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.
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 (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.
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.
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.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, Pakistan’s largest religious party, filed a petition to rescind protections for trans people in the country arguing that Pakistan’s 2018 Transgender Rights Bill went against the country’s Islamic principles. The senator also suggested that people who wish to change their gender marker should undergo a medical test first, though he did not clarify what exactly the test would entail. Previously the senator has also said that “Transgender is an American term, it has no place in Islam, and the legislation regarding the transgender community is against Quran and Sunnah, and it will promote homosexuality”. The bill in question protects a number of rights, including trans people’s rights to be referred to by “self-perceived” gender and to update their ID and existing documents to reflect this.
This article is published in Xtra Magazine.
Creating a community environment of sharing and increasing awareness of food security and urban sustainability are the aims of Green Chinatown Montreal (GCM). Founded in 2011 in Montreal’s Chinatown the GDM brought together multiple generations of Chinese-Canadians and helped them reconnect with nature and their agricultural roots. Today it finds itself in whatever space is available, their original location lost, as it seeks to return to Chinatown and as several members hope to build solidarity with the Indigenous community that lives in Chinatown.
This article is published in The Monitor.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and disruptions and among them was a spike in anti-Asian racism. Asian-Canadians seniors faced a surge of attacks and many Asian-Canadian businesses were the victim of vandalism. In this article we hear from members of the Chinese-Canadian community on their concerns regarding this issue, access to health-care, and what members of the community want to see in Canada’s next leader.
This article is published in the Toronto Star in the GTA column.
Vegetarianism runs deep in many Asian cultures and adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is on the rise worldwide. Yet, alongside this rise there has also been a disturbing rise in racist and xenophobic behaviour among vegetarian communities. I talked to multiple Asians about their experiences relating to their vegetarian diets and challenges from their own communities and society as a whole.
This article is published in the Vegetarian Times, which is dedicated to vegetarian topics and issues.
La publicité d’un restaurant qui ouvrira bientôt, Geisha Montreal, a provoqué un tollé dans la communauté asiatique de Montréal. Cette campagne promotionnelle comprend des images de femmes asiatiques hypersexualisées, des fausses geishas, et mélangé des cultures différentes. Avec la montée du racisme anti-asiatique, d’appropriation culturelle, et que les propriétaires du restaurant effaçaient les commentaires critiques des avertissements, les raisons de cet outrage se précisent.
Cet article a été publié dans Pivot.