Gaysia

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.

About the Author

Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law. He is a senior contributor to frankie magazine and his work has also appeared in the Monthly, the Big Issue, the Courier-Mail, Growing Up Asian in Australia and The Best Australian Essays. He lives in Brisbane.