Author: diamondeyao

Texas lawmakers want to criminalize drag shows

Social Justice

As LGBTQ2S+ members face increasing pressure in the southern USA, Texas lawmakers have pre-filed a bill that would classify any business that hosts drag shows as a “sexually oriented business” through amending an existing statute about such businesses. Venues with this classification are liable to misdemeanour charges on par with vehicle burglary if anyone under 18 enters the premises, are obligated to charge entrance fees of at least USD $5 per patron and are forbidden from having sex offenders owning or operating the establishment. Under the new bill, the state attorney general will also have the ability to sue any venue that hosts drag performances in violation of the bill—which could lead to its potential closure. Advocates have pointed out that this bill effectively bans trans people from performing in any capacity and in effect bans all drag by making it impossible to host anywhere. This comes on the heels of other Texas bills that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

442: The Woman at the Heart of Two Chinese American Food Empires

Asian Communities, Diaspora

Cecilia Chiang (1920-2020) was spent more than four decades shaping the Chinese American food landscape at a time when immigrant Asian female entrepreneurs were extremely rare and built a multimillion-dollar restaurant empire. Her youth spent with Shanghainese family in Wuxi, Chiang found herself on the run in 1937 owing to the Second Sino-Japanese War. Meeting and marrying her husband Chiang Liang during this time, they would settle in Shanghai after the war and had a son and daughter. During the Chinese Communist Revolution, the family would resettle in Tokyo, which was where Chiang opened Forbidden City, a 250-seat Chinese restaurant, her first hospitality experience. In 1959, she would found herself saddled with a restaurant lease in San Francisco, which would house The Mandarin in 1961. Bringing Beijing cuisine to America, and after initial hurdles, the restaurant would soon come to host dignitaries and celebrities like Mae West and John Lennon. The success of Mandarin would lead to Chiang’s permanent move to San Francisco, separation from her husband, who remained in Japan, and restaurant moving to a larger location in 1967. Chiang opened a second Mandarin in 1975. Chiang died at her San Francisco home at the age of 100 in 2020.

This article is published in JoySauce.

‘Blonde’ Was ‘Very Vile’ & ‘Lacked Empathy’ Toward Marilyn Monroe, Trauma Experts Say

Social Justice

Trigger warning: This article contains references to sexual violence.
Two weeks ago, Blonde, the newest biopic on Marilyn Monroe, was released on Netflix. A fictionalize take on Marilyn Monroe’s life, it has faced criticism over its insensitive portrayal of multiple sexual assaults, forced abortion, and lack of empathy for the real person. Further, the one-dimensional character of Monroe, focusing on her victimhood to the exclusion of her own thoughts and emotions was a sticking point. The fetishization of female pain, sensationalizing sexual violence, anti-abortion themes, and objectification of Monroe have also been criticized as being harmful to survivors of sexual violence, potentially having negative impact on young audience members, and being misogynistic.

This article is published in stylecaster.

442: Bow Down to the Queen—of Chinese Food

Asian Communities, Diaspora

Today, Chinese restaurants are inescapable in the American culinary landscape. But it was not so when Sylvia Cheng (1915-2022), better known as Madame Wu, began her business. After moving to the USA during the Second World War, Cheng was disappointed with the quality of Cantonese food in the USA. After moving to Los Angeles with her husband King Yan Wu, she opened the 50-seat Madame Wu’s Garden in 1959. The restaurant would prove to be gathering point of many celebrities, from Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, to Mae West, Cary Grant, plus Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow. Madame Wu ran every part of the restaurant like a boss and eventually moved to a 300-seat location in 1968. She died on Sept. 19, at the age of 106.

This article is published in JoySauce.

Asian massage therapists targeted by ‘classist and racist’ crackdown in Newmarket

Asian Communities, Diaspora

In Newmarket, Asian-owned massage parlours and therapists are finding themselves targeted by surveillance and police harassment. Last year, Newmarket passed a bylaw that required all massage businesses to obtain a new type of license, and as of June, this bylaw requires them to prove all massage therapist employees are registered massage therapists (RMT). Between these requirements and police action, six businesses have closed down and every application submitted by an Asian-owned massage parlour has been rejected or labeled incomplete, with no explanation. Resistance against the bylaw has been growing, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) saying the bylaw runs afoul of the Charter. Opponents of the bylaw point to false and disparaging claims of human trafficking, and association with sex work, as motivations behind the bylaw.

This article is published in ricochet.

Pakistan aid efforts in Canada call for solidarity, reparations

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Sustainability

Pakistanis living in Canada have watched the flooding of their homeland in horror, and worked to create solidarity initiatives to provide relief. Countless people have found themselves unable to contact family in Pakistan, amid electricity and telecommunications outages. Now questions have arisen over Canada’s contribution to climate change, as its CO2 emissions are more than 10 times that of Pakistan. Rich countries of the Global North, like Canada, should act to address their contribution to climate injustice. Damages from flooding are estimated at 30 billion dollars and Ottawa has pledged 30 million dollars in assistance. Among urgent concerns are the impacts to pregnant women and the lack of reproductive health products to those most impacted.

This article is published in The Breach.

Carleton University PhD candidate reunites with his husband after two years of detention in Turkey

Diaspora, Social Justice

After 2 years of detention in Turkey, Carleton University PhD candidate Cihan Erdal is now reunited with his husband, Ömer Ongun, Erdal was initially imprisoned under on charges of inciting violent protests six years prior, before those being released on bail under constant watch when the charges were proven to be false. After walking hours to an undisclosed third country and seeking political asylum, Erdal was able to make his way back to Canada. Throughout his detention, Ongun led a tireless campaign to rally international support to bring Erdal back home. Turkish authorities have detained many individuals with alleged ties to political movements with questionable evidence and without due process.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Miami-Dade school board won’t celebrate LGBTQ2S+ History Month, citing concerns over ‘Don’t Say Gay’

Social Justice

Last week, the Miami-Dade school board voted against a proposal to recognize October as LGBTQ2S+ History Month. Proposed by Lucia Baez-Geller in an attempt to decrease the marginalization of LGBTQ2S+ people, dozens of parents and community members opposed the proposal on the grounds that it ran afoul of Florida’s parental rights law, also known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” Only Lucia Baez-Geller in favor of the proposal, with some members of the board citing the parental rights law as the reason behind their vote. The latest vote comes as LGBTQ2S+ people in Florida face significant mental health challenges—which appear to have worsened in the face of anti-LGBTQ2S+ legislation.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

India’s Supreme Court says LGBTQ+ families are entitled to legal protection in major ruling

Asian Communities, Social Justice

The Indian Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex families are entitled to social benefits and legal protections. This was achieved through the expanding the legal definition of family to include “non-traditional” families: de queer couples, people in domestic unmarried partnerships, single parents, stepparents and adoptive families. This decision joins a list of reforms that are dismantling conservative rules that date from the colonial era. Building on this milestone, LGBTQ+ activists are advocating to legalize same-sex marriage and to allow same-sex couples to foster and adopt children.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Toronto’s queer community denounces incoming police chief’s appointment, demands a public meeting

Social Justice

Members the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee, along with hundreds of other people and organizations, published an open letter demanding a public meeting with Mayor John Tory over the appointment of Myron Demkiw as Toronto police chief. Demkiv was involved in a 2000 raid of the Pussy Palace bathhouse, which was later judged to be a violation of the attendees’ charter rights. Mayor Tory offered a closed meeting with himself, Demkiw, plus Chanelle Gallant and JP Hornick of the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee, which was rejected by the latter two. Members of the queer community wish to talk to the police service board to discern how this appointment came to be and address fundamental issues with the process.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.