In American culture, sexual stereotyping of Asians, particularly women, is common. The impact of these biases has been studied in the context of heterosexual relationships. We wanted to understand how these perceptions are transposed when examined within the gay community. Thus, we conducted one long-form interview and several street surveys in the Castro district, where a large percentage of San Franciscos gay community lives and spends time.
We discovered that stereotypical notions of femininity carry across from heterosexual to homosexual relationships. Asians are perceived as submissive and effeminate, with hairless bodies and smaller sexual organs. Even among the Asians we interviewed, there appeared to be a greater desire to partner with non-Asian ethnicities. On the other hand, we also met an Asian man with an Asian partner and we met other Asian/Non-Asian partners.
As filmmakers, we were heartened that the central subject of our documentary was inspired by the documentary to reconsider his attitude towards Asian men. We hope that dialogues about stereotypes and other prejudices will create an environment for further conversations that lead to more tolerant social attitudes.
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- WeAreNotAmused
- added this
- video added October 02, 2006
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I like the topic these filmmakers have picked; it's important to know that we haven't finished fighting the liberal struggle yet. There are more hearts and minds to be won --- if this isn't obvious enough already with the Bushwhackers ruling this country. But even in places that are the purported beacons of liberalism, there are still conservative reactions you wouldn't have expected. Bravo on your investigative work!
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- drunkenfilosofer
- 2 years ago
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very eye opening, provacative, brutally honest...a true insight into stereotypes that persist in the gay community
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This is just soo true worldwide. Sorry guys
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This was really interesting.
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Blogged about here.
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- ErnieAtLYD
- 1 year ago
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Some problems I find in this doc:
1. why it's a white man talking about asian man? and from what he said in the interview, he only chose to say what he wanted to see... I know some white guys who have totally different opinions than this guy.
2. the people interviewed are generally 30+ group... some even much older... I think the new generation thinks much differently about Asian men nowadays.
3. these asian guys they interview... not goodlooking... no wonder they have shitty attitude towards their own race... dude, I know so many goodlooking Asian guys who find Asian guys so attractive in San Francisco and Los Angeles... of course.
4. if you're Asian and you're buying this crap... dude, you're messed up... these ppl are just haters... none of their saying is the truth nowadays... their "discovery" is only based on what they want to see... and not what it actually is. -
racism, disability discrimination, classism, sexism, and yes even homophobia in the gay community like any community.
The main issue is not whether stereotypes are true or false, it's about who has the power to say what. White males control gay media. They always define what's beautiful or popular; many of them will be forever clueless about their privilege. All penises no matter what size shrivel eventually...so who the hell cares.
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- victorvien
- 1 year ago
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I think the thing that I found most odd about the interviews was that it only interviewed Asian and White couples. I don't know if that was a conscious decision or not, but I think it would have brought another dimension if they interviewed minority couples. I didn't find this enlightening in the least though, we all know how prevalent racism is within the gay community, no big surprise. I feel like this was a superficial attempt at best to bring to light issues of internalized and externalized racism that go back hundreds of years. Also, I'm bothered by the fact that this very select group of people who are mostly white, are considered to be the 'gay community.' I'm sure the intentions were good, but I've always had issues with white people with bleeding hearts.
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This is an incredibly disappointing HATE video.
Mark is your typical close-minded dumbass. Hello Asians guys are hot. Obviously he's a hater and hasn't been with many Asian guys to appreciate this. And no most Asian guys aren't into Caucasians (for example, I'm not suggesting that Mark is unattractive but he's not my cup of tea either). It goes to show that someone as educated as Mark can still be pretty ignorant.
I am equally disappointed in the people who made this one-sided documentary and the website that is hosting it. Tackling a controversial subject matter is admirable but when done incorrectly this video becomes really dangerous and only serves to spread hate. You should have done more research and consulted with someone with more expertise on the subject matter. Why you did not talk to an Asian American studies professor or a community expert baffles me.
Castro is not representative of the Asian American community, nor is it representative of the gay community. Hello all the SF Asian clubs are not in Castro (Dragon, NT, Shangri-la, Silk, Move, Club Asia, gameboi). In fact, there are no ethnic clubs left in Castro. The last one, Pendulum (African American club), was bought out by a white racist. As was demonstrated in this video Castro is not very diverse nor is it free from ignorance and hate.
Also, you had a white boy with limited experience talk about Asians??? Come on people.
Gay people out there, do you not realize that a lot of you have been brainwashed to worship and perpetuate the dominance of the WASP straight male paradigm. Whether he realizes it or not even, Mark who is white but gay is insecure about himself and secretly wants to be straight. Stop hating yourself people. Snap out of it! The WASP straight male look (e.g. Abercrombie & Fitch) is a fabricated ideal that the WASP straight male wants you to perpetuate, and he who controls the media has certainty done a good job of it. Fashionable guys, androgynous guys, and slim guys are just as hot if not more than the guys that try to "mirror" the WASP straight male look.
Like I was saying, Mark is not happy with himself. He projects his own insecurities onto Asians and is doing his best to mirror the WASP straight look (vomit... and is failing miserably).
He should ask himself:
1. Are my mannerisms feminine? Check.
2. Am I skinny? Check.
3. Am I a bottom? Check.
4. Am I shy? Check.
5. Does my pierced eye brow and dyed blond hair say something about me???The Asians I know are much hotter and have much more sex appeal than anyone in this video.
In conclusion, Mark needs to step out of his white closet. If he does he might see that most Asians are in fact unimpressed by the color of his skin and, contrary to his prejudice, don't represent any of "his" breed's stereotypes of Asian men.
