A002
Week 10
“Normalizing queerness” sounds like an oxymoron; however,
the article, Emergence of Queer
Vietnamese America by Gina Masequesmay points out the crucial existence and
prevalence of the Vietnamese specific queer space. Masquesmay writes about
different scenarios of coming out as Vietnamese Americans, significance of
questioning heteropatriarchal culture, and creating a space for Vietnamese
LGBTQ community. The emergence of a Vietnamese queer group such as “Ô-Môi” provides the
context to Vietnamese community that has been well established since the
1960’s. Looking at their unique history of war and post-war refuge, Vietnamese
LGBTQ community come to create a space where their unique stories/struggles can
be shared and acknowledged. Masquesmay mentions that even though queer space
has been around for a while, it most often is a white space that many queers of
color, like Vietnamese American, have a difficult time getting the support and
understanding they want.
As a Korean American, I too, find it difficult to come out
to my family. The struggles that I have observed my immigrant family go through
are extremely difficult, that I would much rather avoid any thing that could
potentially burden my family.
Question: When does the speaking up and coming out become
privilege rather than bravery and honesty?
Documentary on Vietnamese LGBT Singers Screened at French Film Festival
- Published on Friday, 16 May 2014 09:48
- Written by Dang Bui.
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