K-pop Fandom’s affective role in shaping knowledge of gender and sexuality among LGBTQ+ fans in Australia and the Philippines

Abstract

Drawing on interviews with 17 K-pop fans from Australia and the Philippines who identity as LGBTQ+, this article explores and theorizes the role of K-pop fandom in the production of knowledge concerning gender and sexuality. Through an analytical approach sensitive to the affective discourse produced by fans, this article establishes that K-pop fandom operates as a queer space which normalizes queer sexuality and gendered performance through the production of feelings of security, attraction, and relief. Further, analysis of the LGBTQ + fans’ discourse uncovers that the androgynous gendered performances of K-pop idols facilitate fans’ queering of heteropatriarchal and heteronormative ideologies.