Exploring Philippine queer possibilities through transformative K-pop imaginations online

Given its accessibility in the last decade, K-pop has become one of the strong cultural forces in Philippine youth media that has heavily influenced the consumption practices of local fans. From collecting photo cards to organizing cupsleeve events, Filipino K-pop fans have embraced and adapted different fan practices, some of which are intimately queer. One such queer fan practice is ‘K-pop shipping’ where fans imagine their favourite idols engaging in romantic, and sometimes sexual, relationships within and outside of their groups. Beyond embracing queer literacies such as boys love, local K-pop shipping has grown intimately queer as Filipino fans developed stories that brought their idols closer to home through a phenomenon termed ‘Filo AU’ (Filipino alternative universe). These Filo AUs are short-form fan narratives on social media that reimagine their favourite K-pop idols as locals who have Filipino backgrounds, live very Filipino experiences and values while finding queer romance. In this article, I examine queer K-pop Filo AU as a result of affective transnational queer literacies that inspire hope, connection and aspiration for queer utopias among Filipinos.