Thom Kai Cheng – a writer of Chinese descent living in Canada – in her collection of essays I Hope We Choose Love describes her experiences as an activist and trans woman, but also as a person of Asian descent taking part in a LGBTQ + discourse, strongly dominated by white people.
What I liked the most about these texts and what I stayed in my mind long after reading is the way in which the author shows that nothing is completely black and white: victims of violence can also be torturers, and LGBT people can also discriminate against other LGBT people (Thom writes a lot about transphobia). Thom writes honestly about the (in)security of being an activist on the Internet, especially if you belong to a marginalized minority.
And although it all may sound overwhelming at first glance, I Hope We Choose Love it is not heavy reading at all – many of the texts encourage people to think more broadly, to talk about informed consent, about justice, but also to forgive and to heal trauma – both individual and collective. Thom does not provide any answers nor does she put herselfin the position of a person who knows everything and has found answers to all the ills of this world. Her essays focus on her own experiences, thoughts and conclusions – which may nevertheless inspire others see their life or their surroundings from a different angle. They certainly gave me a lot to think about.
