Models of LGBT Activism Across Southeast and East Asia: Queer Thailand in Regional Perspective

Book Abstract:
This is the comparative study of the politics surrounding gender and sexual minorities in Asia, which sheds light on the diverse indigenous identities and sexualities of Asia, examining cases in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Singapore, as well as Japan.

To date, research on gender and sexual minorities has focused on Western experience and norms, examining how the Western LGBT movement successfully challenged conservative norms and achieved rights. There has recently been plentiful research attempting to capture the diversity of non-Western sexualities, genders, and practices, but there has not been a consistent analysis of the diverse political contexts in which they exist, as presented in this book.

This is the first queer studies research, written by Japanese researchers, to take a regional approach to Asia, exploring the lives of marginalized people in the age of globalization and neoliberalism. The various chapters examine changes in the political landscape, considering both the influence of Western-derived sexual norms and the local responses to these norms. This research demonstrates that dominant Western-derived frameworks and categories for understanding sexual and gender minorities are inadequate to understanding Asian experiences.