Religious Socialism contributor Sarah Ngu (see a profile of Sarah here) is hosting a webinar September 28th on the topic, “Is Queerness a White Invention?” More information on the webinar is available here. And here is an excerpt from Sarah’s article of the same name in Asian American Policy Review:
“Many queer Asian Americans feel that to be queer is to assimilate into white American culture, leaving behind their ‘traditional’ cultural heritage and abandoning their blood-families. Many Asian Americans and Asians actively propagate the idea that queerness is a white, Western import. But this idea blatantly goes against the historical record. Plenty of historical evidence suggests strongly that gender and sexual pluralism – that is, societal legitimization and respect for different gender and sexual behaviors, roles and identities – was quite prevalent in Asia, specifically Southeast Asia, and it has been the advent of modernity and largely white, Christian colonialism that has undermined this pluralism.”
You can view the entire article here.