An examination of the histories, communities, contexts, identities, and lived experiences of queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders using a queering, decolonial lens in national and global contexts.

Bringing together historical analysis, interdisciplinary research, and community knowledge, this book explores how queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders navigate cultural identities, values frameworks, and contemporary sociopolitical conditions. Rooted in queer and decolonial theories, it challenges fixed definitions of what it means to be queer, Asian, and American, while centering histories and communities that have long been marginalized or erased.

The volume makes visible the people, organizations, and movements that shape queer and trans AAPI life, examining how individuals engage with ancestry, negotiate identity and belonging, build community, and imagine collective futures. Although primarily focused on the United States, the book also situates these experiences within broader regional and global contexts, drawing on queer conversations across Asia to analyze the impacts of migration, transnational movements, and global discourse. Detailed profiles and first-hand accounts are woven throughout, grounding theoretical frameworks in lived experience and community practice.

Marisa Floro, PhD, is Interim Co-Director of Stanford University's Weiland Health Initiative and is an adjunct faculty member in the counseling psychology department at the University of San Francisco, USA. Dr. Floro serves LGBTQ+ students' mental health & well-being through therapy, advocacy, training, psychoeducation, teaching, and collaboration. She has published articles and chapters in various publications, including the Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture (ABC-CLIO, 2021). Dr. Floro created and curated the Queerness through Asian History project, an online platform to provide queer Asians an opportunity to connect with queer ancestors and future generations.

Jackie Y. Wang, M.D. is Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA. Dr. Wang works as a psychiatry attending on Stanford Hospital's acute inpatient psychiatry units, where she cares for patients and provides clinical supervision for psychiatry residents and medical students. She is the Director of Social Justice Education for Stanford's Adult Psychiatry Residency Program, through which she oversees the adult residency's “Social Thread” curriculum covering topics in social justice, cultural psychiatry, marginalization and oppression, and more. She has developed courses for clinicians in training on LGBTQIA+ mental health, racism and mental health, power and oppression in psychiatry, culture and psychiatry, and more. Finally, she also serves on her departmental division's Diversity Coalition, through which she works to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) on Stanford Hospital's inpatient psychiatry units.

Stephanie N. Wong, PhD, is Staff Psychologist at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, USA, and adjunct faculty at New York University's Masters in Mental Health Counseling Program. She provides culturally-responsive trauma-informed therapy, supervision, and education in her private practice, Psych for the People, PLLC.