Boy's love as genre film literature: comparative perspectives of straight and gay men

Abstract

In today‘s world of film literature, literature interpretation has been a common practice. This research study aims to describe the nature of the Boy's Love genre and investigate the attitudes of straight and gay males toward it. A total of sixteen (16) participants, both heterosexual and gay men, were interviewed. Eight straight and gay men participated in the in-depth interview and another 8 for the focus group discussion. Triangulation was used by gathering multiple relevant information to ensure its validity and reliability. According to the study's conclusions, gay men view Boys' Love as a film that promotes respect and acceptance, raises awareness, provides hope and assurance, introduces a novel and exciting concept, and corresponds to real life. Meanwhile, straight men assess the influence of boys' love as a film that conveys undiscriminating love, relates to gays and women, and portrays unconventional shows. Moreover, the insights of gay men on the future of Boy's love genre are films that gain acceptance from society, take time to thrive, respect sexual preferences, become famous, educate society, and normalize same-sex relationships. Meanwhile, the insights of straight men on the future of boys' love are film that considers several factors like actors, audience, and message; remains discriminated by the Church, respects and accepts the gay community slowly, and keep regulated by a specific standard or standard hierarchy.