On one side, it was because of piracy that I was able to find BL content in the first place (downloading anime and manga, and later on doujinshi). When I got into online fandom, nobody debated where the content had come from, we never stopped to think someone was the creator behind what we consumed. Just like everything else on the internet, we thought it was “there”, it was “free” to access. It was quite a few years until I started seeing and comprehending what piracy was, that it affects some parts of the industry more than we thought (you can’t compare the piracy of a multimillion hollywood movie with the work of a doujinka).

I’m glad to see that there are new subscription services for Japanese media that there weren’t before, and also for BL! The consumption dynamics are shifting towards less piracy and that’s super great to everyone involved.

I’m not gonna be a hypocrite though, I still consume pirated media, because I just can’t afford everything that comes out, every subscription service, every digital release. I grew up in an internet where all access is free and it’s hard to separate from that. I do try to support the stuff I like as much as I can afford and I really wish I could have a better income to spend on it. Regarding BL, I think Japan is slowly catching up with these new platforms for catching fans without losing money, and it’s a matter of time until there are more appearing, like apps like shonen jump has, but for BL magazines (haha).

— 28, She/They, Argentina

It has become easier to find the specific content you want, however there are still quite a few barriers (language, cultural, economical, etc.) that still make it hard for others to discover. 

I believe we shouldn’t pirate BL (and any media, especially foreign media, in general). There is also the factor that many BL are made by small authors/companies compared to a multi-billion corporation, so to pirate it is still in somewhat poor taste.

However, there is still the issue that BL is still locked behind multiple barriers and is still extremely difficult to find/consume for people. For example: People who live in countries/environments where consuming BL work is illegal or can put you in harms way so purchasing it can be going into dangerous waters in of itself.

— 18, She/They, Barbados

I feel BL is extremely diverse, there is no one linear way of how representation is/can be showcased in that medium and this applies to all queer media in general. Once again, at first glance it can be seen as “iffy” representation, but it’s just a need of expanding your genre taste. Not every queer story needs to hold the burden of being good/bad representation.

— 18, She/They, Barbados