26/07/2025
From a small research team to a multi-nation SEA study and now unfolding into the Southeast Asia LGBTQ+ Research Symposium -- it has been an incredibly meaningful journey. We have over 180 registered participants from almost all SEA countries and also attendees joining in from the US and Canada. We are honored to see the symposium became a powerful space for connection, reflection, and envisioning the future of LGBTQ+ research in this region.
Researchers, community workers, practitioners, and educators working within restrictive environments in Southeast Asia came together. We discussed about how legal frameworks, cisheteronormative systems, sociocultural norms, religion, and ethnic beliefs continue to shape the challenges of conducting LGBTQ+ research in this region. Yet, what emerged was not only a story of resilience, but also a rich, locally grounded lens that is often overlooked in dominant global LGBTQ+ discourses.
In our conversations, we reflected on how research priorities differ across the region, and also on what we can learn from each other’s insights. We were all motivated by a shared commitment and a strong sense of support to building a more culturally grounded research agenda that centers the voices of our communities. From conversion practices to LGBTQ+ family life, from mental health to HIV/AIDS, we come together and explored each topic with thoughtfulness and mapping out the ways we could tackle them.
We also acknowledged how some identities and experiences continue to be more visible in research, while others remain underrepresented. This calls us to pay closer attention to whose voices are being amplified and whose are being left out, and to ensure that our research remains rooted in the lived experiences of the communities we aim to serve.
To everyone who joined our small group discussions, shared your perspectives, and showed up with openness -- a big thank you! If you would like to contribute further, please take a moment to fill out this survey to help shape the future of LGBTQ+ research in Southeast Asia: https://tinyurl.com/sealgbt.
A special thanks to the incredible Symposium Organizing Team -- Kyle Tan, Muhamad Alif Bin Ibrahim, Timo Ojanen, Quynh Truong, Aron Harold Pamoso, Rattanakorn Ratanashevorn, Andrian Liem, Junix Jerald Delos Santos, Nanchatsan Sakunpong, Ballerina Chong, and Sean Marcus Ingalla. Your dedication and heart made this all possible, and I feel so blessed to have walked this journey with each of you. Deep gratitude also goes to our funder, Southeast Asia Indigenous Psychology Network, for supporting this project and making the symposium a reality.
The end of this symposium does not mark the end of the conversation. Rather, it is only the beginning of a collective journey where we Southeast Asians co-create a community-rooted, inclusive, and transformative future for LGBTQ+ research in Southeast Asia.
