Creator of local gay drama Getaway wants to raise acceptance of LGBTQ+ community here, Latest TV News - The New Paper
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Creator of local gay drama Getaway wants to raise acceptance of LGBTQ+ community here

If you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t, because the first ever Singaporean-made boys' love (BL) drama has dropped just this week.

BL dramas, as its name suggests, depict romantic relationships between men. It is a genre that has grown popular in Thailand, Taiwan, and more recently, South Korea.

Titled Getaway,  the local series comprises five episodes, each about 10 minutes long.

Created by Sean Foo, the founder of media publication Dear Straight People, the series was filmed in Bangkok, and stars Foo as the main character alongside local influencer Hirzi Zulkiflie and Steven David Lim of Growing Up fame. It also features Thai actors Paween “Snooker” Nalieng and Sirinutt Cholvibool.

Foo said he did not want to create a "conventional" BL drama that perpetuates gay stereotypes.

He explained on his platform: "BL dramas typically contain homophobic undertones, and gay men are often portrayed as predators. Scenes of the gay protagonist taking advantage of his drunk or unconscious love interest have become commonplace within the genre."

According to him, BL dramas are also typically made by straight women for a heterosexual female audience, and do little to represent the "gay experience".

But Foo acknowledges the importance of the genre when it comes to LGBTQ+ media representation, and hopes that his series will "raise visibility, understanding and acceptance" of Singapore’s LGBTQ+ community.

The first episode of "Getaway" is now available on Dear Straight People's YouTube channel.

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