Minority within a Minority: The LGBTQ Southeast Asian Community

As June closed out, so did Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. Widely known and celebrated through events across the country, LGBT Pride Month celebrates the members of our community who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer and allies. However, much like the Feminist Movement in the 1960s, the LGBT Pride movement was traditionally White. This often marginalizes communities of color, as we all understand that one individual’s identity is filled with intersectionalities and not defined by just one aspect.

This issue is particularly salient among Southeast Asian Americans as LGBT communities are too often silenced by prejudices in our own communities and in the LGBT community. Justrecentely, the Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) along with the help of several other organizations, collected data for the very first Queer Southeast Asian Census, receiving over 400 responses from all over the country. With so many Southeast Asian Americans across the country who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ), the need to address the concerns of this community is ever more pressing. While the data from the Queer Southeast Asian Census will be processed within the year, we are fortunate enough to have other resources to understand the needs of these communities. Recommendations from “For Justice and Love: The Quality of Life for Southeast Asian Youth”, a report released by PrSYM in 2010, include services for the parents of LGBTQ Southeast Asian youth and culturally competent counseling accessible to the youth.

No one will argue against the trial and tribulations of the Southeast Asian American community. As a people with shared histories of war, colonialism, and immigration to the United States, our journeys to the present day come with the navigation of our Southeast Asian and American identities and cultures. However, for LBGTQ community members, they must also navigate this space with their LGBTQ identities as well. Knowing this complexity, we must support these communities, whether it is raising awareness through health initiatives or creating communal and safe spaces. The Queer Southeast Asian Census was created to build capacity and support for the nationwide Southeast Asian American movement and network.

Logos for Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment and Leadership (seaQuel) and Shades of Yellow (SOY), two organizations dedicated to serving the LGBTQ Southeast Asian community

For more resources regarding Southeast Asian American or APIA LGBTQ communities, please check out the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Shades of Yellow (SOY), and Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment and Leadership (SeaQuel – a program of PrYSM).

Special thanks to Sarath Suong from Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders (MAP) for Health and PrYSM for his help on putting this post together!