$29.99 – Paperback / Black Inc. / Australia
Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East
Read our Q&A with Benjamin Law about Gasyia here.
Benjamin Law considers himself pretty lucky to live in Australia: he can hold his boyfriend’s hand in public and lobby his politicians to recognise same-sex marriage. But as the child of migrants, he’s also curious about how different life might have been had he grown up in Asia. So he sets off to meet his fellow Gaysians.
Law takes his investigative duties seriously, going nude where required in Balinese sex resorts, sitting backstage for hours with Thai ladyboy beauty contestants and trying Indian yoga classes designed to cure his homosexuality. The characters he meets – from Tokyo’s celebrity drag queens to HIV-positive Burmese sex workers, from Malaysian ex-gay Christian fundamentalists to Chinese gays and lesbians who marry each other to please their parents – all teach him something new about being queer in Asia.
At once entertaining and moving, Gaysia is a wild ride – a fascinating quest by a leading Australian writer.
"A terrific read ... gonzo anthropology and great storytelling." – John Safran
"Benjamin Law is funny and honest and handsome - Gaysia is a delightful, occasionally confronting adventure" – Josh Thomas
About the author:
Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law and a frequent contributor to frankie magazine, the Monthly and QWeekend. His work has been published in Good Weekend, Cleo, Crikey, The Griffith Review and The Best Australian Essays. He is also a TV commentator, with appearances including Sunrise, Q&A, The First Tuesday Bookclub and Randling. He lives in Brisbane.
