Living authentically and forging family harmony feat. Jack Lam
This week, Jack Lam (they/them) discusses how being a Malaysian Chinese immigrant has impacted them, including struggling to release shame and fear so they could name and embrace their genderqueer identity after coming to the United States. In this episode, you will learn 1. How their gender expression becomes a powerful tool for visibility 2. When allyship begins to become performative and how to avoid it 3. Why we need to normalize talking about mental health and getting support
🎙️ Connect with Jack:
- Instagram (select posts included below)
💻 Sources and resources:
- Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans | The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and HRC Foundation
📣 Announcements:
- Love is in the air! 😍 Or is it? Charlie's personals ad for their friend Kaitlyn may have scared you away 😅 but if it hasn’t, go check out Kaitlyn on Instagram
- Want to bring Allyship is a Verb to your workplace or group? Get a shoutout? Check out our Indiegogo campaign, including lots of other great perks! Please consider donating $15 in honor of Charlie's milestone of 15 years on testosterone (August 12th).
- New merch drop 👀 with another line coming soon 👕
Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack. *You will hear Charlie's former name in this episode and previous ones.*
Creators and Guests
Host
Charlie Ocean, MSW
Pronouns: they/them. Neuroqueer LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, consultant, podcaster, writer...
Guest
Jack Lam
"A big part of my depression in my teen years was due to the shame that I felt like if I were to ever come out or be open about my sexuality, that it would bring so much shame to my parents. That was the first concern I had. I remember thinking the most important thing is to save face for my family. And if I were to do this, it would crush my parents."