ASA 2 Section A01
Reflection #10
Response to "Emergence of Queer Vietnamese America" by Gina Masequesmay
This article by Masequesmay discusses the heterosexist bias of mainstream society. Within the discourse of the effects of culture on the acculturation of immigrants, people are assumed to be heterosexual, and the existence of queer literature and experiences are marginalized and largely invisible. In particular, Masequesmay discusses how Vietnamese American queers have reclaimed both their ethnic identity as Vietnamese but also connecting their Vietnamese identity with the realization of their sexuality. This article's importance is found in the realization that queer experiences are not very visible in mainstream society. As a result, queers are often not validated because of a lack of a role model or example nor a society that completely accepts them. Within the scope of Masequesmay's article, Vietnamese American queers have formed a ethnic-centered queer support group (ô môi) for Vietnamese Americans in order to find acceptance within their ethnic community as well as creating a space in which they do not need to explain their cultural differences. Thus this growing community of Vietnamese American queers continues to grow here in the U.S. despite general disapproval by older generations.
Question: How can research be changed in order to gain sensitivity to this issue of heterosexism?
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