Content area
Full Text
Introduction
To date, academic exploration into the lived experiences of gay Asian male (GAM) - gay White male (GWM) couples is relatively rare. A lengthy study on same-sex couples conducted by Weeks, Heaphy & Donovan (2001), whilst exploring different issues in same-sex partnerships, fell short in analysing how race and ethnicity influence same-sex couples in Western countries. As suggested by Weeks et al. (2001, p. 117), racial inequality colours the dynamic that operates in same-sex coupling; however, this argument is under explored in their findings.
Writers on Asian - White desires often focus on relationship inequality between younger GAM and older GWM. Writers such as Fung (1996), Ayres (1999) and Jackson (2000) have argued that the common portrayal of gay Asian males' sexuality as passive in Western media taints the social positioning of these men in the gay community. Arguably, the Western gay community is dominated by the image of muscular, White men, and those who fall outside this ideology are deemed as less desirable (Drummond, 2005a; Jackson, 2000). Whiteness represents masculinity, and in a community that emphasises this superficial masculinity as the ultimate form of desire (Lahti, 1997), ethnic minorities are not only under-represented in the gay media, but Asian men in particular are emasculated (Man, 2006; Drummond, 2005b).
Bleys (1995) offers an explanation for the emasculation of Asian men in Western countries. Colonialist ideology that operated during Western imperialism in Asia created a discourse wherein Asian female sexuality is perceived as passive and thus highly desired, and Asian male sexuality as either asexual or effeminate, reinforcing the ideology of Western male dominance over Asian males. Man (2006) states that this ideology continues in contemporary settings, with gay Asian males portrayed in one dimension (ie, passive, effeminate, and submissive). Park Hagland (1996) states that this representation only serves the desire of White men to sexually and emotionally "dominate' Asian men, eliminating Asian males' sexual desire and preference. Kumashiro (1999) states that many gay Asian men are aware that the stereotypes of demure Asian men do not represent their sexuality; however, some feel powerless due to the strong White ideology that still operates in Western gay communities.
Poon (2002) argues that due to this discourse, gay Asian men are prone to domestic abuse in...