The Startling Impact of Family Acceptance on AAPI LGBTQ+ Youth
research from The Trevor Project shows that more than half of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) LGBTQ youth reported discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year.Kids couldn’t pronounce my name and called me “Manure” — even the teachers joined in.
So, I changed my name to David, inspired by David Silver of Beverly Hills 90210, a show I loved at the time. I even colored my hair with blonde highlights, inspired by Justin Timberlake.
My hope was that those changes would help me fit in and navigate school more easily. But they didn’t.As I entered high school, I started experiencing my spring awakening and realized there was something deep within me that made me different from my classmates.
I had felt it throughout my life and gave it little attention, but in high school it became impossible to ignore. I couldn’t name it, but as my feelings grew stronger, I could tell other kids could see this “secret” too.“Faggot” suddenly became a word that surrounded me.
