Hmm OK, so today I learned what the term "Yaoi" means... Japan is SO weird, really.
Yeah, that makes two of us. Once again, QC expands my worldly knowledge, whether I like it or not.
Um, okay. I'm confused. Yaoi is just ... it means gay. Gay between two men specifically (Yuri is lesbians). It doesn't involve any kinks (well, sometimes it does, but the word "yaoi" doesn't refer to any "kink" except gayness, which ... isn't a kink). If you think gay relationships are squicky, okay -- that's fine, & you should stop reading this comment.
I don't see why yaoi is any more strange than all of the male-oriented lesbian porn that exists on the American market. Most red-blooded hetero males I know can't even explain what it is that they prefer about lesbian porn to hetero. Sometimes, they say it feels -- ironically! -- "less gay" to watch, because there aren't any cocks in it.
I think the Japanese have found a pretty brilliant way to market man-on-man to women, by involving a romantic story (I find that most women dislike porn because it lacks "a story" -- what could be more of a story than holding a physical book in your hands?). Most gay porn in America markets to gay men (at least, I think that's what the deal is, based on how it's shot etc). Whereas, yaoi is written to appeal to women specifically. Even though I don't like porn too much in general, I still think it's pretty cool that Japan has found a porn market for women. In American society, it's still not totally acceptable for women to openly discuss masturbation and have an interest in porn. It's obviously way better than it used to be, but not totally there yet. I'm not sure if that's why people are "squicked" by today's comic, but ... considering that we just finished up a plot where Faye buys her first vibrator, I think everybody needs to loosen up a little in the name of QC.
All THAT said, Japan is totally weird (hello, tentacle porn? High rate of groping on subways? Whaaaat). I just don't consider yaoi to be even remotely a weird invention.