In many Asian languages, “LGBTQ” doesn't translate. Using only English words can “reinforce this idea that queerness is a Western idea,” said Amina Mohammad. Here's how some people are filling the language gaps. - NBCAsianAmerica
Chelsea Guglielmino / Getty Images fileFor writer and artist Trung Le Nguyen, sharing stories was always a way for his family to learn and grow together.
Community advocates say that's why in the last several years many advocates have been working to create more inclusive words and phrases that fully encompass the LGBTQ umbrella. For instance, some in the Filipino transgender community have started using the words"transpinoy" and"transpinay" — which build off the words for"Filipino" and"Filipina" used by people in the Filipino diaspora — because the existing terminology is considered a slur.
Using only English words to describe one's sexuality or gender identity when talking to relatives can"reinforce this idea that queerness is a Western idea," said Amina Mohammad, a fellow member of the Muslim Youth Leadership Council who asked that she be referred to by her first and middle names because she has not come out to her family.
Years after he came out to his family, Nguyen remembers asking his mother why he could never find the Vietnamese words he was looking for in the library back then. "Many of the words that we could find were just really formal, literary terms," which date back hundreds of years but are not in everyday use today, said Rao, who was inspired to start her organization after her child came out as trans."There's a word in Hindi that literally means 'attracted to the same sex,' but those words made no sense to most people."
Rao said her child eventually decided to use the pronouns he/him because he was tired of being misgendered by his extended family. But it doesn't have to be that way."For people willing to do the work, it is not that difficult in Indian languages," she said of finding the right pronouns."There are ways to kind of use that language."
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