Benjamin Law is the ultimate slashie. He’s a newspaper columnist / TV screenwriter / journalist / author / activist, who also happens to have a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies.
But for me, he’s more than that. He’s an inspiration. And in very real terms, he’s one of the reasons why I got into writing in the first place.
One of my goals with the Little Gay Blog is to present a different take on what it means to be gay. I came across Benjamin’s writing a few years ago. Being a gay guy with an Asian heritage living in Australia at the start of the 21st century, Benjamin’s writing exposed me to a slice of life I didn’t know much about. And I absolutely loved it. It was the motivation I needed to start this blog.
READ – Coming Out Stories With Heart (And Bum!)
Amongst his many achievements, one of Benjamin’s most successful projects to date has been his book. The book sees Benjamin taking an investigative, explorative approach to better understand gay life in Asia. It also has a ‘Sliding Doors’ undertone, as the book is a vehicle for Benjamin to consider what his life might have been like had he grown up in Asia. As a refugee myself (my parents came to Australia from Poland when I was 9 months old), I can definitely relate to the ‘I wonder what my life would have been like…’ line of thinking.
The book really is a journey (I know that’s such an overused term, but it actually does apply in this case) as Ben takes readers through a range of places and experiences: from sitting backstage with Thai ladyboy beauty contestants, to trying Indian yoga classes designed to cure his homosexuality.
The success of the book led Benjamin to recently release an audiobook version of Gaysia. In the short video below, he explains the concept behind Gaysia.
READ – 10 Reasons To Love ‘Looking’
Benjamin’s successes in writing are now being transferred to the small screen. He debuted his 6 part series, The Family Law, earlier this year on Australian TV. It’s great to see Benjamin continue to increase visibility for the gay Asian-Australian community. I’m sure his future projects will continue to see his immense talents utilised in exciting and meaningful ways.
To keep up to date with his latest projects, you can follow him on Twitter.
