For one month now, Lady Gaga has been hurtling like a fireball through Asia, leaving headlines screaming in her wake. She began on April 27 in Seoul's Olympic Stadium, hopped through Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, Manila and Bangkok, and arrived a day early last Saturday, May 26 for her final stop in Singapore.
It's been a wild trip. She's entered the Seoul Olympic Stadium on horseback and been thrown into a giant fake meat grinder; she's visited the Tokyo Sky Tree tower in a reflective dress inspired by the monument; she's gone into a drag revue at Bangkok's Calypso Cabaret and handed out free tickets to the kathoeys; she's incurred the wrath of Taipei authorities by setting off unauthorized pyrotechnics and lighting up a cigarette in her show. 
All through the drama, she's breathlessly tweeted her love for her Asian fans and the continent where they live. "I can hear you Korea. I'm shaking," she said on April 27. "Pulled HK bad kids out of monster pit. Met them back stage, they broke out Judas choreography & then side-eyed me & said 'were 15.' AMAZING," she said on May 3.
But of course, some folks in Asia haven't loved her back. The diva has faced major protests in three cities: Seoul, Manila and Jakarta – the last of which was contracted to host the tour's biggest planned Asian show on June 3. Due to terror threats, Gaga's producers finally backed down and officially announced yesterday that the sold-out concert at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium was cancelled.
"I will try to put together something special for you. My love for Indonesia has only grown. #GagaSendsLoveToJakarta and all its people," the Mother Monster tweeted as an apology.
A bad romance?
The Asian tour marks the first leg of Gaga's Born This Way Ball, which celebrates the rights of LGBT youth to embrace their sexuality. It's striking that she's chosen to begin her journey here, before proceeding to more well-trodden territory in Oceania and Europe. Idealists would say she's visiting our conservative cities first because this is where youth need her the most; cynics might claim she's supporting an emerging market for her sales, or else that she's drumming up publicity to boost sales in the West.
Still, whatever you believe, you'll have to admit that she hasn't gone out of her way to actually connect with LGBT rights groups. Singapore's Pink Dot, for instance, has appealed in vain for her to record a message of support. In most cities she's kept to herself as much as possible, appeasing reporters only with her Twitter feed and the odd wave to her fans from behind her limousine window.
One could also argue that her reactions to protests have been bad for her LGBT fans – rather than trying to gradually convince folks that queer people aren't to be feared, she's preferred to respond with confrontational shock tactics. 
Consider what happened in Seoul, when the Korean Media Rating Board announced a decision to restrict her audience to ticket-holders above the age of 18. Gaga hit back by performing explicit sequences of lesbian sex and group sex. "I was told that your government decided that my shows should be 18 or over... So, I'll make sure it will be!" she triumphantly declared.
During her Manila concert, she spoke up eloquently against homophobia while perched on a motorcycle. "For all those kids all over the world that take their lives when they're so young because they feel bullied or they're afraid because they're gay and they don't want to tell anybody, don't you think that some of us should stand up and say the goddamn truth?" she said.
It was a great speech, but it missed the point somewhat. The Philippines is actually a rather queer-tolerant country. Most protesters were outraged about her song Judas, which they felt was blasphemous. 
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the controversy centred on her appearance as much as her message of freedom – Islamic Defenders Front spokespersons called her "an American porn star" and claimed "her sexual and indecent clothes will destroy our children's sense of morality." However, she consistently refused to water down her costumes or choreography, even when the Indonesian police made it a condition for her protection during the show.
The Born This Way Ball was supposed to signal a more liberal Asia, but instead it's met with a tide of conservatism, and perhaps even fed it. Protests have spilled over from places of worship to the streets to the government, with politicians in Indonesia and the Philippines arguing for and against the performance. In spite of Gaga's fabulousness, her legacy in certain cities is that she's drawn the most virulent voices of sexual conservatism out of the woodwork.
When Gaga's name is mentioned, images will now arise that haunt us: the Korean protesters dressed up as angels and praying; the Indonesian man wearing sunglasses and a turban, holding up a concert ticket, promising to enter the stadium to bring the performance to a stop. Perhaps – dare I say it – it might have been better for LGBT people in these countries if the star had simply decided not to come.
An edge of glory
Nonetheless, as a person who quite likes dancing to Pokerface, I'd rather concentrate on the good that's come out of the tour.
For starters, I grew up in a time before gay issues were openly discussed in the news. And I'd say it's incredibly valuable for LGBT rights to be brought into mainstream conversation, even if they're being raised in a negative light. It at least marks the beginning of a real discussion. Gaga's message of sexual freedom is being inadvertently broadcast by the very people who condemn it.
There's also something quite special about Gaga's ideology. Celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and TV shows like Glee are valuable because they're non-threatening and friendly; they seduce straight people into accepting gay people because they paint us as fun, good-looking, wholesome people who don't cause trouble.
For Gaga, however, being queer is an opportunity for liberation, rebellion and revolution. That's an incredibly empowering message for LGBT youth – and also for anyone who lives under a non-democratic government. Sometimes, direct action and refusal to compromise is the best tactic for causing change.
She's also rather less interested in the idea of conventional good looks, stressed so much in gay culture: in her worldview, it is far less important to look sexy than to exercise one's creativity and look interesting. In short, it doesn't matter that us Asian LGBTs don't look like Euro-American underwear models: we can forge our own identities, and those are fabulous too.
One last thing that Gaga has done with her tour is that she's linked us – all of us fans, all of us queers and queer-friendly folks – across the eight Asian cities of her original tour schedule. We've followed the news of her ups and downs in each metropolis, and we've felt pleasure and dismay together with each photo and soundbite. When we heard the news of the Jakarta cancellation, we were all Jakartans.
The Born This Way Ball marks a common experience that brings us closer together as an Asian queer community: one that cuts across boundaries of nationality, race, language, religion and sexual preference. That, if anything, is worth dancing for.
Tickets for Lady Gaga's performance in Singapore on May 28, 29 and 31 are sold out. For the dates of the Born This Way Ball in Oceania and Europe, go to http://www.ladygaga.com/bornthiswayball/ . To read Lady Gaga's Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/#!/ladygaga . PinkDot's open letter to Lady Gaga is at http://pinkdot.sg/an-open-letter-to-lady-gaga/ .
Printable Version
RSS Feed: 
Reader's Comments
I agree. Yet, you continue to use the word 'queer'. So surely you include yourself when you talk about drawing virulent voices of conservatism out of the woodwork. Lady Gaga, as I recall, never mentioned the word 'queer' - only the LGBT community.
In the discussion of another article on fridae, it is suggested that 'queer' is used in an activist sense. I realise you did not comment on that one way or the other. But why do you continue to use the word 'queer' on sites like fridae when this upsets a lot of members based in Asia? I am definitely not 'queer'. I am 'gay'.
You add: "The Born This Way Ball marks a common experience that brings us closer together as an Asian queer community." I am NOT a member of any 'queer' community. I am a gay member of the LGBT community. If YOU wish to use western activist terms to describe YOURSELF, that's fine with me. But may I suggest with respect that you do NOT use them for concert reviews and general articles, NOR to presume that other members of the fridae community wish to be similarly described.
There is a bookshop in London, that has been around for maybe 40 years or so. I think it's still there. It's called " The Word Is Gay ". This was to stop people abusing gay people with the word "queer". It took a long time, why go back?
I'm Ng Yi-Sheng, the author of both articles, as well as the person who argued that "queer" should be used in an activist sense in my NUS article. I provided an explanation of why I used the word "queer" in the comments section of that article. There's more information about its evolution here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer
I honestly think that Lady Gaga embodies "queerness" much more than she embodies "gayness" - rather than being about male-male desire, she's all about celebrating being alternative. I certainly don't see myself being a conservative in any way when I celebrate the term - I think it's much more conservative to cling on to old associations of the word!
Still, I understand that the word has hurtful connotations to you, so I'll try to use it more judiciously in the future. (So far, only the two of you have spoken up to express your displeasure. If there are more of you who are similarly disturbed, please leave your comments.)
Part of the amazing thing about reclaiming the term 'queer' has been to embrace the parts of who we are that are NOT 'normal' (without simultaneously rejecting, outright, the parts of ourselves that ARE). This to me is far more liberating than a project that exclusively speaks to how we are 'just like everyone else.'
That said, I acknowledge that it has been a term that has been used (and, in many places, is still being used) in an abusive way. It is clearly very triggering for some of us. I think there needs to be a balance between using the term 'queer' as a catch-all phrase for people who simply want to opt-out of being included in that term (because of its negative connotations for them), as well as using it as a self-description, or indeed, an ACCURATE designation for a group of people (gay or straight (and/or lesbian/bisexual/transgender) who genuinely have no disregard for the parts of ourselves that ARE, in fact, just that little bit odd.
I identify both as gay, and as queer, depending on context. Neither term, ultimately, is the most accurate descriptor of the entirety of my being, nor of my communal loyalties.
now i wonder why they fear so much for for only a concert wreak havoc on their so-called morality. is their faith and moral that weak? *giggle*
Reclaiming Queer is like reclaiming the pink triangle.
We all know that almost all societies in Asia are more traditional and more conservative than in some parts of the USA and Europe. As the LGBT community struggles to form an identity and to press for social change and acceptance in the continent, many 'straight' people in Asia have very slowly come to understand - and some accept - the terms gay and LGBT. Now, activists want to turn the clock back and tell everyone that it's perfectly OK to call ourselves 'queer' - and in the process undo a great deal of the progress that has already been made!
OK. In Singapore you may be happy using 'queer' - although I note, briax, you do not use 'queer' anywhere on your own fridae page for some reason. I also note that some of those who press to use the word are no longer living in Asia or were educated overseas. May I therefore pose a question to you in particular? Do you not realise you are being very selfish? By pushing your own agenda, you reopen old wounds, you reinforce stereotypes we had all hoped were on the way out, and you actually impede progress in acceptance. To me that is 100% clear. Being gay in Asia is easy for me and clearly for you (although not all of now you live in Asia). Can you not accept the fact that for many millions of others, it is really hard? Can you not accept that you are in fact making life a great deal more difficult for them?
I really do hope more members of fridae join in this debate.
why are there so many terms when it comes to gay? why not just use gay? i dont like "queer" it sound offensive to me..somehow
Quite frankly, the reception she received in these still very socially conservative cities is probably very similar to what she would have received in the USA B.S. (Before STONEWALL!) cuz that's where the LGBT rights movement is in just about every country, with a possible exception of Taiwan. Each and every country is gonna need it own STONEWALL MOMENT of some sort cuz 2 or 3 nights of Lady Gaga LIVE ain't gonna change the minds and hearts of the people, churches and institutions which hate and persecute us. "If nothing else", as the author was so wont to say in an apparent attempt to find some "saving grace" to her BORN THIS WAY tour, her visit put a SPOTLIGHT on all of these haters and negative elements in each country. She did you all a favor by clearly identifying and drawing a line in the sand. You should be thanking her, not finding fault with everything she DIDN'T do and everything she DIDN'T say. She came to SING, DANCE and PARTY, not to fight YOUR battles for human rights and freedom.
So, Ng Yi-Sheng, in Lady Gaga's own words:
"Don't be a DRAG, just be a QUEEN!"
No doubt, we are gays and lesbians but we do not need such celebrities to depict gays and lesbians as nothing more than just people who condone explicit behaviours and indecency.
To a certain extent, I have to agree with some of those protest groups' reasons for asking to ban the shows. If Lady Gaga wanted to perform, she just has to tone down her behaviors, costumes to match with Asian standards. We are not USA. We are Indonesia, Philippines or Korea with over a thousand years of history, culture and heritage.
This is part and parcel of tolerance and respect for other cultures, religions and beliefs. We as gays are part of this big global community, and none of us should exclude ourself from our very own conservative Asian cultures. Its fine to be conservative and to be gays. Gays and lesbianism should never never be associated with indecency and explicit behaviors and themes.
Further, I have asked in more than one post for examples from other parts of Asia where the word "queer" is in use in the LGBT community - not just activists in Singapore. I have provided an example of where it was not used by an activist group - Taiwan. To back up your argument, it would be appreciated if you might provide some examples of other countries in Asia where it is in fact used.
And, by the way, all my posts have been about the nuances being anything but "too primitive to fully master". Indeed, quite the opposite.
That being said, the interest, reactions and heat generated herein over the English GAY vs. QUEER (which I've always regarded as a generational thing in which GAY people re-claimed the word QUEER in much the same way black Americans "took back" the word NIGGER in order to dis-empower its negativity) might lead the Fridae editors to find an ASIAN QUEER STUDIES theorist/linguist to do an article on the evolution of language referring to GLBTQ people in various ASIAN languages and cultures.
One thinks of the appropriation and contemporary use, for example of the word TONGZHI in Mandarin.
In 2007 the New York City Council banned the use of the word "nigger". Agatha Christie's popular "Ten Little Niggers' was eventually renamed "The One that got Away" in all countries. It's true, on the other hand, that some hip-hop and rap artists include the word "nigga" in their songs. It remains, however, intensely divisive amongst both the older and the younger generations. It is perhaps most commonly used by youngsters who live in poorer areas. So suggesting that there is some sort of universal trend towards using queer instead of gay and nigga instead of African American is, I suggest, very misleading. The groups trying to reclaim these words are in fact relatively small.
But I am in complete agreement with your excellent suggestion that an article on the contemporary usage of terminology used in the LGBT etc. communities around Asia would be very useful and informative. I hope such an article will not merely give a one-sided view, however. It should be a fair summary of views and comments from the LGBT communities in as many countries as possible, and include not merely activists but average members of the community who are both out and not yet out.
Can I also mention that there are reports of alleged homophobic radio broadcasting by religiously inspired "counsellors" on a radio station in Singapore, 100.3 FM. See the comments section on Yawning Bread's fascinating article about lesbian couples' surviving the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Tim1975 :-) Although I have lived in Asia for more than 33 years now and have lots of friends in many Asian countries whom I meet quite regularly thanks to my travel on business, I certainly do not have the depth of knowledge required for such an article. Two other reasons:
1. I do not know enough about the activist movements;
2. I will be seen to be too biased.
What I find interesting is that almost all those who approve of the word queer either live overseas, were educated overseas, are foreigners who live in Asia or are activists. My own feeling based on many years in Asia and my constant travels is that the vast majority of those living in Asia would not agree.
But it's impossible to make judgements based on comments on fridae. Not only does only a tiny fraction of members make any comments at all; the News & Features and related comments section is only in English and is not be read by the vast majority of the members!
As for the use of the word queer, no one I know feels particularly strongly about it either way (btw I'm Singaporean). They may prefer to self-describe as gay but have no problem if anyone prefers 'queer'. Also some lesbian friends prefer to use the word 'gay' to describe themselves rather than 'lesbian'. I guess one can pick a term they feel most comfortable with but there's no reason to say others can't use a particular label/word if it's what they want.
That's why I believe an article about the terminology used around the continent would be very useful, provided it canvasses opinion from a broad spectrum of the LGBT community.
Please log in to use this feature.