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A Brighter Summer Day

Kuang Ting and Cheng Huei on one of their rare times off together, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘Gay men in Taiwan think that manly gay men are more popular because when we were young we were told that we should be manly, don’t act like a girl! So when we grow up we want to find someone very masculine to compensate the lack of masculinity we should have. When I see straight guys playing basketball for example, even now I still wish I could be more like them. These big muscly American guys, competitive, real men. But what is a real man? I still need to learn how to break this stereotype, but this is a life long challenge.’ Kuang Ting Kuang Ting (right) and Cheng Huei have been together for nine years. Cheng Huei was exhausted on their day off as he works long hours. He is in the army and doesn’t feel safe to come out with his coworkers. Kuang Ting works as a part time English teacher. Cheng Huei only came out to his parents officially because he wanted to get married. He literally came out to his family the d

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A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day tells intimate stories from the LGBTQIA+ community in Taiwan in the period leading to the legalization of same sex marriage and its aftermath. In 2017, the Taiwanese government declared it unconstitutional to exclude same sex couples from marriage giving Taiwan two years to vote for the bill and dividing the country. 7 millions people voted against. On the 17th of May 2019, same sex marriage was legalized, Taiwan becoming the first country in Asia to do so. Nevertheless inequality continues regarding adoption or marrying a foreign person, to name a few of the remaining issues. Stigma and stereotypes are still attached to same sex relationships, even more so regarding gender issues. Gender diverse people’s existence is often hidden as gender binaries are strongly enforced and people who exist outside of this binary system are rejected or made invisible. Even within the queer scene, the stereotypical representations of masculinity and femininity are prevalent. Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle E

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A Brighter Summer Day

Wëi Yi and Jay kissing in Jay's apartment, Taipei, Taiwan, 2019 ‘I think gender stereotypes are also very strong in the gay community. Taiwanese gay men don’t have their own culture, so they’re appropriating the western gay culture but without the drag aspect. Drag culture just appeared about five years ago, and before that it was just about masculinity. Men feel like they need to be stocky or have bodies like western men to be acceptable. In Taiwan, we only have the history of fighting and resisting but we don’t have the history of defining ourselves, or defining our own culture. Also the government tends to erase gay culture and art. So we don’t have our own gay history, we don’t have a path to follow our culture and identity, so we copy from the western world. And Taiwan has been colonized by many countries, by Japan, China and Spain. So we tend to change ourselves, to adapt very quickly. There’s been many changes in the past years.’ Jay Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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THE BROTHERS SOLOMON

THE BROTHERS SOLOMON [US 2007] WILL ARNETT, WILL FORTE Date: 2007

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FEATURE: Japanese men "softening" but still assert dominance: U.K. research

This photo taken on Feb. 20, 2018 shows the front cover of "Cool Japanese Men: Studying New Masculinities at Cambridge" by a team of graduates and academics from Cambridge University who explore the changing face of Japanese masculinity. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo