Thu 6 Sep 2012 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Wai Ho says it feels like there is a reluctance to acknowledge or address homophobic and transphobic prejudice within Asian communities A blog has been set up to probe the real lives of Queer Asians in New Zealand, as a response to what its creators term “a hugely negative showing from four of the five Asian MPs on the Marriage Equality Bill”. Spokesperson Wai Ho says there was real disappointment that the opposition to marriage equality by those MPs reflected many of the bad experiences queer Asians can have within their families and communities. “We wanted to do something to show this is a real issue in Asian communities," Ho says. "We also wanted a place where people could share experiences and not feel like they're isolated. "It feels like there is a reluctance to acknowledge or address homophobic and transphobic prejudice within Asian communities. You hear tired old sayings like ‘These aren't our issues, they don't have anything to do with us,’ or ‘There are more important real issues to address’. People say this but are not aware of how and who they affect,” Ho says. "If you think you don't know any gay or trans people, it's because they don't trust you enough to share that with you," Ho adds. "The denial and invisibilising of queer Asian people within Asian families, impacts massively on our health and well-being. This leads to over-representation in negative statistics such as depression and suicidality. Further than that, it strains family relations, and diminishes the diversity of our communities." The blog co-ordinators plan to write to the Asian MPs who didn't support marriage equality, Asian media and community groups, in the hope they and others will listen to an issue that affects lots of young people, and has a big impact on the real lives of families. Check out the blog here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 6th September 2012 - 11:44am