Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

Queer Asian American (QASAM) women often have difficulty finding spaces that are accepting of their intersecting identities as both queer women and as Asian Americans. Because mainstream queer spaces are not inclusive for people of color and women, and many ethnic spaces are not accepting of queer identities, QASAM women often do not feel a sense of belonging in the community and social spaces that already exist. Through survey methods of 50 participants and in-depth interviews from 8 of those survey participants, this study investigates QASAM women’s perceptions of identity, relationships with their families, experiences in their ethnic communities, and experiences in gender/sexuality communities to help understand the strategies QASAM women deploy to build hybrid spaces and communities for themselves. This study provides insight into QASAM women’s community building by analyzing the ways in which they transition between ethnic communities and queer communities, how they create what I call “third spaces” that are representative of both their ethnic and queer identity, and utilize the internet and their social circles to find community groups and organizations in their areas that provide feelings of belonging.