The LGBT population that I think I should do more research about over the course of the semester is either the Hmong LGBT community or on a wider range the Asia LGBT community as a whole. I would like to know more about this community because when the LGBT community comes to mind, individuals from the Hmong population don't come to mind and neither do Asians in general come to mind. And I want to know why this is. Why are they so unrepresented?
What I assume to be true about this population is that their must be individuals who fall into this grouping, but for some reason or another are not being readily represented in the gay community. And if I would have to guess why, I would say it could be due to the culture and traditions of the Hmong and Asian peoples which could stigmatize LGBT and make it a taboo thing.
I learned this from an article I had to read in my past semester class that had to do with an LGBT Asian person who struggled with coming out to their family because of the strong beliefs that where rooted in the culture which shunned the idea of loving someone who was of the same sex.
I think the most difficult challenge I will have during this assignment is possibly finding information on the Hmong LGBT population if I focus solely on them or if I go about the route of the Asian community in general how will I collectively represent them with the information I gather. I am more leaning towards the Hmong LGBT population than the Asian LGBT population though since it is so broad and unfocused.
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post on LGBT Hmong (or LGBT Asian) people. I am not sure how much has been published about LGBT Hmong people, but you sure can look. I know that there has been a lot published about LGBT Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Malaysian, and Singaporean communities, though.
Keep in mind that LGBT stands for four distinct populations, that may or may not be a united community--lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people. When discussing each of these populations within a different culture, it is also possible that certain cultures may be accepting of one of these populations more than others. One also has to find out what truly is a "traditional" belief from an Asian culture, versus one that may be "corrupted" by Western influences.
I look forward to hearing about what you find! Please let me know if you have any questions about research on this topic.
Sincerely,
Professor Wexelbaum