We watched a film in class called "Kelly Loves Tony" that definitely paralleled some of the things that we have read in a previous article about the treatment of Laotian girls. The film is recorded by Kelly and Tony themselves, capturing pivotal moments in their life like Kelly graduating and having their child, Andrew at 17. Kelly is clearly subject to Laotian culture, but unlike what's expected of her, she sometimes does not abide by tradition. For example, when she first gives birth, she refuses the ginger tea that she must drink, but, she does move in with Tony after having a baby, in accordance to Laotian tradition. One of the things that makes Kelly stand out is her decision to continue on with school, even after having a baby. She not only breaks stereotypes, but shows another side of the many of forms of femininity. By going to school, Kelly shows that just, because she has become a teen mother, does not mean that she will no longer seek after her education, which is something that is clearly very important to her. Kelly shows that femininity is not only defined by being a mother.
This article mainly focuses on South Asians, Indians, in particular to discuss the struggles of Asian Americans in the LGBT community. One of the main topics discussed throughout this article is whether being gay is another western idea that has permeated its way to the east. An interviewee featured in this article said that being gay definitely has some western ideas incorporated in it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be any less Indian. I disagree with that. Perhaps, being more open and active about it is a borrowed western idea, but I don’t think that being gay, itself is. It may not exactly be multiculturalism, but there is definitely a combination of different ideologies that are helping shaped the subculture of gay Indians. There’s a borrowing from other cultures and at the same time a cultivation of their own and it has become a compromise between cultures that has ultimately developed an entirely new one.
This article also focuses on how the internet has helped spread the awareness and has allowed LGBT members to reach out to one another and develop a sense of agency for themselves. Although, it does come with some drawbacks. One that stood out to me the most is an issue that is prominent in an era, where social media and the internet allows a large population of the world to spread and access news immediately and that is that people could just forget that agency on the internet is just not the same as actually going out and being an active participant for fighting for one’s rights. These days, people seem to think that sharing an article about how gays are maltreated is the same as going to a march or seeking out actual help from their community. This is somewhat similar to Professor Maira’s argument, in a way, in her article concerning appropriation and how people have been so concerned with trying to identify whether borrowing from cultures is appropriate or not, that the true issues concerning the maltreatment of those very cultures is overshadowed. We cannot let the efficiency of the virtual reality of the internet fool us into thinking that that is going to solve real life world problems. It can definitely aid towards it, though. Like the author claims: a good balance between utilizing the internet and being an active member in reality can help towards real progress.
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