I genuinely thought that GL genre will be so mainstream in Thailand, and it should be easier to find any English-translated GL novels on regular bookstore in Bangkok. But apparently, things are not as I thought it would be.
It is truly surprising to find this out a couple weeks ago. So to tell you the story from the beginning, my little brother went to spent his weekend in Bangkok, and I asked him to buy me a novel of my current favorite series, REVERSE WITH ME. I told him that I don’t mind if he could get me in the original Thai language, but I would be happy if he could find the English-translated version.
Long story short, he went to a couple bookstores—even made sure that they are the biggest bookstores in Bangkok, because they should have more collection than the smaller ones. Unfortunately, after looking for it and asked the staff, he couldn’t find the GL novel that I’m looking for. And searched for any information online about how to purchase the physical book, and apparently, I could only get the physical version if I joined the pre-order from the author’s website.
With the series now adapted into live-action and aired on a well-known streaming platform, I would assume, the novel will be easier to find, especially in Thailand, the country where it was made. But nope… it’s not as easy as I thought.
Buying the digital copy of Thai GL novel is much more accessible compared to getting the physical copy. To buy the digital version, I could easily go to Meb or LunarWrite, and purchase it there. Though as a GL fans, and collector, I want to also collect the physical novel to put in my shelf.
Though, apparently, despite the most popular pairing, Lingling Kwong and Orm Kornaphat, from the most popular series, THE SECRET OF US (2024), got invited to Dior Fashion Week 2025, it doesn’t mean that GL as a genre is as mainstream as I hoped for. Despite the enthusiasts of Thai GL series that comes from all over the world, and hundred thousands of people attended the fan meeting event for the series, finding GL-related collection in physical form is still challenging.
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| Orm Kornaphat (left) and Lingling Kwong (right) at Dior Paris Fashion Week 2025. |
I do wish that someday, bookstores would have a dedicated shelf for this genre. Also hope that it will be easier to find the English-translated novels, related merchandise, any collectibles from the stories, just as easy as getting any other collectibles from any genre.
There is another way for me to get collectibles from series produced by GMMTV. It is to go the GMM building in Bangkok, and go to their walked-in store to get any merchandise I want. I would do that myself when I’m going to Thailand later. But that’s beside the point.
You might also want to read this article by Bangkok Post, “Lesbian Media Still in The Shadows” {alertInfo}
I’m just surprised that my expectations about this genre is not align with the reality. I mean, with the popularity and all, this genre should be as mainstream as any other genre. But one might argue, if GL is truly has becoming mainstream, they would call it romance instead, and no longer using the term GL, Yuri, or WLW. Besides, the lesbian fetishism could also become a problem that might hinders this genre development moving forward. So, I’m glad that this genre is still somewhat exclusive for the “if you know, you know” community. Though that does not stop me from hoping that GL will be as mainstream as I’m hoping for in the future.
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UPDATE: I didn’t know about this Bangkok International Book Fair 2025 when I wrote this blog post. It seems interesting and I wish I could be there in person. I saw people on X got the chance to buy the English translation of their favorite GL stories.
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