An examination of the identities, histories, communities, and experiences of queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders using a queering, decolonial lens in national and global contexts.

This book explores the intersection of historical contexts, research, cultural identities and values frameworks, and current sociopolitical issues experienced by queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Rooted in queer and decolonial theories, the book encourages readers to challenge and explore the very definitions of what it means to be queer, Asian, and American.

The authors seek to make visible the organizations and people who have traditionally been left out of history, while exploring how queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders engage with their ancestry, negotiate their identities and values, build communities, and imagine future directions.

Although primarily focused on the United States, the book also explores relevant queer regional conversations across Asia to analyze the impact of global conversations, movements, and migration on queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Detailed profiles spotlight individuals and organizations advocating for their communities. First-hand accounts are woven throughout this book to provide real-world perspectives on chapter topics.

Marisa Floro, PhD, is Interim Co-Director of Stanford University's Weiland Health Initiative and is an adjunct faculty member in the counseling psychology department at the University of San Francisco, USA. Dr. Floro serves LGBTQ+ students' mental health & well-being through therapy, advocacy, training, psychoeducation, teaching, and collaboration. She has published articles and chapters in various publications, including the Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture (ABC-CLIO, 2021). Dr. Floro created and curated the Queerness through Asian History project, an online platform to provide queer Asians an opportunity to connect with queer ancestors and future generations.

Jackie Y. Wang, M.D. is Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA. Dr. Wang works as a psychiatry attending on Stanford Hospital's acute inpatient psychiatry units, where she cares for patients and provides clinical supervision for psychiatry residents and medical students. She is the Director of Social Justice Education for Stanford's Adult Psychiatry Residency Program, through which she oversees the adult residency's “Social Thread” curriculum covering topics in social justice, cultural psychiatry, marginalization and oppression, and more. She has developed courses for clinicians in training on LGBTQIA+ mental health, racism and mental health, power and oppression in psychiatry, culture and psychiatry, and more. Finally, she also serves on her departmental division's Diversity Coalition, through which she works to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) on Stanford Hospital's inpatient psychiatry units.

Stephanie N. Wong, PhD, is Staff Psychologist at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, USA, and adjunct faculty at New York University's Masters in Mental Health Counseling Program. She provides culturally-responsive trauma-informed therapy, supervision, and education in her private practice, Psych for the People, PLLC.