I’ve been waiting for the longest time to share my thoughts on the rise of GL/yuri in Thailand, especially since late-2022 and 2023 have both provided opportunities to explore the emerging importance of GL content in Thai media culture, especially with the success of IDOLFACTORY’S drama Gap, The Series.

I was very fortunate to be invited to speak about Thai GL with Erica Friedman, the founder of Yuricon and author of By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga, on her Yuri Studio project. We were joined by my colleague and friend Dr Kwannie Krairit of Srinakharinwirot University, who has been researching the rise of LGBTQ+ visibility in Thai media culture.

We discuss the history of GL/yuri in Thailand, how Thai production companies have borrowed/adapted celebrity promotion tactics from Thailand’s BL culture to create GL celebrity idols, the issues facing the genre moving forward within a patriarchal media culture, and the need for fans to learn more about the etiquette which drives shipping culture in Thailand.

You can watch the video of the recording here!