Asian American Sexualities - by Russell Leong (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Writing from an impressive array of interdisciplinary perspectives, the contributors discuss a variety of topics, including sexuality and identity politics; community activism and gay activism; transnational aspects of love between women in Thailand; queer South Asian culture in the US; gay and lesbian filmmakers; same-sex sexuality in Pacific literature; and Asian American male homosexuality and AIDS. The relationship of the gay and lesbian experience to Asian American studies and Ethnic Studies is also explored.

Review Quotes

"Editor Russell Leong has managed to weave a diverse and thoughtful selection of pieces--personal essays, articles of literary and film criticism, roundtable discussions, and works of fiction and poetry--into a provocative exploration of personal experience and the construction of Asian American gay and lesbian identity...a valuable contribution in the fields of both queer cultural studies and Asian American studies... This book is the first of its kind, and for that alone it is noteworthy. The diverse approaches, good writing, and the inclusion of both lesbian and gay experience, however, make this a fascinating and informative read as well." -- LesbianReview of Books
"In all respects the anthology is informative, carving out an Asian American gay and lesbian culture and community that has been active and that will no longer be silenced either by racism or homophobia. While there are anthologies of Asian American gay experiences that precede this one, this is the first to deal with both gay and lesbian experiences." -- Pacific Reader

About the Author

Russell Leong is the editor of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center's Amerasia Journal. He edited Moving theImage: Independent Asian Pacific Media Arts (1991), and is the author of The Country of Dreams and Dust (1993), recipient of the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literature Award.