Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the Uses and Gratification theory by Kratz and Blumler

(Kasiyre 2021) which was coined in the early 1940s. The uses and gratifications theory has a

long history in the communications field. The theory aims to comprehend the purpose and the

other aspects that surround why people utilize media in their lives. The theory indicates that

people are actively choosing the type of media and content that they consume in order to satisfy

their needs or wants. Uses and Gratification is an audience-centered theory that focuses on (a)

the social and psychological origins of (b) needs, which generates (c) expectations of (d) the

mass media or other sources, which leads to (e) different patterns of media exposure or

engagement in other activities, resulting in (f) need gratifications and (g) other, perhaps mostly

unintended consequences (Kasirye 2021). The study utilized this theory to further understand the

perception of cisgendered gay men members of the LGBTQIA+ community belonging to the

generation Z on the issue of queerbaiting in Boys Love media. Through this theory the

researchers are able to understand how the respondents perceive the boys love genre in

connection to how the respondents would respond to the assumption that the media uses boys’

love for exploitation such as queerbaiting.

Review of Related Literature

When media reports imply that celebrities or characters have LGBT relationships that aren’t

completely disclosed, this is known as queerbaiting. It has a negative impact on the media

industry’s masculine representation. Queerbaiting can result in media misrepresentation in order

to get more followers. The media industry utilizes queerbaiting to satisfy fandom desires, such as

female obsessions with real person slash (gay romantic fiction based on a celebrity’s public

image) and real person fanfiction when it comes to their favorite boy band (Clayton 2021).

An example of a media queerbaiting was that in a Euphoria episode, a real-life slash of Louis

Tomlinson and Harry Styles was displayed. The character is writing fanfiction about Harry and

Louis having sex before they go on stage in episode (01X03). It’s quite graphic, like a lot of real-

life slash fanfiction. Because it exploited all sides of real person slash, this is an example of a

terrible representation of real person slash. Even though the tape was animated to act like

standard fanfiction, it is written out. This had an impact on the entire fandom, and Louis

Tomlinson didn't like how the animation resembled Louis and Harry. While the band’s success

grows, one of the most persistent beliefs is that Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles once dated or

are in a relationship that they can’t reveal due to their management. When old footage began to

demonstrate how Harry and Louis are compelled to maintain distances, viewers concluded that

their management was forcing them to hide their connection (Sherman, 2020). Larry’s admirers,

known as Larries, are continuously trying to show that Tomlinson and Harry were dating. “The

Larry fanbase is dedicated to queering the prevailing narrative in order for others’ queer desires

to thrive, therefore defying heteronormative social logic (McCann & Southerton, 2019).” This is

based on the hysteria and genuine obsession that exists between Tomlinson and Harry. It’s a

mystery why their fan base is still expanding years after their break in 2015. Many new admirers
who have become enamored with One Direction have loved the performers’ solo work. Based on

each of the lads’ new albums, new admirers have hypothesized that Harry and Louis are still

together. This raises the question of how damaging this is to boybands for straight boys who are

sold or pressured in the music industry. (McCann & Southerton, 2019).”

The same is the effect on the issue of queerbaiting in Boys Love media throughout the world.

Over the last two decades, the guys’ love genre has grown in popularity, and it has fast become a

global phenomenon in the media. Over the last two decades, academic sectors have paid greater

attention to the expanding popularity of boys’ love media, resulting in a plethora of exploratory

research concentrating on either the media or the fan community (Galbraith 2009). “Boys’ love”

is a catch-all word for Japanese media – principally anime and manga – that focus on the

romantic love between two males, sometimes in a sexually graphic manner. Male homosexuality

is shown in video games, films, television shows, and other original or fan-created visual (fan

art) and textual (fan fiction) works (McHarry 2011). The excellent reception of Boys’ Love,

which retained the majority of its cultural particular qualities in international versions, prompted

the establishment of enormous, online fan communities (Thorn 2004, 174). As the Internet

became more widely available, manga fans with a particular interest in boys’ love were able to

connect online and collaborate on fan-made works (e.g., fan fiction, fan art), resulting in

massive, multinational collaborations (Thorn 2004, 174).

Bautista and Villaverde (Aileen Bautista 2019) stated that boys love has become increasingly

popular over the past two decades and is rapidly becoming a global media phenomenon around

the world. Seeing that the Gen Z enjoys this type of content, BL became one of the most popular

drama series that Gen Z’s enjoy to watch. Having this topic in mind, they stated in their paper

“The Role of Gay Men as Reflected in the Philippine Advertisements” as to see that how media
influences the drama series BL, Philippines is known to be a Christian country depicting that

they standup for their faith and beliefs. Therefore, having a hard time for several Gen Z’s openly

watching BL. With this in mind many Filipino Gen Z’s then have the idea of BL and would start

seeing articles about the concerning actors as “clickbait” or we’d rather call Queer-baiting.

(Katipunan 2020)

“Yall let straight actors take lgbt roles as if lgbt actors don’t exist... truly shows that it ain’t for

representation but for capitalism” -jason dhakal. In the context of studying fandom culture,

queerbaiting is to convince anyone that some writers, directors, and even business people have

homosexual relationships in what they read and see. The style to use. Some scholars and

researchers have further expanded their meaning and shared a more specific perspective. Eve Ng,

states that if literature or spectacle does not correspond to the standard expression of the

LGBTQ+, it can be considered a queerbait, Judith Fataler (Fataler 2015). In the Philippines, there

is a great need to strengthen the representation of gays and lesbians, especially to this day - their

space is still limited. A 2017 Human Rights Watch report found that even when the country

enacted its 2013 Anti-Bullying Act, it still failed to address its overwhelming record of

mistreatment of students in the LGBT community. Additionally, only 15 percent (15%) of the

total Philippine population lives in areas with laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual

orientation and gender identity. In Huffpost's Dominique Mosbergen article, the Philippines is

one of the "queer-tolerant" countries throughout Southeast Asia, but in various branches of the

heterosexual and LGBT communities (gay, transgender, asexual). Queerbaiting forms a vast

castle of illusion. It gives false hope to the eyes of a Filipino queer that they are there to give

them a voice. Even in reality, these capitalist creators have no intention of revealing concrete

bias and constructing a true representation of the sociopolitical condition of their community.
Until the end, they are just pain and part of the reckless capitalization of whatever can be earned.

(Uy 2020)

CNN Philippines article about Boys' Love in Philippine Television, expresses about a

classification of fictionalized media that highlights homoerotic connections between male

characters, has reached standard Filipino cultural society awareness. In any case, it also feels off

base to claim that it hasn't been taken into account. Because the Philippines has a large number

of viewers in web-based streaming locales for BL. This practice has enabled the organization to

amass a sizable global following, including a Filipino gay men viewers. " I don’t have hard data

to prove that a lot of Filipinos are indeed watching these shows aside from anecdotal evidence."

(Smith 2020). Filipinos influence about BL because of numerous recommendations from friends

and endless virtual entertainment posts of people adoring these Thai gay stories and their

adorable male stars.

This study is relevant to the present because it dealt with the issue of queerbaiting in Boys

Love media. It primarily discusses BL type that is concerned with describing gay sentiments,

specifically the delights and disarray achieved by young gay love. However, it isn't generally

concerned with telling a reasonable depiction of the gay experience from web-based streaming

locales, for example, Netflix.

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