Conrad Ricamora and Joel Kim Booster in Fire Island. Another quiet triumph for me came with Anwar (played by Chaneil Kular) on Netflix’s raunchy and big-hearted Sex Education, where he’s the impeccably dressed and popular gay Indian kid I never dreamed I could be.Īnd on Shonda Rhimes’ ABC thriller How to Get Away With Murder, there was Oliver, a techie with an active sex life portrayed on network TV.
And it’s part of a swelling tide.Ĭolorful and complex queer Asian characters have been storming the gates of Hollywood, with momentum that has surged over the past few years. Co-starring Saturday Night Live ’s Bowen Yang and inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the rom-com showcases queer Asian American characters who are snide and funny, sad and tender, multidimensional rather than stereotypes or second bananas. Gaysians are having what is hopefully more than a moment in the spotlight.Īfter decades of not seeing queer Asian Americans in big, splashy roles, Fire Island, from writer and star Joel Kim Booster and director Andrew Ahn, hit me like a boozy punch at an afternoon tea dance. Photo Credit: Jeong Park / Searchlight Pictures
