Narratives of LGBTQ+/non-heterosexual East Asian women

As the title indicates, this paper seeks to explore what the personal narratives and experiences are of LGBTQ+/non-heterosexual East Asian women. I utilised semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with two participants to explore specifically how heteronormativity/homophobia, racism, and sexism have impacted their identity development. This research also looked at the influence of ethnic/cultural backgrounds on the development and understanding of their sexual orientation. The primary findings from the data were that participants experienced guilt and shame for being queer/non-heterosexual from others, and thus repressed their same-gender attractions; participants struggled to reconcile multiple, (seemingly) contradictory identities; participants spoke about the influence of traditional cultural values such as filial piety; and finally, participants identified the broader LGBTQ+ community as being predominantly White and male-dominated.