Marriage Equality, Thai BL Culture, and Queer Soft Power:
Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of Activism in BL Series and Among BL Idols
Thailand has recently made history by becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize marriage equality. Within the context of the mainstreaming of the Thai "Boys Love" and "Girls Love" (Y) industries, this presentation extends work from my monograph Boys Love Media in Thailand: Celebrity, Fans, and Transnational Asian Queer Popular Culture to ask what role - if any - did BL culture play in debates over marriage equality in Thailand. Significantly, I emphasize shifts within the Thai BL industry whereby celebrities must now demonstrate a commitment to social justice to effectively respond to young fans' desires for role models who do not engage in simplistic acts of pinkwashing. I contend that changes in the Thai BL industry reveal how the expectations of a new generation of fans mandate that contemporary Thai BL idols explicitly demonstrate their commitment to progressive political concerns to achieve success in their careers. I conclude by considering the intersections of this queer activism to the so-called Thai Wind and transnational fandom for Thai media, specifically exploring (and critiquing) how the Thai state attempts to leverage BL/GL content and LGBTQ+ rights as resources to build soft power.
SPEAKER
Dr. Thomas Baudinette is Senior Lecturer in Global Cultures, School of International Studies, Macquarie University. A cultural anthropologist, his research explores the role popular culture plays in shaping knowledge about gender and sexuality across East and Southeast Asia. His first book is Regimes of Desire: Young Gay Men, Media, and Masculinity in Tokyo (University of Michigan Press, 2021). His second book is Boys Love Media in Thailand: Celebrity, Fans, and Transnational Asian Queer Popular Culture (Bloomsbury, 2023). Thomas is currently working on three book projects: an edited collection titled Riding the Thai Wind: Globalizing Thai Media, Transnational Fandom, and Soft Power Potentials; the updated English-language edition of Akiko Hori and Mori Naoko’s seminal text BL no Kyōkasho (A BL Textbook); and a monograph tentatively titled Queer Fantasies of Asia: Japanese and Korean Media Fandom in the Philippines.
MODERATOR
Jazreen is a third-year PhD candidate at MAIDS-GRID, Chulalongkorn University, specialising in the intersection of creative industries and industrial sustainability. His current research evaluates the Thai Boys Love (BL) genre as a critical pillar of national soft power, examining the socio-environmental frameworks required for its long-term viability. Drawing upon comparative analyses of global cultural exports, specifically the environmental trajectory of the K-Pop industry, Jazreen has engaged in high-level consultations with prominent entertainment agencies, intergovernmental organisations, and national government agencies to advocate for sustainable creative economy policies. In 2025, he founded @sustaina.bl, a digital advocacy initiative that bridges the gap between media production and ethical consumption by promoting environmental and social governance (ESG) standards within the global BL ecosystem.
“MAIDS-GRID Talk: Expert Research Seminar” is a new initiative conceived and managed by GRID Ph.D. students. It provides a dedicated space for experts from diverse fields to share insights on the multifaceted issues within development studies.
Venue and Date
Online via Zoom (register here)
Bangkok: 23 April 2026, 10:00-11:30 am (GMT+7)
Scan the QR code to register or click the link below:
https://chula.zoom.us/meeting/register/xk41lm6VTLGB4wtsbqP4Aw