Author: diamondeyao

What you need to know about non-monogamy and mental health

Social Justice

Today, as openness to non-monogamy grows, a number of people—queer and straight, cis and trans alike—are questioning whether monogamy is the ideal relationship structure and many have shifted towards non-monogamous relationships. While these relationships can be a source of joy, they also com with unique challenges, some exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article we speak with Laurie Bissonette to find out how LGBTQ2S+ folks in open relationships can take care of their mental health during the pandemic and beyond.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

We Asked Environmental Activists Their Thoughts on ‘Don’t Look Up’ & Here’s What They Said

Sustainability

The science fiction movie Don’t Look Up has garnered a varying amount of opinions, praise, and criticism. Thus, we asked environmental activists for their thoughts on this movie and heard much on the representation of the news cycle, impact of influencers versus educated experts, the movie’s US-centric narrative, exclusion of marginalized representation, gender and age dynamics, and other topics.

This article is published in STYLECASTER.

How having queer folks in power at non-queer media organizations can shift coverage

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Social Justice

In 2020, Viet Tran launched the magazine Sticky Rice, which focuses on Asian Canadian issues, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rising wave of anti-Asian racism. A psychiatrist by training, Tran is the editor-in-chief of this successful publication, and we sat down with him to discuss how being a gay Asian man at the helm of a non-queer publication influences its coverage.

This article is published in the Poynter Institute.

Future Mothers Can Still Get Breast Implants

Social Justice

Breast implant surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures around the world. For future moms-to-be it is fine to done, so long as potential complications are accounted for. Namely, long-term care will be needed including another surgery down the road, the impact of changes to one’s breasts arising from pregnancy, avoiding breast milk contamination via two to three year MRI scans to check for rupture, and placing the breast incision in a good spot, among other various points.

This article is published in Giddy.

Asian spa workers reflect on the Atlanta shootings, one year later

Asian Communities, Diaspora

On the first anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings which left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women and spa workers, massage work has been shoved in the spotlight. Despite the longstanding stigmatism of massage businesses due to their association with sex work, many spa workers don’t engage in sex work. Numerous spa workers continue to face various workplace related issues and harbor fears around undue police intervention.

This article is published in the Washington Post in the Lifestyle section.

Ruth Lor Malloy

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Social Justice

Ruth Lor Malloy (née Lor), journalist, writer, activist (born 4 August 1932, in Brockville, ON). Malloy was a key figure in fighting against discrimination in Ontario in the 1950s (see Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada). She participated in the high profile Dresden restaurant sit-in of 1954. In 1973, she published the first English-language guidebook to China in North America. Throughout her decades-long career, Malloy worked tirelessly to foster intercultural dialogue and justice for marginalized groups.

This article is published in the Canadian Encyclopedia.

LGBTQ+ Asians Look to Michigan Rave Scene for Acceptance and Found Family

Asian Communities, Diaspora

The latest group driving the rave renaissance has been steadily full of Asian faces, including many queer Asians. These partygoers find community, joy and acceptance in the scene, which, for the queer Asian demographic, is a communal experience that harks back to collectivist cultures that highly value group gatherings. Many Asian ravers can be spotted in groups of “rave families” while the diversity of outfits and outlooks lend to a welcoming and inviting environment for queer Asians.

This article is published in Pride Source.

Here’s how Biden is fighting to strengthen healthcare protections for LGBTQ2S+ Americans

Social Justice

The Biden administration released proposed regulations on July 25 that would enhance existing protections for the LGBTQ2S+ community. Specifically, the new rules reaffirm that discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ people, and people who have had abortions, is illegal in federally funded health settings and explicitly prohibits healthcare discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, the proposal also includes a religious exemption for healthcare providers with objections to certain procedures like abortion and gender-affirming surgery—although the exact breadth of the exemption isn’t clear.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Can Acupuncture Treat Endometriosis Effectively?

Asian Communities

Endometriosis is a painful condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows outside the uterus. For some endometriosis sufferers who find little relief from Western medicine, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) option such as acupuncture might be attractive. Research on the matter is small and inconclusive but a mixture of acupuncture and Western medicine may tackle the problem holistically and lessen painful symptoms.

This article is published in Giddy.

Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder is still failing queer people of colour

Social Justice

Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder is still failing queer people of colour. Stella, a pansexual Korean-Greek woman struggling with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), found that her therapists didn’t acknowledge her racialization and her queerness during her treatment, which limited its effectiveness. As Nyinawumuntu, the founder and director of the Black Healing Centre, has described it: “A lot of traditional mental health spaces are very white and cishetero-centred.” Nyinawumuntu also advises queer and trans people of colour with BDD to look for mental health professionals with similar lived experiences. Many queer and trans people of colour with BDD have also been able to find healing with non-traditional methods, including pole dancing and self-expression.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.