Ethnic and gay identification : gay Asian men dealing with the divide

L. Mao, J. MacCormik, P. van de Ven

The construct of individualism-collectivism was used to examine how gay Asian men in Sydney deal with dual gay and Asian identities. Nineteen participants, most of East and South-East Asian background, participated in three focus groups. The results suggested that these gay Asian men of ten faced problems in dealing with being both gay and Asian in a dominant, White, heterosexual society. Much conflict was related to differences between group-oriented Asian cultures and individual-oriented Western culture. To deal with the divide, it is argued that stronger ties could be developed between gay communities and individuals on the basis of mutual understanding and appreciation of the cultural differences.