Rice : Explorations into Asian Gay Culture & Politics

Rating:
Summary: ....would have been great ten years ago!
Review: Gay (male) Asian Canadians must face the same issues that their American and Australian counterparts do: being a double minority, only being courted by older white men, finding themselves attracted to other Asian men for the first time, etc. This book is a collection of fiction, political articles, drawings, and photographs of up & coming gay Asians, mostly from Toronto. Still, there's something that feels redundant about this book. The book is a quick read. Perhaps because it says nothing that "Q&A" or "Witness Aloud" haven't already said before and better. It has these photos inside but they will remind you of 1970s American gay liberation publications, except featuring Asian men. Further, you can't tell if the photos challenge racist myths or re-inforce them. Women are left out of the picture, as are South Asians and other people of color. Plus, they use the term "rice" unproblematically, almost admitting to non-Asian readers that they are just a dish to be eaten and forgotten. An American voice is included here, but it belongs to Justin Chin who always surprises me that he gets published when so many more gay Asian-Americans write more interesting stuff than his. This book is good for looking at gay East Asians in a comparative, global context. There is an interview with Richard Fung, who is always awesome in every way. And I must remember that people of color face different issues in Canada than they do here. Still, there is something unimpressive about this book.