num_pages: 292
description: How do Asian cultures construct queer genders, sexualities, and eroticism?Gay and Lesbian Asia demonstrates the astonishing diversity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered identities in countries including Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Although many Asian cultures borrow the language of the West when discussing queerness, the attitudes, relationships, and roles described are quite different. Gay and Lesbian Asia discusses cultural issues as well as the unique political position of gays in Asian societies. For example, the Thai concept of phet--eroticized gender--is quite different from the Western view that classifies people by the sex of the partners they desire, not by their level of masculine or feminine traits. Similarly, some gay and lesbian Chinese people “come home” rather than “come out.” By bringing their partners into the extended family, they can maintain the filial relationships that define them while being able to love whom they choose. The essays in Gay and Lesbian Asia cover a broad range of approaches and 
language: English
title: Gay and Lesbian Asia: Culture, Identity, Community
titlecomplete: Gay and Lesbian Asia: Culture, Identity, Community
genres: Gay
ratings_count: 7
publisher: Routledge