China dolls

In this documentary about the experience of being gay and Asian in Australia, filmmaker Tony Ayres blends his own story about coming to terms with his race and sexuality with that of men he interviews. Born in Hong Kong, Ayres grew up in Australia denying his Chinese identity. Ironically, it was only when he realised he was gay that the full implications of his ethnicity became apparent. Focusing on the contradictions of being part of a ‘double minority’, Ayres exposes the ways that the ideals of beauty and youth promoted in contemporary gay culture are saturated with racial stereotypes. Where the dominant iconography of sexual desirability and masculinity is almost exclusively Caucasian, gay Asian men are either rendered invisible or portrayed as soft and ‘feminine’. Ayres own story of coming to terms with the complexities of his identity and the stories of the subjects of his film (who include photographer and performance artist William Yang and actor Anthony Wong) reveal how gay Asian Australian men are overturning old stereotypes and forging new identities for themselves.