Hey there! Can I ask that you change your thread title to something more like "Why do YOU like BL?"
Currently it's running a bit close to threads that have caused issues in the past, ones that come off more as complaints about the genre that end up alienating a whole bunch of people. And as the internet goes, people often just read the titles and do a quick glance of the opening post before replying without really delving into the discussion. 
I love love, but I grew weary of the kinds of love stories that were available to me growing up. I'm very much an outlier being a tall, fat, and black woman that I could never really see myself in the self-insert romances, so I tended to look for love in places that were the complete opposite of me which lead me to BL. For sure BL has its own cliches and problems, but what genre doesn't. I'm just happy to see folks are more willing to acknowledge them these days and others are even working to create stories that subvert these tropes or at least attack them with a real weight that means something if used in a story over brushing it off.
Growing up the genre always seemed to be so niche and behind closed doors, if you read it or even found it, but it was there. Once fanfic sites became more popular and doujinshi become more wildly available on the net, there was a huge uptick in the amount of BL content that was more easily available.
IDK the exact factors for why the bl genre specifically has become so prevalent but methinks mayhaps the more inclusive and open-minded folks have become, the more people have felt comfortable about being able to tell and share stories of BL even GL and other lgbtq+ stories and label it as such since nowadays it is far more acceptable by society than it was 20 or heck even 10 years ago to see lgbtq+ folks and this bleeds into the realm of fiction as well. With it being more visible, folks now feel more comfortable about engaging in said content and don't have to feel like they are sneaking around or doing something wrong. Bc, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a love story no matter what the couple looks like or what's in between their legs or lack thereof.
Before my foray, into the lovely and magnificent world of webcomics and web novels there were about a handful of "mainstream" stories that were Het that really hit me in not only the feels but the heart and mind bc I felt the struggle and it was so real bc they had something that was physically relatable to me. Lovely Complex (tall heroine and short crush trying to make it work, really hit me in the feels there). Pochamani (about an actual chubby gal who is ok with being chubby and the guy that falls in love with her, blew out finding that one). There were a few others but those two really stand out for me.
Nowadays though, I'm finding so much more content that really speaks to be made by other artists and myself that has made me swoon and be open to getting into all kinds of stuff and exploring interests I didn't even know I had (Did somebody say Nagasssss).
Guess I'll answer the question myself!
I was initially drawn to BL in my late high school and college years (late 2000's, early 2010's) because I didn't find myself relating to any of the girls in het romances at the time. They were usually super femme and cutesy and wanted children and a family etc. Then came along BL/yaoi with characters that weren't that, didn't care about such things, and were not very heteronormative at all so I really appreciated that.
Fast forward several years and romance in general has come a long way. I can find lots of protagonists that I can relate to regardless of gender, so now I'm not as engrossed in BL/yaoi as I once was.
I think you have a point here. Excluding Korean webtoons and Japanese manga, there has been an increase in LGBT graphic novels created and consumed in the US. I don't think you would even find a title like Heartstopper in like 2008/2010 (maybe idk).
If a story is good I don't care what it is, I'll... watch it,, I'm more inclined to do movies or TV, reading takes up too much time and stops me from writing.
Being in the arts all my adult life 85% of my friends are LGBT+, including a guy I consider my soulmate even thought I'm female. I'm also on the spectrum.
I say this so you know where I'm coming from... if you ever want to know why those 85% of my friends loathe the genre and have threatened me with expulsion from their friendships if I ever write it, let me know... we can keep it private.
Like others said it, sometimes shoujo girls were just too... girly or doormats for my taste so bl was something fresh. plus i like all sorts of "forbidden love" stuff (age gaps, romeo/juliet sort of thing etc.) so of course i liked bls which had the whole "omg but we're both boys we can't...~~" thing going on.
...buut nowadays im enjoying het romances more again bc ive read too much BL over the years ^^'
That's how I felt about HL and BL comics. Every once in a while I'd find a good title but for the most part it felt like many just followed the same formula.
And you're right, they have FINALLY come a long way.
I think it's thanks to the internet mostly.
I'm just now getting back into romance manga and finding josei to be more of my taste than shoujo. Shoujo webtoons aren't so bad compared to manga (in terms of characters).
I always was interested it, I'm a sucker for a story about love. Also it was nice seeing other relationships. I always felt like there is someone out there for everyone. Also it was the first LGBTQ+ characters I experienced besides the musical "RENT" I felt like these stories were more inclusive.
Yes there are tropes and cliches. Now I'm more interested in the others were more healthy relationships. My favorite ones are "Deko - Boko Sugar Day"and "Cafe latte Rhapspdy" I like characters with different heights and personalities.
As an artist, I want to make webcomics with more inclusive characters and stories. BL was a big spring board for me so I had a soft spot for it
This has been me the past few weeks. I've been searching for josei and I've found a few good ones. It's harder to find good adult HL since the market is flooded with ones garnered to men. But I have found a few good webtoons for made with women as their audience in mind.
I still keep my eye out looking for a good BLs
Well here is the thing... I tend to feel lukewarm towards BL.
Thing is... I'm not a romantic guy, and most boys love I know tends to edge too much on that to be effective.
Do not get me wrong, I can still squeal like a fangirl when roberto confesses his 12 years of love towards eric, his childhood friend, and the two have this really cute moment (generic name btw, not referencing anything)... But as 28 year old gay guy with some experience and lots of friends, that sits a bit too far from reality from me.
I always appreciate more the realistic elements of romance, like when people put work and effort into their relationship and receive somethign back, like when they bond over a mutual liking or share something personal as opposed to 'love at first sight' stuff... So BL a good chunk of the times, falls off from my liking.
I enjoy boys love (or any love story for that matter) when we see the meaty and gritty of the relationship, like, when you see that the 'perfect prince charming' is cold and indiferent sometimes (wether intentionnaly or not), or when the good guy who always makes you smile is generally a good person who wants EVERYONE to be happy and not just you, so sometime you feel left out when he begins to care for other people.
This (to me) is a more accurate portrayal of real relationships, but its a very difficult balance to achieve, to show not everyone is perfect without having a character come off as a straight up asshole is frankly... Difficult...
But the point is, NOT IMPOSSIBLE, so i'm still searching for that ONE PERFECT BOYS LOVE FOR ME... Ironic considering i just bashed the idea of perfection xD
I feel about the same.
The realistic issue is a big problem for me.
When I heard about BL in my mid teens I was so glad to have found gay romance and did not mind so much about the lack of realism first; it was in the 90' and the gay content I had access to was mostly depressingly realistic. I really wanted to read something that changed from the usual oppression and AIDS themes.
But very quickly I realised a lot of BL were so unrealistic it was as much (or even more) efforts to relate to these stories that it was to relate to het stories (I'm pan, but het stories are typically - not always- unrelatable due to excessive gender roles). With less variety and styles available. So what's the point.
It's a bit more various now, but the realistic relatable stories are so drowned in the big amount of overly romantic or even mawkish content and the downright toxic/abusive stuff.
So now I only read BL on recommendation of people who feel the same.
I have no specific reason why I read it. There's just a lot of choice within the genre itself when it comes to secondary genres, artstyles, etc. because the pool of works is really big.
I used to read a lot of ya hetero fiction as a teen, but the characters often have very cliche one-note personalities with little depth or depth to their relationship. (And let's be honest, the writing in some of them is really bad as well.) That's why I've been ignoring that genre for a while... Just not what I want to read at the moment... Or ever again, I think.
Personally, i treat it the same as any other romance story.....i'm picky, but when the characters are really well written, it doesn't feel generic or bland, and get me invested in the couple, i gladly follow.......mixing it with comedy can also help a lot!.
Why do I like? Because I found comprehension. A bit of that light that people tends to call 'its gets better'. If someone could imagine that scenario, its not that hard to think that maybe in real life one can be happy too.
Good question. I never really knew the answer to it. Perhaps I am attracted to forbidden love. Same-sex love is doomed to condemnation by society.
I'm just a sucker for romance and even though a lot of BL is cliché, sometimes it's nice to enjoy nice things without a need for big brain thinking!
It reflected people who were like me. Who were struggling with their own identity, their sexuality, and who were going through the same attractions as me. Even though I had grown up hearing it was wrong. That I was somehow messed up and needed help. When I read it I went see this is normal, there are whole worlds where this exists. Where love can just be love, regardless of looks, and bias. To me it was refreshing. I started years and years ago though and the genre has become more and more healthy lately.
Which I really love.
