Home for the Holidays: Being Queer During Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a time when families get together. For most, it's a time for connection, but for many LGBTQ+ people, awkward questions at the dinner table can make the holidays stressful. We talk to one trans woman about her experiences during Taiwan's biggest holiday season.
Transcript
00:00 The Lunar New Year holiday is a time for families to come together.
00:04 But for some, heading home can be stressful.
00:07 The last time I saw them, the extended family, it was maybe two or three years ago.
00:15 At the time, I always have to somehow manage something very gender neutral.
00:21 Greta is a trans woman. Her parents know about her identity,
00:26 but she hasn't directly told her extended family.
00:29 And like many other young people in Taiwan,
00:31 she often faces awkward questions at the New Year dinner table.
00:35 About your job, your salary, also whether you're single and who you're dating,
00:42 why don't you have a girlfriend, why don't you have a boyfriend,
00:45 and why is that you don't have children?
00:48 For LGBTQ+ people, these kinds of questions can be even more uncomfortable,
00:53 as they often assume a person's preferences or identity.
00:57 A topic Greta still butts heads with her father on.
01:01 He has this idea of a good daughter, which is like good at cooking, doing house chores.
01:08 So he's like, well, you can't pick and choose and be more like a boy socially at home,
01:15 and then you said that you want to be a daughter.
01:18 But this year, Greta says she's no longer willing to put on a facade.
01:23 Basically, I let them know nowadays if there is a gathering where my relatives ask me those questions,
01:31 I'm just going to tell them the truth.
01:34 Taiwan is considered a liberal country for LGBTQ+ people,
01:38 particularly since legalising same-sex marriage in 2019.
01:42 But conservative values still pose difficulties for queer people at home and across society.
01:49 Based on our research, we do find out that transgender people still live in a more difficult situation in Taiwan.
01:59 So they face difficulties facing binary institutions, regulations in daily life,
02:07 in the healthcare settings, and also in the workplace.
02:11 As thousands of other young queer people around Taiwan get ready for the holidays,
02:16 like Greta, they're bracing themselves for awkward conversations and preparing to defend their identities.
02:23 Justin Wu, Eason Chen and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.
02:27 They hold up.
02:29 It's not just for girls.