"LGBT" Politics Asian Perspectives

This is the comparative study of the politics surrounding gender and sexual minorities in Asia, which sheds light on the diverse indigenous identities and sexualities of Asia, examining cases in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Singapore, as well as Japan. To date, research on gender and sexual minorities has focused on Western experience and norms, examining how the Western LGBT movement successfully challenged conservative norms and achieved rights. There has recently been plentiful research attempting to capture the diversity of non-Western sexualities, genders, and practices, but there has not been a consistent analysis of the diverse political contexts in which they exist, as presented in this book. This is the first queer studies research, written by Japanese researchers, to take a regional approach to Asia, exploring the lives of marginalized people in the age of globalization and neoliberalism. The various chapters examine changes in the political landscape, considering both the influence of Western-derived sexual norms and the local responses to these norms.

Tsukasa Iga is a designated associate professor at the Asian Satellite Campus Institute, Nagoya University, specializing in political science and area studies. Keiko Tsuji Tamura is professor emerita and research fellow at The University of Kitakyushu, specializing in international relations theory and Southeast Asian area studies, especially politics, society and gender in Singapore. Wataru Kusaka is professor at the Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, specializing in political science and Philippine studies. Kaoru Aoyama is a professor at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University.

Preface Models of LGBT Activism Across Southeast and East Asia: Queer Thailand in Regional Perspective Peter A. Jackson Introduction What Is Being Contested over Gender and Sexual Minorities? An Asian Perspective Wataru Kusaka, Tsukasa Iga, and Genya Fukunaga Part I Nomenclature and Representations 1 How to Update the Names of Gender and Sexual Minorities: The Anti-Politics of Anglo-American Normativity in Japan Mao Imamura 2 Gender and Sexual Minorities in Contemporary Southeast Asia: An Attempt at Image Categorization Naoya Sakagawa Part II Inclusion and Exclusion through Defining “ Good Citizens” 3 Sexual Politics after the Change of Government: No Progress in the “ New Malaysia” Tsukasa Iga 4 Conflicts between Globalism and Localism in Psychiatry over LGBT in Indonesia Masaaki Okamoto 5 The Philippine Catholic Church Battling “ Invaders” : Nationalism Surrounding Sex, Reproduction, and the Family Satoshi Miyawaki 6 Is Vietnam “ Tolerant of Gender and Sexual Minorities” ? Changing Policies and Norms around Same-sex Marriage and Gender Reassignment Nara Oda 7 The Pattaya Entertainment District: A History of Urban Space and Sexual Diversity during the Cold War Shinsuke Hinata 8 Looking into State and Civil Society in Singapore through the Lens of Gender and Sexual Minorities Keiko Tsuji Tamura 9 Excluded “ Human Rights” /Included “ Diversity” : Establishing the “ Same-sex Partnership Declaration System” in Osaka City Akitomo Shingae Part III Identity Dynamics and Everyday Politics Column. “ Kathoey” and “ Kee” (Gay) Are Equally Acceptable: Cisgender Men Who Desire Men and the “ Kathoey” Category in Urban Laos Yusuke Omura 10 Gender and Sexual Minorities and the LGBT Rights Movement in Contemporary Myanmar Takahiro Kojima 11 Public Rights, Everyday Dignity, and Intimate Sorrow: LGBT and Bakla in the Philippines Wataru Kusaka 12 Gender and Sexual Minorities in Cambodia: External Influences and Internally Generated Movements Naomi Hatsukano 13 Rainbows over the Church: The Indonesian Christian Church and Gender and Sexual Minorities Yumi Kitamura and Khanis Suvianita Conclusion The Sexual is Political: “ LGBT” questions the market, the state, religion, human rights, and survival Kaoru Aoyama Bibliography Index