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Alex Diaz on the rising popularity of BL shows in the country: “It's nice, it's refreshing, it's exciting to see how much more we can dissolve these labels; how much more interesting 'yung mga characters na pwede nating i-create in the future.”

Actor Alex Diaz is set to star in the upcoming romance-fantasy anthology My Fantastic Pag-ibig: Fairy Tail Romance along with Kapuso actor Yasser Marta.

The two-part special is a Boys' Love (BL) genre or a feature of the romantic relationship between men.

In recent years, BL series and films have been visible across Asia, especially in Thai and Taiwanese audiences. Last year, it started to gain more Filipino followers and has become a massive hit in the country.

Source: alexandermcdizz (Instagram)

In an interview with GMANetwork.com, Alex, who came out as a bisexual, weighed in on the rising popularity of the said genre.

“I feel like for so long especially conservative 'yung country natin 'di ba? I feel like gay roles have always had this theme of secret na nabubunyag, 'yung drama na parang 'Bakla ka! Ganyan,' and the whole idea of a BL is light siya, kilig 'yung BL,” he said.

The actor then said that BL shows are not always about “sex” and story of coming out, but a broader scope of what is probably happening in the lives of queer people.

“So ang focal point hindi siya sex, hindi siya 'yung drama ng pag-out. It's nice to see na finally we're getting to a place where…not just BLs with dalawang lalaki but GLs with girls. Mas malawak na 'yung story-telling natin dito sa Pilipinas.

“It's really important to create that space for every single type of Filipino na meron din pala akong pwedeng i-idol diyan sa palabas na 'yan,” he added.

Source: alexandermcdizz (Instagram)

That said, Alex expressed his gratitude towards non-LGBTQIA+ people who create BL genre shows which he said are contributing to their drive to fight sexism.

“It's just nice to see that there are more stories and more people who hindi naman LGBTQ+ [but] you're happy and willing to tell these stories for people who are going through these things.

“It's nice, it's refreshing, it's exciting to see how much more we can dissolve these labels; how much more interesting 'yung mga characters na pwede nating i-create in the future,” he added.

Meanwhile, take a look at Alex's role in his upcoming BL mini-series titled My Fantastic Pag-ibig: My Fairy Tail Romance in this gallery: