Yaoi, Yuri, Slash + M-preg Gay Stereotypes

*Some, (but not all) of the negative gay stereotypes in these fetish genres. 

Some of the Yaoi, Slash, or Shounen-ai Negative Gay Stereotypes:

1. Gay men MUST be handsome or they don't count. There is LITERALLY no such thing as an ugly gay man in these genres, only pretty-boys or models. Also 'Bara' doesn't count. Bara is written by gay men for gay men and will often portray older, less-model type males who look like they could be actual people. Not the 'cutesy bishies and ukes' that plague yaoi/shounen-ai. Yes, if you haven't realized it by now, gay men don't come in that pre-packaged box of: every gay man is handsome and young. Like really? REALLY?  
2. Gay men MUST be light-skinned or they aren't as interesting. These genres tend to cater towards Caucasian or Asian gay men only (or just anyone who is light-skinned). There is pretty much no mention of African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic gay men, etc. unless they're handsome. Even then, the possibility of seeing a dark-skinned (or super dark-skinned) LGBTA male is slim to none...pretty racist if you really think about it. Go try it, type in yaoi or shounen-ai and you'll rarely (IF EVER) see a very dark-skinned person. Dark-skinned ethnic gay men from regions like Africa, South America, and areas with similar skin demographics are ignored in these genres.  
3. Gay men MUST have perfectly sculpted bodies or they're gross. Probably one of the biggest ailments in the yaoi, shounen-ai, or slash genres. You can't be a valid gay man unless you have a six-pack, perfect pecks, and tall lean bodies (or on the other spectrum be incredibly skinny with ribs popping out with arms like noodles). Uh...hello, what about all the short or normal looking lgbta fellows?  Or what about not-so-handsome gay guys or heavy-set gays? They don't count to you rabid yaoi fans? Superficiality at its best. 
4. Gay men MUST always be young b/c old gay people are boring. Haha, if I had a coin for every time I saw a yaoi, or slash fan draw or talk about elderly gay men I'd have no coins at all. I'd be poor as fuck. Old gay men don't exist in these genres. Emphasis centralizes on young pretty-boys because they're so much more fun to look at than old gay men you ageist pricks. Something that's incredibly bias against the elder generation. Old gay men are just a valid as young gay men.
5. Gay men MUST think about sex 24-7 b/c that's 'hawt' and 'smexyyy'. Most of the plot revolves around sex in these genres, and who can butt-rape who first (and yes some of them actually SUPPORT pro-rape mentality). It's either focusing on that or which guys is most handsome and, "Oooh it's so kawaii because they're schoolboys and Senpai is sleeping with the teacher!"
Ughhh, aren't gay men more complex than brainless rabbits that fuck all day? How shallow can you rabid yaoi fans be? They're just like us, portraying them as nothing but sex-objects is INCREDIBLY DEMEANING.
6. Gay men MUST only talk with other men because women don't exist at all. There are LITERALLY some yaoi, shounen-ai, and slash fans that will never mention the existence of the female gender. What's a 'woman'? I have never seen or known this 'woman' that you speak of (which is VERY ironic because the majority of yaoi, shounen-ai, and slash fans are young women (some of which even pretend to be men online). Ignoring the existence of the female gender (if you are female) is a form of self-hatred against your own kind. A perfect example of misogyny.  If you're a woman and cannot even acknowledge the existence of YOUR OWN gender, there is something wrong with you (especially if you go out of your way to remove any and ALL female characters just because they're female, something I've seen happen in Hetalia).
7. Gay men MUST find women evil because women are threats to their 'kawaii-desu' romance. Goddamn, when these genres aren't ignoring women they turn them into bitchy villains, or annoying characters in order to justify male-male relationships. Yaoi Character A can't be with Yaoi Character B because his girlfriend is in the way and she's super duper mean! Oh wow, a mean girl in yaoi/shounen-ai? How predictable. 
8. Gay men MUST support rape because abuse = love. You rabid fans better open a law book, because committing rape will send you to jail or have you tried by a jury and penalized. Rape under NO circumstances should be supported. Abuse is not a healthy way to portray a relationship.
9. Gay men MUST follow top/bottom or seme-uke ways of having sex because that's the only way to have sex. Apparently, gay men follow traditional hetero-directed ways of having sex, which is NOT true of LGBTA men. They can go both ways. There are no couples boxed into such narrow tropes where one has to be weak and the other has to be strong. People are much more open-minded nowadays (not just gays but everyone else). There is not set 'top' or 'bottom'. >:[
10. Gay men MUST like raping one another or getting raped b/c it's super duper sexiiii. Have you been raped? No? What is that you say, "It's not real so it's okay?" Bullshit. Fictional rape still promotes physical/emotional abuse between partners. Try asking someone who's been raped if they had 'a fun time' and you're going to get decked in the face OR they'll start crying in front of you. Heartless.  
11. Gay men MUST dress nicely or have good-fashion sense because regular attire or dressing unfashionable isn't 'gay enough'. Another one of the stereotypes these genres have about gay men is that they must have perfectly styled clothes and look like they came from Urban Outfitters, H&M, or a model magazine in order to be deemed 'a valid gay guy'. What about gay men who dress down? What about wearing just normal clothes like a t-shirt and some pants WITHOUT all those goddamn accessories/scarves?  Gay men in yaoi, slash, and shounen-ai always know how to style themselves so they look like they should be in a photo-shoot. Again, pretty damn shallow. It's either THAT or they dress them in fetish attire like leather, bunny ears, or other outrageous clothes. What the fuck? LGBTA men dress just like everyone else! Not all of them fall into that stereotype of, "All gay men are stylish." Not true. Style is WAY more diverse than the model-type clothing. What about reggae style, grunge, hip-hop, gangsta', gothic, or cultural clothes? There are millions of clothes styles, stop placing them in such narrow boxes.
12. Gay men MUST pretend to be straight though they secretly like men because it makes them oober mysterious. Somehow, in yaoi, shounen-ai, and slash, denying or hiding the fact that you're gay makes you 'mysterious' and incredibly 'attractive'. What in the-?! *SIGHS* As most of you people know by now, openly gay men have no problem declaring their sexuality, and the ones still hiding in the closet aren't doing it too look 'mysterious or sexy'. They have to hide out of shame or fear of not being accepted. NOT out of, "Oooh, he pretends to be straight and that's so coy~". We've all witnessed rabid yaoi fans go around squealing, "Omggg Highschool-Boy A is pretending to be straight. It's so sad, but he's soooo kawaii!" or "Sensei B is saying he likes women, but he secretly likes men. That's soooo hawt!" 
13. Gay men can't possibly have relationships with other gay men other than romance and sex. LOL. Friendship does not happen in these genres, friendships is for straight, asexual, or bi people only apparently.

*Message?: Gay men only serve to quench the desire of mostly lonely straight women, or men who don't know what a positive lgbta relationship looks like.

---

Some of the Yuri and/or Shoujo-ai Negative Gay Stereotypes:

1. Lesbian women MUST be cute or sexy because masculine/less feminine lesbians don't count. Masculine lesbians are few to none in these genres, being 'masculine' is seen as unappealing to the majority of yuri, or shoujo-ai fans. You'll pretty much never see a lesbian woman with rippling muscles, a buzz-cutt, tattoos, or a hyper-masculine figure. Lesbians in yuri/shoujo-ai can only be: frilly delicate things or slender tomboys who're still feminine in form. Wow, talk about being against only masculine lesbians, sheesh. I thought all types of lesbians counted. Both feminine, masculine, and those in between.
2. Lesbian women MUST be light-skinned b/c there can't possibly be dark-skinned lesbians (unless in hentai). You almost NEVER witness dark-skinned lesbians in yuri or shoujo-ai UNLESS they're in a hentai (which is biased against dark-skinned women being in regular lgbta fiction). Even then the dark-skinned yuri women in hentai tend to be mere sex objects (and nothing else).
3. Lesbian women MUST have beautifully sculpted bodies (either slim or supple) because overweight lesbians are gross. Lesbians in these genres will have either one of two body types: She'll either be petite (with small to medium sized breasts with short stature) or she'll be over-exaggerated with enormous breasts and legs the size of lamb-chops all wrapped up with a barbie-proportioned waist. She'll never be heavier-set EVER because that's not 'pretty' enough.
4. Lesbian women MUST not know or talk about men because men don't exist (unless in hentai). Usually the lesbians in yuri or shoujo-ai go to an all-girls school or are in places dominated by women. Again, pretty unrealistic since the world contains an almost 50:50 ratio of men to women (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_se…). Lesbians don't have to fall in love with men, but for goodness sakes don't pretend that men don't exist AT ALL. It becomes truly idiotic when the world has absolutely no men (same thing as in yaoi, only one gender is allowed to exist) sexist right? And the men in yuri hentai are shallow assholes that take advantage of them. Why why why.
5. Lesbian women MUST find all men gross, frightening, or violent, or have some form of dislike against them. Lesbians in yuri, or shoujoi-ai are often times 'scared' or 'annoyed' to even be around men (when they aren't ignoring their existence that is). Often times some of the yuri portrayals show females having some form of dislike towards men (for whatever reasons, either they're a victim, they are anti-man, etc.), which is not true of real life. Lesbian women in real life have no problem talking to men in everyday settings. Hell, some of them are even best-friends with men! Definitely a false assumption about lesbian attitudes towards men.
6. Lesbian women MUST have sex in either cutesy or hyper-sexual ways because regular ways of having sex isn't 'lesbian' enough. LOL, if you have ever run into a sex scene concerning yuri or shoujo-ai it's either portrayed as being overly 'cutesy' with flowers floating everywhere, teddy-bears in frilly rooms with pink, OR it's downright violent where the women are slapping each other in the face with dildos and using fake-wieners as weapons during intercourse. What the...? Don't lesbians have intercourse in normal (consensual) ways? Why yes...yes they do, and it certainly doesn't have flowers floating everywhere (in shoujo-ai) or dildos being used for ABUSE (like in yuri hentai).
7. Lesbian women MUST be dressed in either cutesy or sexy clothes because everyday clothes are not interesting enough. A lot of the females portrayed in yuri are either dressed to be super-stylish (in either cutesy or hyper-feminine ways like dresses, skirts, etc.) OR wearing outrageous attire (the yuri in hentai). You'll never see a hyper-masculine lesbian or lesbians wearing regular clothes (like a plain sweater and maybe some sweat pants). And the 'tomboy' lesbians wear things like business suits or semi-hipster clothes. I have yet to see them portray women wearing items that do not stereotype them into 'lipstick lesbian' or 'effeminate tomboy'.
8. Lesbian women MUST be young because old lesbians don't exist. Same thing as in yaoi. Any lesbian over 40 cannot exist. In hentai an older lesbian MIGHT exist (if she's a mother-type, aunt, business lady, etc.), but even then she serves to please the male characters. Ughhh.   
9. Lesbian women MUST be in middle-school, high-school, or college because adult lesbians don't count (unless they're in a hentai). Yup, pretty much all lesbians are young girls in these genres...ahaha. Not true. Your sexuality isn't secluded to, "I was 15 and went to an all-girls school and I fell in love with the prettiest Senpai! All the girls were sooo jealous of me!" Like what? You do realize we are ALL getting old together right? Being a lesbian shouldn't only be for girls. What about elderly women and middle-aged? They count too!
10. Lesbian women MUST find straight women attractive and try to turn them into lesbians b/c that's 'hawt & sexi-desu'. Whenever there is a 'tomboy' lesbian or the 'more experienced top lesbian', it is often times her goal to get girls who are traditionally 'straight' and turn them into lesbians too. What the hell?! Wouldn't lesbians date other lesbians or bisexual people? Trying to force straight women to bend to your will is just wrong. You shouldn't have to force love on someone. It should come naturally. Even then some of the 'hyper-feminine' lesbians are dominating of their partner (one of the girls is always 'weaker' or inexperienced). Something it shares with yaoi rather than having an equal-powered relationship.

*Message?: Because lesbian women serve the appetites of straight men or women that cannot fathom a positive/non-stereotyped lesbian relationship.  

---

Some of the negatively gay M-Preg stereotypes:

1. Because it's somehow possible to have a six-pack and be pregnant. No one has ever seen a pregnant person (male or female or whatever else) with six-pack abs. It is actually physically impossible because the muscles expand to accommodate for the child growing within the womb, so condensed muscles actually disappear or stretch during pregnancy. So yes, if you see rock-hard six-pack abs on a pregnant person, call a licensed medical official. Because that person is either taking steroids or something is terribly wrong.    
2. Because pregnancy is absolutely possible for two men together. We already know this is physically impossible with human males or most other creatures. And the only time it IS possible is between mollusk snails who are hermaphrodites (as one of the few examples). Even then male-male conception is basically 0, ESPECIALLY in mammals where it is not possible. And guess what? We're mammals.
3. Because there's no such thing as adoption in the m-preg world, the concept of adopting children doesn't exist. Adopting children is one of the 2 ways men can have kids together. Another way is by using a surrogate mother who will have a donor-egg (either her own or from another female) and one of the gay men's sperm inserted through IVF. But conception between two male humans? Nope, not a chance. But in the m-preg world, adopting isn't seen as 'valid' or the 'right way' to have children. To them, if you want a baby, have sex. Which if you really think about it, is basically shitting on all gay couples or couples in general who actually adopted rather than had biological children. Either way, adoptive parents rock, because you have to have a very big heart in order to give parts of yourself to raise someone else's child. That's a pretty courageous thing to do, because adoptive parents see their kids AS THEIR OWN. Pretty heart-warming. But m-preg mentality?: SUPER close-minded to adoption.
4. Because sex is the only thing on a pregnant man's mind, not the welfare of the child. A lot of the time in the m-preg world the two men are fetishsized into having sex 24-7 b/c apparently pregnant people are nothing but horn-dogs, which is false. Pregnant people may get cravings, become agitated, worried, have nausea, or other symptoms, but they definitely wouldn't be having sex ALL THE FREAKING TIME. The first things on their mind would be the welfare of their child, not, "Hey hubby. I'm pregnant~ let's have sex a lot b/c it's super duper easy while I'm 9 months!" *slaps forehead*
5. Because even though he's pregnant, he doesn't give a shit what he does to his body as long as it feels good. More often than not, the pregnant male endorses in risky behavior such as having violent sex. Usually, sex is encouraged during normal male/female pregnancies, but violent sex is discouraged (as it might bring strain, or worse yet bring a woman earlier into labor than necessary www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-liv…). You don't want that. Sex is fine/perfectly normal during pregnancy (if done safely and in moderation), not in that 'free-for-all' hyper aggressive way that m-preg treats it.
6. Because women don't exist in the m-preg world, men have become the new 'women'. This is a trope that m-preg shares with yaoi. Women are invisible in these genres. In m-preg men come to steal their BIOLOGICAL roles. Women are (as we all know) biologically set to have offspring. They don't have to have babies by any means, since it's a personal choice, but they have the right parts for it (and that doesn't change). In sum, even though a woman may not want children, she has the biological parts that can accommodate for it (but she still never has to have kids since it's a preference as stated before). Men don't have child-bearing capabilities. They have no place to hold a growing fetus. So why this idea was turned into tangible media I'll never know. It goes against biological truths, and against adoptive ways. If two men want a baby, adopt (or if you were really desperate use a female surrogate). But babies between two males, not possible, even in fantasy it shouldn't be endorsed. It's just like saying that men can have ovaries, not possible (unless they're a hermaphrodite, but then that wouldn't be a 'man' now would it).
7. Because even though he's pregnant, there is no pain concerning child-birth, only pleasure. Do they ever show the pain that can come with child-birth WITHOUT turning it into a cutesy hubby-hubby affair? Nope. The times we have witnessed m-pregs giving birth, it is often done in one of 3 ways: sexualized, cute, or for comedic purposes. There is no merit on the seriousness that comes with child-birth like DYING, having a deformed/physically disabled child, or a premature infant. Most of the time it's the two men acting to please the audience. Yeah...it's THAT shallow. If you ever ask someone what it was like they'd tell you all the mishaps that came with it. Like for my sister who was premature and almost DIED, m-preg does nothing but treat child-birth like some easy-going joke.  
8. Because thinking about taking care of kids doesn't count even though he's pregnant, he only serves to be a cutesy pregnant guy with his hubby, not a concerning father. Ever seen an m-preg male researching about best-ways to get children to sleep or anything else remotely serious (like health issues for infants)? No you say? Thought so. In m-preg the majority of it shows two guys acting all 'lovey-dovey' without taking real consideration on the behalf of the unborn. You'll usually just see the two guys in situations like dates, laying in bed whispering sweet-nothings, having sex, or doing stereotypical 'pregnant actions' like having Male A listen to Male B's stomach. Uh hello...what about the health part of pregnancies? Shouldn't that be of SOME concern? (o_0)
9. Because you never get to see the pain or difficulties that can come with pregnancy, pregnant men don't have these normal pregnancy issues, they are somehow invulnerable. When pregnant women are portrayed in fiction, it holds some merit on realism. The woman might get cravings, her feet will swell, she might die during the ordeal, or the baby might be born with health issues. In m-preg all these factors disappear, and even if they ARE present they're done to make the audience see the whole ordeal as 'cute' or (the more darker form) as 'sexual'. I don't know what's 'cute' about all the stress that can come with a pregnancy. It's not all rainbows and sunshine you know, and I KNOW. My family has had many relatives recently give birth to the 3rd generation. It's no cake-walk. There are a lot of late-night errands, waking up to help them do basically everything (from walking, to getting them to the bathroom). And I'm not even the father! I'm just another relative part of a small army that helps my female relatives when pregnancy is involved. We ALL pitch in, and it's definitely not as simple as m-preg shows it to be.
10. Because sex between a pregnant man and his partner is 'kawaii'. I thought sex between partners was supposed to be a sacred ordeal between consenting adults in a very private/adult manner. Not in m-preg it seems! In m-preg it's displayed for all fetish-fans to see, all while wrapping up pregnancy in a completely false ribbon that shouts, "Pregnancy is easy and hawt! Especially for two guys because it's totally possible!"   
11. Because having sex while being a pregnant man is OOBER easy. Do the people who write this garbage even KNOW that pregnancy makes it incredibly difficult to even move? They can no longer sleep on their stomach after the 4th month or so, tying shoes becomes a hassle/impossible during the later months. Hell, sometimes they can no longer wipe their front genitalia because the stomach is in the way. Being pregnant is not about going on dates and cuddling all day. It's about going to the doctor, getting regular check-ups, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, performing moderate/safe exercise habits, staying away from alcohol, cigarettes, and second-hand smoke all for the well-being of the unborn. But in m-preg it's more like, "Daddy A will pet Daddy B's stomach and isn't that so adorable?" (-_-)
12. Because ejaculating in someone's butt somehow means his anus contains a uterus. Omg. I'm not going to even explain this in depth. It's just hilarious that people even like m-preg despite the fact that it's nothing but misinformation on-top of even more misinformation. Remember kids: uterus, ovaries, vagina = woman. Nuff said.
13. Because ignoring fool-proof biological science is alright for the sake of fanfiction, fan-works, and breaking canon. Let's get this out in the open, m-preg is a fairly new genre with a lot of hate for many MANY great reasons. First off, it's true that a lot of fiction makes little sense in regards to actual reality. But despite this fact, most tropes are based on ARCHETYPES: Vampires follow archetypes of wisdom, the night, and darkness much like fairies are to magic, and nature.
M-preg fails to do so. An archetype is usually a trope that matches the item they are attached to, like power, metal, and strength to mecha robots, or angels and peace. These items seem plausible and fit nicely into each other (because they fit in niches that are related in appearance, purpose, persona, etc.), but does m-preg pass this test? Nope.
There is no archetype of menxmen and pregnancy, because it makes 0 sense, strays from logic, and has no merit on plausibility. Let me give you an example: a sea anemone with the archetypes of mecha robot. Did that even seem plausible? Nope. No matter how many fanfictions, breaking canon, or fanworks I make about my sea anemone mecha robot, it still makes 0 sense. That's what m-preg does. If the man was an alien, or any other non-human creature, then sure (it is possible in fiction). But m-preg mostly uses humans, and well...it's pretty much like saying Earth is the center of the Solar System, even though the Sun is.
We all learned long ago that some things are just plain false/do not retain ANY logic. M-preg is just that, there is no amount of fictional backstory you can throw at it to try and make it seem like a man getting impregnated by another man is possible. XY and XY in human males will never result in sequencing a new lifeform, because you ALWAYS need a piece from female DNA to complete it. It's like saying my sea anemone mecha fanfiction character seems like it's plausible, when it's not because these two items are not even remotely related to each other (much like saying a zombie pebble from the ocean is going to infect me with heroin in my left ear) LOL.  
14. Because unprotected sex between two men will result in a baby rather than stds. As we all know, unprotected sex between two people can result in stds (especially if these people have had multiple sex partners, the more partners you have, the higher your chances of getting an std). And unfortunately, stds are particularly high in the gay community (www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/STD.htm, www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/HIV.htm). Do m-preg fans even know that they're supporting risky sexual behavior that would normally result in syphilis and NOT a baby?
15. Because in the m-preg world, men give birth through shitting out a baby, or worse yet, squeezing one out through their urethra. Not possible in either case, especially the urethra. Trying to fit a baby inside either of these things is not possible. The only human body part capable of this is the female womb/vaginal canal which expands several times during child-birth.  

*Message?: Because m-preg is mostly for horny females that cannot fathom that two gay men CAN ADOPT or use a female surrogate, and that women are the only ones who are physically capable of pregnancy.

---

-I'm sure there are more than this, but these were the most frequent examples most people run into when they stumble upon fetish genres like these.

In sum, actual lgbta men and women do NOT have to be boxed in by your smutty, degrading stereotypes. As one former deviant said, "They are PEOPLE, treat them like it."