Chinese diasporic gay men in Australia: intersectionality, social generations and health

Migration of Chinese-identified people is an emerging area of enquiry. However, sexuality and health among the same-sex attracted ‘Chinese diaspora’ is still a highly under-research field. In the context of sexual health research, Chinese-identified people living outside the national border of China are often homogenised as part of the umbrella group ‘Asian’, and together are commonly stereotyped as the somewhat passive victims of racism and health inequalities. Few studies to date have taken into account the ripple effects of migration and globalisation in understanding the diverse sexual health experiences of Chinese diasporic people living in Western countries. To address this gap, an in-depth qualitative study was conducted in Sydney, Australia, to understand Chinese diasporic gay men’s health and sexual experiences. Two rounds of semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-two Chinese- and gay-identified men recruited to the study. In order to develop a better understanding of the implications of sociocultural, temporal and spatial factors on men’s lived experiences, insights from intersectionality theory, Mannheim’s concept of social generations, and assemblage theory were utilised. Data were analysed interpretatively and thematically to describe men’s lived experiences and to identify key issues focused upon in their accounts. This thesis provides original insights to the understanding of the complex experiences of Chinese diasporic gay men living in Australia. Study findings emphasise the importance of shifting the focus of attention from the racial oppression of diasporic subjects to a more dynamic and relative understanding of the intersection between race/ethnicity, migration, sexuality and health. In the contemporary context of migration, Chinese diasporic gay men’s lives are highly transnational, and their experiences are transgressive of existing racial and national boundaries. Moreover, there exists a strong generational aspect to men’s experiences with HIV and AIDS that is not only constituted by their experience in Australia, but also by the time of migration and their memories of the disease in their homeland. Most importantly, men’s experiences are constantly changing and transforming, and cannot be fully understood in terms of static conceptions of culture, sexuality, race/ethnicity and health. Theorisations of gay diasporic men’s health needs constantly to be revisited and refined