The Consequences of Pitting Race Against Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity

Source: Think Progress

Our guest bloggers are Melissa Dunn, an LGBT Research and Communications intern at the Center for American Progress and Aisha Moodie-Mills, advisor of LGBT Progress’ FIRE Initiativefor racial equality.

Last week’s insensitive rant by Kevin Naff of the Washington Blade which trivialized race-based hate crimes, and the recent revelations of the National Organization for Marriage’s race-baiting tactics, have shed much needed light on the fallacy of the gay versus race debate. Both of these instances, ironically from opposite sides of the ideological spectrum—NOM being a conservative anti-gay organization and the Washington Blade an LGBT publication—promote the same disparaging myth. That gay = white, and that race and sexuality are mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed.

"The State of Gay and Transgender Communities of Color"

A recent report came out about "The State of Gay and Transgender Communities of Color" from the Center of American Progress.  So much "progress" that "the term 'gay' is used as an umbrella term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual."  Really?  C'mon its like saying "man" is the umbrella term for both men, womyn, children, all human kind.  I'm just saying. 


Anyway, here are some findings they reported specific to Asian Lesbians:

• "Asian Pacific Islander lesbian couples have a poverty rate of 11.8 percent, Native American lesbian couples have a poverty rate of 13.7 percent, Hispanic lesbian couples have a poverty rate of 19.1 percent, Black lesbian couples have a poverty rate of 21.1 percent. This is all in contrast to white lesbian couples, which have poverty rates of only 4.3 percent."
• "Asian American lesbians are more likely than their straight Asian American counterparts to have experienced a one-year depressive episode."

Then they had some findings that were about "gay asians" which could possibly include asian lesbians, since they did say gay is supposed to include us. Here are those just in case:

• "...gay Asian Pacific Islander adults are the demographic most likely to suffer from psychological distress."
• "Gay Asian Americans are nearly six times more likely to be infected with HIV than their straight Asian American counterparts."
• "21 percent of Asian American gay respondents reported abusing alcohol—all rates much higher than their straight counterparts."

New Film Offers a Rainbow of Jakarta Stories

Source: theJakartaGlobe.com

If the French have “Paris Je T’Aime” and Americans have “New York, I Love You,” Jakarta may soon have its own cinema-inspired motto exclaiming its love and celebrating its lovers.

“Sanubari Jakarta” (“Jakarta Deep Down”), a new movie featuring 10 short films by 10 different directors, opens today. The film portrays lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships throughout Jakarta.

Produced by Fira Sofiana and actress Lola Amaria, “Sanubari Jakarta” is a collaboration between the Kresna Duta Foundation (a film organization), the Ardhanary Institute (supporters of diverse sexualities) and the Ford Foundation (social change advocates). Dimas Hary, from Kresna Duta, said “Sanubari Jakarta” championed the cause of the underrepresented and persecuted LGBT community in Jakarta.

Social networking site fills need for lesbians of color

Source: Pride Source

When Nicole Breedlove was looking to connect online with other lesbian women of color, she asked herself, "Where are they?" Out of frustration with websites like MySpace, Facebook, BlackPlanet and DowneLink, she launched OurSistaCircle http://www.oursistacircle.com in Oct. 2009. It's the first social networking site which caters to all lesbians of color - African American, Latina, Asian, Native American and Biracial - worldwide.

In Yogyakarta, Religion Meets LGBT Rights

Source: theJakartaGlobe.com

In early March, the case of Daniel Zamudio, a 24-year-old gay man from Chile who was attacked and tortured, led to a public outcry not only in Chile but around the world. Zamudio died of his injuries three weeks after the attack.

This incident was a painful reminder that prejudice and hatred against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) is still widespread in many parts of the world, and Indonesia is no exception. Indonesia’s LGBT community has gained visibility in the past decade, mostly due to the country’s transition to democracy, but it has also experienced more public disapproval as many LGBT people have stopped hiding and are now fighting for equality. Though they have made progress, they are still seen by many as “threatening,” “abnormal” or “sinful.”

To prevent this kind of prejudice and discrimination, the Yogyakarta-based Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality (YIFoS), a group of young men and women with different sexual orientations and religious backgrounds, has organized a youth camp in Yogyakarta to foster discussion about these issues.

When will ASEAN protect gender rights?

Source: Rappler.com

Photo Credit: AFP

MANILA, Philippines - It’s one of the promises of the leaders in Southeast Asia this year – to come up with a human rights declaration for the region’s 600 million people.

Advocates of gender rights have to ask, however: what did the authorities mean when they spoke of human rights? Were they referring only to the rights of the heterosexual citizens of the region, or did they also consider the rights of the members of the lesbian, gay and transgender community across the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?

Biggest Girl Party in Asia

Don't let the name of the party "White" confuse you. This "White Party" organized by Two Queens, the biggest Lesbian party organizers in Singapore will be hosting the largest All-Girl Party this month on 4/28/12 attracting ladies from all over the region like Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia and China.

Women at ‘Sisters Standing Up for Love’

LOS ANGELES – On April 22, 2012, API Equality-LA will present Sisters Standing Up for Love, a fundraising reception to celebrate and honor amazing contributions women have made to the Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer movement. The event will be hosted by actress Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Glee).

Get the Scoop: New LesbeAsian Film

Thai movie producers are riding the wave of success from Yes or No, released in 2010 as the first lesbian movie from the land of smiles. There has been some Facebook activity and other online chatter about a Yes or No Part 2 due to come out sometime later this year. The details though, are unfortunately unbeknownst to LesbeAsian at the moment.

Hot off the reels however, is the new movie She เรื่องรักระหว่างเธอ (She and Her Love) (The Love Between You), scheduled to come out in Thai theaters next week. It is another romantic comedy with some drama intermingled. Hawt characters with some funny dialogue. Gotta check it out! Watch the trailer and read the synopsis HERE.

Top Picks of LesbeAsians in the Media

1. Davonee Sou (As Herself) Gimme Sugar: Seasons 1 & 2

Davonee Sou has been rockin the media industry for some time as a film and television feature, ranging from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Bring It On. We know Davonee best however, as herself in the LOGO reality web series Gimme Sugar. She gets our pick for being one of the few gender non-conforming Southeast Asian lesbians out there. A refugee from Laos, she packs big character in her small frame. Throughout Seasons 1 & 2 of Gimme Sugar we witness Davonee get into trouble quite a few times with the girlfriend and close friends for her bad behavior and big mouth. What we heard loud and clear though – Davonee is all about the ladies. So even if her personality can come off as a bit abrasive at times, we can’t help but love another lesbeasian.

2. Li Ming (Performed by Mylène Jampanoï) Chinese Botanists’s Daughters

Li Ming is an orphan who has been selected to become an apprentice of a prominent botanist. During her time studying she finds herself attracted to the botanist’s daughter, An. Her attraction is reciprocated and the two women’s friendship turns into a passionate romance. What we love about Ming is how her level of confidence developed alongside her relationship with An. The famous botanist was a dominating and verbally abusive father and teacher. We found ourselves cheering out loud during the scenes where Ming stood up to him in defense of An, putting the botanist in his place. We give you props for standing by your love in spite of all the forces working against you.

3. Leyla (Performed by Sheetal Sheth) I Can’t Think Straight

Honestly, we were initially hesitant to watch I Can’t Think Straight because of the high femme appearance of both characters on the movie cover. We took a chance and were pleasantly surprised at not only the content of the movie, but especially with one of the main characters, Leyla. She falls in love with Tala, a woman from Jordan who is engaged and soon to be wed in a heterosexual marriage. Although Tala was presented as more steadfast in her radical values in the beginning of the movie, as the storyline progressed Leyla surpasses Tala in her self-awareness and politics. Without spoiling the ending for those that haven’t seen the film, we can say that we love Leyla for challenging Tala to come to terms with her full self. 

4. Emily Tay (As Herself) No Look Pass

We still can’t get over Emily Tay, Harvard basketball player turned professional out lesbian player in Germany. We became her admirers after No Look Pass, a documentary about her life as a Burmese immigrant navigating the complexities of her identity as an immigrant lesbian in a male-dominated sport. There aren’t many representations of sporty Asian women in media, and nil in regards to a lesbeasian before Emily came into the scene. Thank goodness for women like her to represent. Yeah she cool. We cool. 

5. Vivian (Performed by Lynn Shen) Saving Face

If you are an Asian lesbian in the US, you most likely have watched or heard about the movie Saving Face. In our opinion all the hype is well deserved. Both of the main characters are likeable, with Wil being the awkward closeted lesbeasian, and our top pick Vivian being the more aggressive lesbo comfortable in her own sexuality. We couldn’t help but empathize/sympathize with Vivian, as she patiently loved Wil without compromising herself through Wil’s coming out process. We love a romantic that goes after who she wants!

6. Kim (Performed by Supanart Jittaleela) Yes or No

With our recent movie review fresh in mind, we couldn’t pass up Kim from the first lesbian Thai film Yes or No. She is considered a “Tom”, a gender non-conforming or more masculine presenting woman who goes to college and becomes roommates with a femme “Dee” named Pie. Thank you Kim for showing us that a woman does not have to wear a dress and high heels to be comfortable with femininity and emotions. Kim was a hopeless romantic, who put it all out there despite her love interest being behind in the game and initially oppositional. College dykes are hot  : )


This list is in NO way exhaustive. There are a lot of other shows and movies we haven't watched yet, but we are sure that they feature some awesome lesbeasians. Who are your favorites?

Movie Review: Yes or No, Thailand 2010

If you haven't seen it already, we recommend watching Yes or No. It is the first lesbian movie to come out of Thailand. Click HERE to read the LesbeAsian review.