English language discourse on Japanese yaoi manga and anime has a tradition of pointing to the rigid gender dynamics of the seme/uke relationship. The seme is masculine, powerful, and tops the feminine and weaker uke. Evidence further suggests that the seme/uke relationship also aligns with the gendered separation of labor. This archetypal relationship is further complicated by the presence of unspoken, disavowed, or ambivalent sexuality that classically leans toward straightness. The seme/uke relationship enters this very problematic sphere of reductive gender politics and homophobia. Some threads of discourse have presented the seme and uke in more feminine avenues, providing the female fans a variety of representational relationships with the characters. These discursive strategies largely rely on the privileging of hegemonic conceptions of gender, sex, and sexuality.
Through queer readings of yaoi manga and anime, the primacy of fixed identities dissolve into alternative experiences of sex, sexuality, gender, and desire allowing for a greater validation for queer feelings of fans. We see the possibilities of queer masculinities that allow for less patriarchal performances of masculinity. We see the possibilities of queer sexualities that allow relationships to define sexuality, not relationships defined by sexuality. By offering these possibilities yaoi can be read as queer imagination rather than the narrowing lens of reality.
About the presenterJohn Francis
Earned an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS, University of London in 2012. Presented research at Otakon 2013, Festival of Original Theater 2015, FANS Conference 2015, and Anime Boston 2016. Primary areas of research include queer theory, Japanese media (particularly yaoi/BL), popular music and performance studies, film studies, and game studies. Currently, John is a graduate student in Literary Studies at Monmouth University preparing a thesis on monsters as queer heroes in the horror genre.