Queer and Asian: Examining Eastern Asian LGBTQIA+ Individuals' intersectional Identity and Belonging at Pride Amsterdam

This research explores how Eastern Asian queer migrants participating in Pride Amsterdam potentially influence their self-perception and community belonging in the Netherlands. Although Pride Amsterdam is often praised as a symbol of liberation and inclusion, this study reveals the nuanced ways in which queer migrants from Eastern Asia experience both empowerment and alienation within the Pride festival and broader Dutch society. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research is grounded in the theories of Crenshaw's intersectionality, gender performativity (Butler), social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner), and Bourdieu's capital theory. The findings uncover that Pride Amsterdam provides queer migrants a sense of freedom and affirmation of their queer identity; however, the inclusivity is conditional and temporal. Many participants recounted a paradoxical feeling of being accepted by their queer identity while simultaneously being marginalised for their racial identity. Furthermore, participants criticised the entertaining nature and the symbolic support of Pride for overlooking the protest and pursuit of social minority groups. In response, Eastern Asian migrants sought to join ethnic-specific queer communities or grassroots initiatives for deeper emotional connection and cultural resonance. Moreover, racism and discrimination were frequently imposed on Eastern Asian queer individuals beyond Pride, ranging from verbal harassment and authorities' indifferences, demonstrating the challenges these intersected groups faced were more often racialised than sexuality-based. These findings highlight that Dutch society is conditionally tolerant towards queer culture, which supports queer normalisation and multicultural inclusivity when it aligns with mainstream whiteness or heterosexual dominance of masculinity. This thesis contributes to broader academic and societal understandings of intersectional oppression and belonging by focusing on an underrepresented ethnic group in both queer migration and diaspora studies. It argues that true inclusivity within LGBTQIA+ spaces requires a critical interrogation of whiteness, commercialisation, and structural inequality. Recommendations are offered to promote more culturally responsive and racially inclusive practices in Pride events and LGBTQIA+ advocacy in this multicultural society.