1st International Conference of Asian Queer Studies: Sexualities, Genders, and Rights in Asia

Contact information
[email protected]

An international interdisciplinary conference on studies of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, bisexual, and queer (LGBTQ) cultures and communities in Asia will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th July, 2005.

The main aim of the conference is to develop linkages between research about Asian LGBTQ cultures and communities and promoting recognition and respect for sexual and gender diversity in the region. A parallel goal of the conference is to support and defend the academic legitimacy of research and teaching about LGBTQ peoples in Asia. Over 200 papers have now been accepted for presentation at the conference.

A note about "queer"
The conference organisers use the word "queer" in both its current senses. "Queer" is both a shorthand for the full diversity of homoerotic, transgender, and transsexual behaviours, identities, and cultures as well as a term describing critical forms of theory that draw on poststructuralist and postcolonial analyses. In its conferences and publications the AsiaPacificQueer Network emphasises the need to rethink queer theory in Asian contexts, simultaneously critiquing homophobic discourses and practices in Asia and questioning the eurocentrism of Western accounts of sexuality and gender.

Conference Themes
Under the broad umbrella of exploring the relationship between research and promoting on-the-ground activism for human and academic rights, the conference will focus on the following themes:
• Political and Social Activisms to Promote LGBTQ Rights in Asia: including the human rights of LGBTQ individuals and communities (such as decriminalisation, freedom from discrimination, freedom of opinion and expression, right to privacy) and the academic rights of those researching and teaching about LGBTQ peoples in Asia.
• Sexual Health and Sex Education: including transgender/transsexual health issues and the impact of HIV/AIDS and other STDs on LGBTQ communities.
• Representations, Aesthetics and Beauty Tips: including LGBTQ literatures, media, and cinema in Asia; maintaining poise with style in a homophobic world.
• Theories: including queer theory, feminism and cultural studies in Asian contexts.
• Critiques: of Asian heteronormative and Western (Eurocentric) discourses; indigenous vs. foreign (Western) constructions of non-heterosexual identities.
• Histories and Cultures of Asian LGBTQ peoples.
• Diasporic and International Circuits between Asian and Western LGBTQ cultures.
• Cultural Values, Religion, and Sexuality in Asia.
• Sex Education and LGBTQ communities in Asia.
• The Status of LGBTQ Studies in Asia.
• Aesthetics, Performance, and LGBTQ Creative Expression in Asia.
• Issues in Conducting Research: sensitivity to issues such as informed consent and protecting privacy and confidentiality in gathering, analysing, and disseminating data about LGBTQ communities.
• Skills Building: How to communicate issues to policy makers and the press.