Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ Research Network
Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ Research Network
Embedded Files
About Us
About Us
We are an independent, volunteer-run network. Our core group members are made up of researchers who identify as queer, as well as allies. Most of us are based in Southeast Asian countries, but some have migrated to other countries for personal reasons or to seek safety elsewhere. We welcome researchers based in SEA, those with SEA heritage, as well as anyone working towards LGBTQ+ equity to be part of our network and support our growth.
Our Research Orientation
Our Research Orientation
Our research started with “filling in the gaps” in the current landscape of LGBTQ+ research, which remains dominated by North American scholarship. Such an approach aligns with equity-oriented, counter-storytelling praxis, as we seek to expand understanding of Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ realities to international audiences through our lived experiences, and our research expertise and experience. Understanding inequities and inequalities in the SEA region also means paying attention to the differential struggles across countries, particularly LGBTQ+ communities who face legal persecution in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, and those escaping authoritarian military regimes in Myanmar, as well as within respective countries, where we know Indigenous and ethnic minority groups, transgender and non-binary people, and people with disabilities face elevated barriers to accessing key social determinants of health such as employment, education, and healthcare.
We aim to generate evidence-based findings to support community advocacy and influence policy change. This often requires us to move beyond “business as usual” approaches and to form teams with interdisciplinary expertise across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Western positivism or the removal of the “self”, is not the only research paradigm we work within. We seek to learn from the struggles of Indigenous LGBTQ+ peoples elsewhere (e.g., Turtle Island Two-Spirit, Australian Blaq, and Aotearoa takatāpui communities) regarding the colonial and racial harms of culturally insensitive LGBTQ+ research, as we advocate for Indigenous-led, culturally safe, liberatory, and collaborative research that centres community voices. Emerging theories also inform our work, such as Queer Asia theory (Yue, 2017; Wijaya, 2025).
References
References
Wijaya, H. Y. (2025). Queer Indonesia: What’s queer about queer studies in Indonesia? Media, Culture & Society, 47(7), 1510-1521. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437251349987Yue, A. (2017). Trans-Singapore: Some notes towards queer Asia as method. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 18(1), 10–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2017.1273911
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse