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Sexualities
 Encounter
with young sex workers
In 2003/2004, I met young
sex workers of rehabilitation center in rural Taiwan. I taught them English and
designed courses to communicate with them about sex, sexuality, gender and their
future planning. After years of academic training, I felt tired of researching
into people and just wanted to contribute some of my knowledge to serve them.
These young women, some of them teenagers, were supposed to be my research
informants but I had no strong intention to research them. During the lowest
point of my life, they shared with me the depth of human sufferings, the
strongest motivation of finding a way out of a miserable life, and rebellion
spirits that I wish myself have. I have not intended to academic papers about
them. Fieldnotes together with my entangled emotional status were the main theme
of this time.
Polyamory
Polyamory describes a form
of relationship that is valid, important and possible to maintain relationships
with multiple partners simultaneously. Resulting from a lasting friendship
developed from Gender and Ethnicity Study groups in London, Christian Klesse,
Jinthana Haritawon and I co-edited a special issue on radical politics of
Polyamory in Sexualities.
2006,
(with Jinthana Haritaworn and Christian Klesse), ‘Poly/logue: A Critical
Introduction to Polyamory’ in Sexualities 9 (5) : 1-15.
Queer
of Color
Christian Klesse, and Jinthana Haritowarn were my queer
family members. In England, I am entitled to
the positioning as queer of color.
Returning Taiwan, I belong to the ethnic majority. However, I enjoyed teaching
indigenous students in Eastern Taiwan tremendously and met many indigenous
queers. They were very visible to me and usually in one tribe, it was easy for
me to find several gays, lesbians and transgenders As I settled down in
Kaohsiung, drinker Wu approached me to expand current discourses on gays and
lesbians by initiating an oral history project on indigenous gays and lesbians.
This project progressed slowly, but we welcome new participants.
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