Who’s the Barbarian?, (13 October 1979) Washington, D.C.

Speech Text

AN ASIAN AMERICAN LESBIAN SPEAKS BEFORE THE THIRD WORLD CONFERENCE

[1] Sisters and brothers, you know that the lesbian and gay Asians who are here have had a bit of a struggle and you know you have to fight, you have to fight inside yourself what you think is going on; try to figure out what really is going on. We had a lot of  difficult feelings amongst us where we felt left out. But we want to say right now that the strength that comes from being here and being out with you is the thing that is keeping us in there and it’s keeping us thinking about unity.

[2] My name is Tana. . . my Chinese name is Leung Lai Jin, and I feel especially fortunate to share with you what happened to us as the Asian American caucus, what happened to us personally and politically.

[3] Somehow we felt – immediately and immensely in tune with each other, because when an Asian sees another Asian – they run from each other. Because whatever the reasons – and there are many, many reasons – we run from each other: because of the pain; because of the anguish; because of the deep self-hatred of racism in this country. It’s a survival response, because for decades of imperialist wars we have been atomic bombed; we have been napalmed; we have been raped; we have been driven to suicide – and we have built this country from the east to the west. And we have been called the barbarians! We have been called the barbarians! Who’s the barbarian?

[4] But there’s something extremely important, and that is, within the context of this history making conference, we Asians, gay Asians – and that means Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese, whether we’re from Guam, Korea, Malaysia, whether we’re Indian, whether we’re Pakistani – we have for the first time, for many of us, with open hearts and minds, run towards each other. And we have embraced each other.

[5] And we all know that for a Third World lesbian or gay man, to do something that personal is highly political. It is very much as though we had been in a wasteland and we were thirsty, and someone had – another Asian – had a drop of water, and we saw that and we wanted it, and we couldn’t take it. But today we are going towards each other, and we are sharing our strength with each other, and with all our brothers and sisters here today.

[6] You know something? You know we’re not that quiet, reserved, reticent Asian. I mean I don’t clean my house every day 24 hours a day. We’re not that “model minority” – oh, we’re silenced, but why are we silenced? We’re silenced, even from each other, by the racism and the sexism that exists in this country, that manifests itself in the fears and frustrations that keep our people in the closet as Asians and as lesbian and gay men.

[7] Many of us cannot even come out for fear of deportation; and yet I know that there are many Asians who are going to be out on that street tomorrow, knowing that that’s a reality in their lives.

[8] In our short time together, a support system has evolved from which we have drawn our strength, from each other and from all of you here. And out of this strength we have collectively decided to march together as Asians.

[9] We come to you to share our strength, as we have come out strong with each other. We express our strength and power with all of you; with all of us. Because when we are all out tomorrow it will be the Third World lesbian and gay people, side by side, as one voice, to say no to racism, and no to sexism, and no to anti-gay bigotry. And you can be sure, you can be damned sure, that those who oppress us will hear us, and they will hear us loud and clear.