Spaces that allow for people to unravel their authentic self have been historically marginalized, which is why the second ever yaoi rave felt so important. An air of liberation for yaoi lovers surrounded Los Globos nightclub, where music reverberated throughout Silverlake on Feb. 6. 

The event’s theme was ‘Saints vs Sinners’ and was hosted by Tyler Shepherd, also known as @worldwidegoth on social media. He is the creative director behind the spectacle, and his sinner outfit that night was inspired by a goth “mindset.” Shepherd, with his partner Gannon Baxter, known as @lilguccipurse, run both Subculture Party, another iconic queer event, and yaoi the rave.

“I thought it would be fun to do something a little more into my interests,” Shepherd said. “Like yaoi and bara and stuff I’ve literally read and collected stuff for literally years. So I thought why hasn’t nobody done this?”

Yaoi, the rave capitalizes on the term “yaoi,” which originates from Japan and means “boys love.” This translates to romantic and sexual love between men. Yaoi is also the term for male on male Japanese comic book smut. Bara, on the other hand, features big, gay, hairy, muscular or fat, masculine men. 

Shepherd stated in an interview in the dimly lit, smoky back patio of Los Globos that the rave was just a joke at first. Since he is also a graphic designer, one day he decided to make a fake flyer on Instagram of the event, which garnered a lot of attention. Since then, he worked hard with his partner to curate a “boys love” focused safe space for anyone to come to and let loose.

In Silverlake, there are a variety of events going on almost every night of the week, but what makes this one special is its rarity. There is not a huge selection of queer events in LA that are outside of West Hollywood, and that alone makes this event stand out as something new and captivating. 

In the midst of the crowd, there was an array of chains, chokers, leather, mohawks, gothic makeup, platforms, devil ears and angel wings. In the crowd were a variety of personalities all bundled up into a space that was devoid of judgment, and instead had openness to the possibilities of originality. 

Emile, a rave-goer dressed as a sinner with large red incubus horns and a sharp shiny metal middle finger, said, “I’ve been to Los Globos many times, but this is my first yaoi rave.”

“I love gay men, that’s it, I support my brothers and also gender non-conforming guys out there,” Joel, a rave-goer who wore a dark gothic outfit with patterned face paint, said. “[this rave], it’s a crossover of like Japanese fujoshi culture and then it’s like you know there’s like a bunch of gay guys here, and I’m like, fuck yes! Are you kidding me?”

Kelly, a rave-goer dressed as Light Yagami from “Death Note,” described the rave as “beautiful,” and said, “I can’t help but like … seeing every gay person in this club. It makes me really happy to know that there’s like a space for us, even if it’s small.”

Within the current state of the world, this is something representative of a lifestyle that is shunned by people who aim to dismantle the rights of queer people. 

“In the mainstream, we’re fed straight stories all the time, you know?” Shepherd said. “And it’s great that something like ‘Heated Rivalry’ is popular right now, but that’s not usual.” 

Due to the rarity of such spaces, it was important to Shepherd to support people putting themselves out there. He sees himself as a creator of safe spaces.

“I think the number one part of [a] safe space is that you need to celebrate whoever’s going to be interested,” Shepherd said.  “It does have a lot to do with appearance and expression, because that’s what a lot of queer people want to do, is dress up crazy and wear this and that and like, where the hell can you do that?”

Since the rave’s launch on Jan. 16, it saw a big turnout on Feb. 6, with another yaoi rave planned for Valentine’s Day in New York City.

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Robert Bowes

22crooke22 as an Angel dwelling within the glistening light of strobe-like objects.