but using fiction to shut down every criticism doesn't help either.
There's a difference between consuming queer romance as entertainment and respecting LGBTQ+ people as real human beings with their own identities, boundaries, and rights. Yeah thats all thanks for reading my random yap.
