Hanwen Zhang

Queer Asian American Belonging and Narrative in Everything Everywhere All At Once (Kwan & Scheinert, 2022) and Sewing Patches Through Performance (D’Lo, 2021)

Started June 23, 2023

Abstract or project description

This paper aims to outline how ethnicity and sexuality intersect for second-generation queer Asian Americans. I delineate three difficulties that second-generation queer Asian Americans may face in the process of coming out and reckoning their own identity: 1. The influence of traditional Asian cultures on queer attitudes of parents, 2. Acculturation complicating communication between parent and child, and 3. The intersection of being queer and ethnic at the same time in a heteronormative, white society. Within this framework, I will conduct a comparative critique of how the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once and the essay Sewing Patches Through Performance portray the conflict and resolution between a first-generation Asian immigrant and their queer child. These two works showcase the importance of understanding the unique space that queer Asians occupy in extending support toward them and the significance of personal narratives in shaping queer lives.