My
identity as a journalist who is
part of the Asian-American and LGBT
communities reveals much about
society’s fault lines
and how they play out in the newsroom
and coverage; these
fault lines also come with the terrain
for members of multiple
communities — our radar is always working overtime. It’s
both a
gift and a responsibility to have a
special insight
into communities that are too often
rendered
invisible. On the other hand, I’ve wondered how
it must be to never have to think about
the impact
of one’s
words and deeds on those “other” people.
Recently,
I was researching a story about
Asian American Christians and how
they are
being mobilized to attack same-sex
marriage and
LGBTs, while, at the same time, all Asian
Americans stand to be labeled as
homophobic. I
called the head of a national Asian
American gay
membership organization, an outspoken
advocate,
who is a Filipino American. I asked
for his
take on the subject.
What
I got was a quick retort:“Homophobia
in the Asian American community?
My members
are much more concerned about racism
in the
white and LGBT community!”
He
ran down a litany of issues — from racial
profiling, hate crimes, post 9-11
visa and asylum
restrictions that don’t get reported in corporate
or LGBT media, to demeaning treatment
that
Asian gays receive at clubs and
in LGBT groups.
Same-sex marriage and its fallout
were simply not at the top
of his
group’s agenda and he wanted to know why this was
the focus of
my query.
This
challenge comes with the terrain as
well — how
to address the complexities of
real people’s lives, with their
multiple
identities and concerns in
a news medium that simplifies
most
stories into headline news
and nut grafs and one-dimensional
marketing categories. Of course, this
should be top of mind for
all
journalists, but it takes on
a special urgency for those
who consciously
live in these multiple communities.
When
I wrote the proposal for my first
book, “Asian
American Dreams: The Emergence
of an American People,” I
included the real stories
of Asian Americans who
challenge the
stereotype of the “model minority” — that
is hard-working, rich,
conservative, apolitical,
uncomplaining, hetero.
I wanted to discuss
gender and sexuality along
with race and ethnicity.
When I
showed my proposal to one
literary agent, she seemed
enthusiastic,
but then shouted, “And what is this gay stuff
in your book?
Publishers can understand
a book about Asian Americans,
but not
with gays. Get the gay stuff
out!”
That
ended that conversation. I ultimately
found someone terrific who shared
my vision. But too many newsrooms
and journalists
continue to perpetuate
this view that gay
equals white and race equals
colored, leading to
inaccurate and distorted
coverage. When news
portrays all LGBTs as white,
and race as only a matter for people of color,
it’s no wonder that so
many communities of color
can rally against
LGBTs. It’s why stories with any depth about
communities of color, homophobia, and
the LGBTs in those communities
are so rare.
Some
journalists don’t see the value that multiple
and overlapping identities can offer
in the
newsroom. When I
worked at Ms. Magazine,
our
editorial policy was
to find writers with
special
connections and insights
into a community,
especially for feature
stories; for example, using
Eastern
European writers to
cover the fall of the
Berlin
Wall, young writers
for the new wave of
feminism, and so forth. It was
hardly a radical notion.
But
one day in the early 90s, when anti-gay
campaigns were
in vogue, a straight
writer queried us to do a feature
about lesbians. I explained our
editorial policy and invited her
to send other queries.
Instead, she complained
to
media critic Howard
Kurtz. He ran a story
that only lesbians can
write about lesbians
at Ms. Magazine,
which was not true but
made for a sensational
headline. John Leo
of US News & World
Report turned it into
a titillating blurb,
which Reader’s Digest
then ran in its regular
and large print versions.
When homophobic
heat sells, who cares
about light?
But journalism is about
light. Everyone has
many other“
identities” besides race and sexual
orientation. These can enrich
our abilities as
journalists and
citizens to see beyond the superficial.
I hope to see the
day when these
valuable gifts are treated
as
assets in the newsroom.
