We’ve still never come across a completely satisfying explanation for the exploding popularity of yaoi/boy’s love manga, but here in the US as in Japan, it is mainly read by girls of all ages — despite the gay themes, gay guys don’t seem to be much into it. However, if this article is to be believed, in Italy, that is not the case, where much original yaoi is being produced:

Another possible factor to explain the prevalence of original stuff is the very active part that gay men play in the Italian BL scene. They make up perhaps half of the fans, a stunning figure when you consider the endangered-species status of the NA male yaoi fan. As always, this gay presence has a plus and a minus side. On the one hand it gives a wider market for the artists to sell to. But gay men tend to prefer original stories set here and now that feature recognizably Italian men, not transmogrified Japanese teenagers. Some gay men appreciate BL because it’s softer and more romantic than the stock gay porn available. But on the other hand, the fact that female-produced BL is so very much an unreal fantasy often clashes with the desire of gay men to see something that reflects their own reality.

More in link. Yaoi Press will be bringing some of the Italian-made yaoi to US shores later this year.