#touchdaisy

First, it’s important to understand that the goal of this series is different than most bl. Most bl are aimed at fujoshi- they are written by straight women for straight women. This means that even though the main characters are two men, they are often living in heteronormative stories that follow straight expectations of love and romance. You can see the differences when comparing to series that were made by queer writers and beloved by queer audiences. Some classic examples that really started things off would be Queer as Folk and the movie But I’m a Cheerleader. 

Saint, the founder and owner of Idol Factory, has said that his goal is to give voice to the LGBT+ community- even if that means not following the trends of what is popular among bls. Thus, SCOY and GAP. This would suggest that his primary audience isn’t necessary the fujoshi who are sometimes out to self insert into romances or watch for the sex scenes, it’s to help LGBT+ people see themselves and their issues on screen in a more authentic way, and honestly I believe he’s achieved that really well so far with Scoy. Even though the genre is very different, it actually like watching Queer as Folk. It’s nostalgic. While this may be difficult to believe- the parts people find “cringe” are a part of why this show comes off so authentic.

Time for a quick history lesson! Depending on the country, LGBT+ stories have a long history of being forced to exist only as subtext. The primary reason being that were anti-sodomy laws all over the world, so authors could get in serious trouble for writing them. However, queer authors of course wanted to tell their stories anyway, so they found ways to do it through symbolism and queer coding. This same strategy was used in Hollywood during the Hays Code where LGBT+ stories were very subtly inserted through masculine women and feminine men. This solidified stereotypes for a wide general audience, but these characters were also beloved by the queer audience because they could read the subtext and see their stories played out. When you don’t have options, crumbs start to look pretty tasty. 

Eventually, more freedom was given and now we can see queer stories being played out in many countries in many different ways which is amazing, but when you look at series that are made by queer people for queer people, they still involve an element of campiness. Even in modern shows like “Our Flag Means Death.” 

The reason is because that element is genuinely a part of the queer community, culture, and history. This is why bl aimed at fujoshi and written by straight people can never quite get it right because the life experience is just inherently different. When I watch SCOY, their little friend group reminds me of being a first year in college with my own little queer found family stuck together in in the conservative countryside. Yeah, we were loud and energetic, maybe a little crazy, but when I see Toh and his group acting like that, I’m reminded that despite how hopeless they feel about love and all the personal issues they are going through, they haven’t let adversity win, just like we didn’t. 

Toh, Jao, and Daisy each show an important issue within the queer community that is often ignored by fantasy based bls and therefore gives real, authentic, representation to groups that need their voices heard. 

To begin, let’s start with our chaotic disaster of a hero. Many people have a big problem with Toh’s tendency to pick up Nuea’s trash. Yes, it’s gross, but it’s meant to emphasize how feminine men are often treated and looked at. Even in Western media, they are the funny/quirky sidekick or they are the token gay in straight shows because they are “safe” for straight audiences due to the fact that they are de-sexualized. They are never taken seriously or given genuine feelings. We could all imagine Toh in another series doing this as a running gag. Get a laugh, then move on to the real characters. The beauty of SCOY in Toh’s story is that it has allowed him to be who he is AND sexual.

In Scoy, Toh does this collecting because he genuinely believes that someone like Nuea could never love him, so he does what many tumblr users do- he feeds his hyperfixation by collecting pictures, merch, and information about the man he is interested in. He’s happy enough to fan over him from afar. He’s not hurting Nuea or anyone else, he’s enjoying love the only way he thinks he can. Once Nuea is interested and eventually with him, he continues these habits because he believes it won’t last, and he wants something to hold onto after it’s over. Scoy uses traditional campiness and humor to make real issues more palatable. When you understand what is happening, the fact that Toh does these things should be more tragic than “cringy”. 

Jao’s story shows the issues in the community with body image and I can’t help but remember the storylines in Queer as Folk where the boys went to the gym all the time because they felt pressured to be muscular in order to find sexual and romantic partners. For Jao, different cultures bring different expectations and the expectation placed on him is to be thin. While it isn’t said directly, Jao may very well be leaning towards developing an eating disorder. He is often giving away food and refusing to eat. Although he often plays it off as being cheeky or sweet, Sky clearly has noticed this problem, and thus is always offering him food, checking up on him, and making him healthy meals or taking him out to eat. 

Often, we only hear about how the media puts pressure on women to look a certain way, but this is a big problem in the queer community as well, and it’s great to see more light being shed on it in comparison to the fantasy bls that actually contribute to these problems by only showcasing Adnois types and K-pop idol level beauties. 

Now, I have to admit, I haven’t read the novel, but it sounds like Daisy is either third gender or trans, and so far from her story we have seen how surprised and happy she is that Touch is actually trying to court her which shows us that despite her beauty this isn’t normal for her. Trans culture in Thailand seems very different from the Western world, but based on Daisy’s reaction, I can imagine there are some similarities like the challenges and uncertainties involved in finding a romantic partner that will love you for who you are and accept all of you. 

In Western culture, many people outside of the LGBT+ community don’t know much about trans people or culture, and so they base what little they know off of media representation, and unfortunately up until recently almost all trans representation was trans murderers, trans murder victims, prostitutes, and scenes of trans people showing their body to their lovers only to have their lovers puke… Thankfully, that is starting to change, but progress is slow. This is all the more reason that it’s important to have characters like Daisy that are humanized. Her story will help others be more empathetic and understanding of real world issues, but also give hope to trans and nonbinary people who struggle with love. 

While the beginning of this series can be difficult for some people to enjoy- particularly if their experience is primarily with the fantasy styled bls developed around heteronormative experiences and culture, I really hope people will give it a proper chance because it is such an authentic and loving narrative that clearly wants to give real representation to issues in the community that need a voice. Just relax and enjoy the comedy, yes it’s absurd, yes it’s camp, but keep in mind it’s meant to be a fun and easy vehicle to get at the heart of the issue.