One Direction was the first boy band to be fully realized as an online phenomenon. Using the massive power of the internet, Directioners have been able to bring themselves closer to the band and each other, and the result is a community that understands its importance. The act of imposing an LGBTQ+ narrative on a publicly straight group of young men is a radical one, and when Directioners reject the idea of how boy bands and their female fans are supposed to engage and interact, they seize power in the exchange. When you are no longer simply watching someone else’s idea of love, but instead insisting that it be made available to you, you are reminding the world that you matter, that your survival is both possible and essential.

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