This year marks a profound milestone: 50 years since Southeast Asians resettled in the U.S following the aftermath of the Secret War in Laos, the American War in Southeast Asia and the Cambodian Genocide. It marks 50 years of presence, resilience, and visibility in the United States as settlers to Turtle Island. As we reflect on this half-century journey, we honor not only the stories of survival and migration but also the often-overlooked narratives of love, identity, and resistance within the Southeast Asian Queer trans community. We recognize our intertwined relationship and history with those that were here before us.
Navigating sexual orientation and/or gender identity has often meant walking a tightrope between cultural expectations; binary gender roles; social constructs of men and women; and personal truth. For decades, many were forced to live in silence often invisibilized—hidden from their communities, misunderstood by their families, and underrepresented in both broader LGBTQIA+ and Southeast Asian circles.
For the first time in our histories – in 2010, the Southeast Asian Freedom Network published the first participatory research project led and done by Southeast Asian Queer leaders. A highlight of the research spoke to how LGBTQIA+ SEA folks have to constantly navigate their own cultural communities and that of mainstream communities experiences of homophobia and transphobia. It noted that, “mainstream LGBTQ organizations and programs are not addressing the unique ways in which LGBTQ Southeast Asians face multiple identities and multiple oppressions. More inclusive practices, including an analysis and acknowledgement of racism, class, and gender-phobia is needed (A Census of Our Own, 2010).” We look forward to doing a new study to see where the state of LGBTQIA+ lives are at this moment and time.
The past 50 years have witnessed a growing number of LGBTQIA+ Southeast Asian individuals finding their voices, creating spaces, and challenging the norms that once suppressed them. From the first Queer youth support groups to public coming-outs and cultural events celebrating intersectional identity, each act has chipped away at stigma and paved the way towards greater visibility. The shift has not been easy nor complete— racial and gender discrimination, familial rejection, and cultural taboos persist—but there is a growing awareness that queerness is not foreign to our Southeast Asian identity and culture; it is, and always has been, a part of it.
Make no mistake though, there is an increase of intense attacks on our communities – from anti-trans, homophobic and heterosexist institutionalized laws to the unlawful deportation of our Southeast Asian family members and the cruel attacks on our medical health that is transphobic, classist, agist and ableist – this is the time for us to come together. These trying times call for solidarity and a united front; it calls for the understanding of our intersecting issues that require us to no longer fight on single issues. We refuse to accept that 50 years later, we continue to be oppressed, scrutinized and attacked. The legacy of LGBTQIA+ Southeast Asian individuals is one of strength, complexity, and beauty— made up of cultural caretakers, gender justice organizers, artists, academics and movement builders.
As we look ahead to the next 50 years and celebrate Pride Month, our hope extends beyond mere tolerance—we seek a shared liberation that fully honors the humanity of Queer and Trans Southeast Asian communities.