/ba.ca/ with New Naratif: Fostering Queer Communities in Southeast Asia

Collective care has always been at the heart of our organisation and we wish to expand that within our community. In conjunction with Pride Month and the midpoint of 2023, we think it’s a good time to check in with you, our community.

This online session is dedicated to the queer community, whom we know rely very much on collective care and found families to survive. With increasing threats and criminalisation, collective care is more needed than ever.

In this session, an inclusive and queer-affirming mental health professional will be joining us in facilitating a discussion on collective care and community building within queer spaces in Southeast Asia.

We aim to foster a sense of connection and empowerment within the queer community by highlighting the value of collective care and community support. Participants are encouraged to engage in open dialogue, share their personal experiences, and contribute their perspectives to the collective discussion – although, of course, feel free to use any name and turn off your camera.

In our vision of Southeast Asia, no one is left behind. This event will be free, but participants are required to fill out this questionnaire to ensure that this space is safe and respectful for all. Each and every response will be carefully evaluated by our Community team. Join us in building compassionate and resilient queer communities in Southeast Asia!

Guest Speakers:

Asmara S. Wigati is a visual artist and anthropologist based in Indonesia. Asmara is particularly interested in contemporary subcultures, especially the intersection of popular music and Internet culture. As an artist, Asmara is driven by queer melancholy and longing, conveyed by their mostly monochromatic style.

Shaleen Chrisanne is a queer-affirming clinical psychologist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Shaleen has dedicated most of her training and practice catering to the queer community and human rights defenders around Southeast Asia. Passionate about human rights and mental health, her practice is guided by a feminist framework that highlights the systemic issues that influence our mental health and aims to give back a sense of agency.

Main Readings:

• A Tale of Queer Migration by Asmara S. Wigati
• One Day Out by Ina Putri Bestari

Supplementary Readings:

• Honouring Trans Lives in Southeast Asia: Artists Respond to Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022
• Queer Ecology: Eight Works of Flash Fiction on the Intersectionality of SOGIESC and Ecological Justice
• We Have Always Been Here by Bonni Rambatan and Reymigius
• Growing Together: A Guide to Collective Care by Minxi Chua and Namsai Khaobor

/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif is a reading group series that invites members to come together to discuss selected stories published by New Naratif. If you like the work we do, consider becoming a member today!