Adray

This summary relates to an audio recording titled "Adray - Beyond Rainbows," conducted by Wai Ho in Auckland, New Zealand, on June 13, 2015. It captures the reflections of an individual on their multifaceted identity and experiences from the 1930s to the 2010s.

The interviewee discusses not identifying as a minority personally, but recognizes the perception of being a minority within a minority, due to their Asian ethnicity, quiet demeanor, and being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Raised in Vietnam, but born in Russia, the individual recounts frequent travels between both countries, experiencing distinct cultural backgrounds before moving to the United Kingdom for schooling and later pursuing tertiary education in New Zealand.

A key part of the conversation focuses on the interviewee's journey of self-discovery and identity, noting that from an early age, others labeled them as gay, which contributed to their self-awareness. They share personal stories about their upbringing, detailing the guidance and influence of their elegant grandmother, who taught them manners and elegance, typical of a high-class Vietnamese family in the 1930s. This upbringing led to the development of what others perceive as a more feminine disposition.

Fashion emerges as an important aspect of the interviewee's life, fueled by a love for beauty and elegance, which sometimes contrasts with societal expectations around gender expressions and norms. In discussing identity, the interviewee observes that the media often promotes a narrow standard of beauty, particularly within the queer community, highlighting the lack of representation for those who fall outside of the stereotypical white, masculine, and attractive male figure. The interviewee comments on this issue, linking it to their own social media interaction about a post that celebrated a conventionally attractive couple, leading to a broader discussion about inclusivity and representation.

Regarding the local LGBTQ+ scene in Auckland, the speaker expresses concern that similar exclusive standards of beauty and attractiveness prevail, influencing social dynamics at events and interactions on dating platforms like Grindr, which often exclude non-white or less conventionally attractive individuals. The individual's encounters with stereotypes and fetishization due to their ethnicity and gender expression are also highlighted.

Throughout the interview, the importance of embracing one's authentic self is emphasized, with the interviewee reflecting on their personal growth and resilience in the face of societal pressures. Despite the existence of positive messages within the New Zealand LGBTQ+ community, the individual stresses the need for recognition and action to address the persistent biases and create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

unidentified voice(s)

1930s, 2010s, androgynous, aotearoa new zealand, asian, auckland, barbie dolls, bear, beauty, beyond rainbows (series), boarding school, clothing, coming out, cross dressing, dating, discrimination, dress up, ethnicity, express (magazine), facebook.com, family, fashion, feelings, femininity, fetishism, flamboyant, friends, gay, gender, grandparents, grindr, growing up, health, heteronormativity, identity, instagram.com, internet, invisibility, lesbian, love, mannerisms, masculinity, media, minority, no asians, observer, parents, race, racism, representation, rugby, russia, school, social media, social networking, sport, stereotypes, study, teaching, tinder.com, transgender, twink, uniq (auckland), united kingdom, university, upper class, validation, vietnam, wai ho, walking, youth

acting, actions, agenda, body image, breasts, cars, change, children, class, community, conversation, creek, culture, data, dominant, dresses, education, experiment, florida, football, fun, hate, health care, individual, lgbt, liberty, masculine, other, people, performance, podcast, queer, rainbows, sad, sexuality, soccer, social, straight, structure, stuff, support, teacher, tertiary education, time, top, tough, tradition, training, travel, treat, uniqueness, voice, work