For decades, women have been drawn to male-on-male romance, both in print and on screen. Long before the internet, female Star Trek fans were imagining secret relationships between Captain Kirk and Spock, creating “slash” fan fiction that circulated in photocopied zines at conventions.

Lucy Neville, author of Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, explains, “It was very grassroots and organic. Women would swap their zines, read each other’s stories, and form little subgroups.”

This fascination isn’t limited to fan fiction. In 1970s Japan, the Year 24 Group of female manga artists explored male/male relationships in shōjo comics, eventually giving rise to the yaoi or Boys’ Love genre.

In the West, publishing imprints such as Black Lace in the 1990s and today’s Carina Adores, Dreamspinner, and Riptide have created thriving markets for M/M romance, often written by women for women. Even niche subgenres, like “hockey romances,” place athletic men in dramatic, emotionally charged relationships, combining peak physicality with vulnerability.

The appeal is multifaceted. Aesthetically, two attractive men can offer a straightforward visual and emotional allure. Many women, Neville notes, also enjoy the fantasy of imagining sex from a male perspective. “More than half the women I asked said they’ve fantasized about being a man having sex,” she says. “For most, it had nothing to do with gender identity—it was purely about the fantasy.”

Academics like Henry Jenkins and Judith Butler suggest another layer: from early childhood, girls often read literature from a male point of view, from Peter Pan to Holden Caulfield. Imagining male experiences, including sexual ones, becomes a familiar practice, making male-on-male romance a natural extension.

Hollywood has been slower to respond than publishing. Brokeback Mountain seemed to open the door in 2005, but consistent representation has remained limited. Recent successes, however—like the 2023 adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and the TV adaptation of Reid’s Heated Rivalry—demonstrate a growing appetite among female audiences for gay male love stories on screen.

Concerns that straight female consumption of gay male romance fetishizes or exploits queer men appear largely unfounded. Neville’s interviews with over 200 queer men revealed the opposite: many appreciate the visibility and find it affirming or exciting to see others enjoying gay stories.

With decades of fan fiction, literary works, and now mainstream adaptations to draw on, the genre shows no signs of slowing. As Neville puts it, “They’ve got a wealth of source material—they’re not going to run out anytime soon.”

According to a research, rise of gay male romance on screen isn’t just a trend—it’s the evolution of a cultural phenomenon decades in the making, one that celebrates desire, imagination, and storytelling from unexpected angles.