No. I’m not your average face.
Clara Chun,
Los Angeles, CA.
I’m a Thai-Chinese, Korean, White girl. It’s about as confusing as it sounds, but I refuse to not acknowledge a single part of my identity. Because all of it exists.
Lost and unaccepted between two worlds
Claudia Martin
Thailand
Thai-German-French-Cambodian. In Asia people always assume I’m white, and am treated like an outsider, telling me I’m not really Asian, but in Europe, it’s the opposite. So if I’m neither accepted as a white, or an Asian, I can’t help but feel like I’m always excluded.
With kids, people don’t separate us.
Steve Cox,
Jackson, OH.
Prior to having kids, people usually thought my wife (Chinese ethnic, Thai national) and I (white) were separate. If we went through a line at the store and we were both caring something, they would assume we were separate. Same thing would happen at airports and people would send us to separate lines. After having kids, now everyone assumes we are together. Something about the kid – I don’t know if it is looks or the way they interact with us, but now everyone assumes we are family. Oddly enough, if I do walk into a store separately from my family in the town I live, people let me know immediately if my family is in the store.
Asian nephew, but wife’s not Asian?!
James K.,
Riverside, CA.
I’m a white male and my wife is half Mexican and half white, but her sister is half Thai because they have different fathers. Any time we get to have our nephew come visit, we try to do as much as possible with him like going to the aquarium or disneyland, or somewhere cool that he doesn’t have to opportunity to go with his mom. When we do go out in public, I constantly catch people staring at us like we “stole the kid” from someone. God forbid my wife and our nephew are actually related by blood. When people stare, I constantly have to fight back the urge to confront them and set them straight by asking, “What are you really thinking?” It’s frustrating but I hope there will come a day where others don’t jump to conclusions about our’s, or anyone’s, situation.
CBU HIS-311
Not White Nor Asian But Wasian
Bryce Barrett,
Summerville, GA.
I am Asian-American and that means Asian jokes. People call me Wasian when I say am part Asian, Thai in particular. Im not offended by it and sometimes I play along with them. It sometimes gets on my nerves that that say “Hey Wasian!” instead of my name. :L
You’re not asian,You’re White.
Kristine Ratanaphruks
Durham, NC
I look ethnically ambiguous and, at times, I pass for white. I grew up watching white men call my father “boy” — I’ve heard countless racist remarks made by people who don’t realize my heritage — I’ve heard the question ” What are you? ” too many times to count and I’ve wanted to wash the brown off my skin because I thought it made me look dirty. I am Thai-Irish American and regardless of how you’ve decided to categorized me, I’ll never be part of the white world because I’ve been reminded enough to know that I don’t belong in it.
What I am, not just “Asian”.
Alvin Vang,
Fresno, CA.
Well as you can see I am Asian but if you dont know what type of Asian I am you can’t just call me a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Philipian, Thai, Laos, Cambodian, Malay, and etc. You can ask me likw what race of asian are you instead of taking a huge racist guess saying oh you’re chinese because of your eyes. See now that’s not how it works you know because what if im not none of the above of what you said I am, now that will make you look racist and idiotic. Also not only that people mistake me for Chinese or Japanese and I’m like “hey calm down with the Asian guessing game” if you want to know what type of Asian I am just ask dont be guessing like Chinese or Japanese. Like there are tons of stereotypes for Asians but you can speak of me as you want but hey I am proud of what I am and my heritage.
White Girl In A Mixed Family
Melissa,
Oakton, VA.
I am a white girl girl who has married a Thai man. My Thai man was adopted as a baby by a black family. It has been a a great an amazing cultural learning journey!
Rejected couple’s stroll lasts 32 years
Steven W. Cornell
Ann Arbor, MI
My pregnant Thai wife and I used to get disapproving looks and snyde comments when walking hand in hand exploring the streets of West Germany where I was working. We have now been married 32 years!
