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Well, that's the question. I have a close friend (male) who seems to like yaoi so much. I didn't believe it at first, but he admitted he REALLY likes it. He even admitted that he acted like guys in yaoi manga once.

Is it normal enough?

(Gomen, Bian. No meaning to insult you.)

So the guy's gay. Nothing wrong with that, unless you're Iranian.

PyTom wrote:So the guy's gay.

No, he isn't, actually. I know him quite well. That is why I think if it is abnormal for him to like yaoi.

You know, guys in some yaoi stuff are *so* feminine that it might not be so surprising . But it does depend on which ones he's reading then.

Could it be that he is just curious and likes it since it's a bit different from the normal love stories?

And...
...Is it normal for a girl to like shoujo ai? T_T

There's no "normal" thing when it comes to sexual identity. There's a choice, that's all.
Whether you're attracted to someone of the other gender or the same gender or even both of them is your choice.

That being said, it's not that inusual for a man to like yaoi stories. If that person is gay you might think it's "normal" for him to like them, but surprisingly, not all gays like yaoi stories.
What is depicted in those stories isn't always what reflects the real life. I remember a friend who's gay who happened to hate these stories because he had read a bad one (he changed his mind after I recommended him better ones).

Like Monny kun, I'd rather say it depends on which stories you read/watch/listen.

Hime wrote:...Is it normal for a girl to like shoujo ai? T_T

Well, put it this way: the person I know who was most enthusiastic about the more suggestive parts of MorningStar - gleefully exclaming things like "Let the yuri begin!", "you need more naked magical-girl transformation sequences" and "I like these uniforms, you can see just enough of their legs" - was a girl. And I only really know this girl 'cause she's seeing a guy I knew from university.


I don't know if I'd call her normal, but it's certainly not unheard of!

No, he isn't, actually. I know him quite well. That is why I think if it is abnormal for him to like yaoi.

That defends on how you define gay or bisexual. Someone can have homoerotic tendencies (feel attraction toward those of the same sex), but not practice homosexuality. Only the individual would know.

I find it funny how many people classify these things on the basis of practice or choice. For instance, some throw around the label "celibate" as a sexual orientation.

Whether you're attracted to someone of the other gender or the same gender or even both of them is your choice.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you mean, but.....

Whether you act on a particularly tendency is a choice. However, I doubt the same goes for attraction (and considering how hostile certain societies are to homosexuality, I'm sure some individuals would want their own tendencies to disappear if it were actually possible).

It's normal. Even I do it. Not as far as yaoi, but Shounen-Ai manga happens to be one of the types that I read. Think of it like this, He's heterosexual, but taking a small dip into the homosexual world. It'll build a better understanding and tolerance. It's a good thing.

Indeed, culture plays a role in defining your sexual orientation (or attraction). Be it religious, social or traditional, it's just a matter of how this attraction is judged by others because most of us try to use group values to form our own opinion (on what is good, evil, common, uncommon, tolerant, intolerant).

But eventually, this is only a fulfillment of how much restrain you put into your own passions.
For instance, you might have a liking for let's say, white cloth.
In a culture that favors white cloth, you might develop this passion to its full extend but in another that favors black cloth, you'd stand out.

There's also an old saying: passion versus reason. Because our logic (nurtured from what we learned, from what we were unconsciously told along with what we were consciously told) most of the times defy our passions, we are always dragged between a certain conflict.
For example, someone likes flowers, for multiple reasons, like their shape, scent, thorns, symbolic... But the logic states that it's no more than a plant, that there's no need to feel attracted to a mere plant [add some more reasons there].
But well it's more complicated than that. Sometimes you're new to a situation and you're not adaptive enough so in the end you don't know how to deal with it.
So you are perturbed because there are no references (or none at close hand) and you're searching for a meaning, something to put into your logic pattern.

It's weird to come to this but I don't think the key to your problem is "being normal" or not.
As I said, there's no "normal" in this human world. Just what the most common is.
It is a choice (I mean by that an alternative) because whether you're bound to end up choosing this value over one another, it's always a personal choice. That's what makes us human, being able to construct our feelings, to give them a meaning.

I'd rather stay neutral and say that there are lots of people that are female and like/love shoujo ai along with boys that like/love shounen ai stories, and even create them.
Be it "normal" or not is different from people to other people.
It really depends on your background (but it's not always the case, most people form their own values by themselves).
If you're from a pure puritan/extremist group that dreads homosexuality, then it might be "no it's a sinful sin".
If you're from a group that tolerates homosexuality or who doesn't care at all about that then it might be "yes, why not ?".

But at the end, it always comes to this:

Is it normal if I spend more time than I planned on writing my game script ?

Maybe I'm wrong but I think everyone is interpreting the question as "Is it okay for a guy to like BL?" which I don't think is really the same as being normal.

Being normal just means you're just like the majority of the people. So truthfully it is not normal for a guy to like BL. However just because it's not normal doesn't always mean it's not okay. Some communities abhor abnormalities while some cherish them though most will just ignore them. I myself am pretty abnormal but that doesn't mean people will burn me on a stake or throw me into jail for that.

JQuartz wrote:Maybe I'm wrong but I think everyone is interpreting the question as "Is it okay for a guy to like BL?" which I don't think is really the same as being normal.

Being normal just means you're just like the majority of the people. So truthfully it is not normal for a guy to like BL. However just because it's not normal doesn't always mean it's not okay. Some communities abhor abnormalities while some cherish them though most will just ignore them. I myself am pretty abnormal but that doesn't mean people will burn me on a stake or throw me into jail for that.

Maybe your normal for liking BL, but everyone else is wierd. It's all down to a matter of opinions. Sure, people will condemn you for it, but it's normal for you.

If you're his Yaoi-loving girlfriend, Yes.

If you're one of his male buddies, Hell No.

So it goes...

Normal? hmmmm that depends greatly on what normal is....

Myself, I don't care for BL. I see nothing WRONG with guys liking BL, it's just not my cup of tea. There are guys who are interested in it, and I see nothing wrong with them being interested in it; just....not for me

I guess it all boils down to social mores and what's acceptable as far as what's *normal*.

Normal = Regular = Average = Plain

Abnormal = Wierd = Extraordinary = Special

Normal =/= Acceptable / Legal

Abnormal =/= Unacceptable / Illegal

Eg. Boy is gay. So boy likes BL. This is normal.
Boy is straight. But boy likes BL. This is abnormal.

Boy has breasts but no one else has it. He is abnormal.
Boy has breasts and every male in his community also have it. He is normal.