I, among others here, am what’s known in gay circles as a “rice queen”. Meaning that, while not an exclusive attraction, Asian men are inordinately “hot” to me when compared to people of other nationalities.
For a while, the term “rice queen” itself has bothered me because it seems like it stereotypes Asians as being rice-eaters (which I realize a large proportion are, rice being the wheat equivalent for eastern Asia). But considering that in any normal situation, most of the Asian men I’ll find myself attracted to will be Asian-American and therefore not any more likely, really, to eat rice as a staple than any other American, it seems like stereotyping.
Or am I just being far too PC? I may be influenced by the fact that I first heard of the term from one of those “Totally Tasteless Lists” books.
Of course, there’s also the question of the concept itself being racist, but I have a feeling that would put this thread in GD right quick…
My guess is that the implied racism in using the term “rice” would be cancelled out by the implied homophobia of the term “queen.” Kinda like the way the alcohol and the caffeine cancel eachother out in Irish coffee.
In Hong Kong, “rice” is used in a variety of ways by both the Hong Kong Chinese and international gay community. I don’t remember the exact references, but IIRC “white rice” was a preference of Chinese gays for caucasion guys. There was also “sticky rice” and several others that I can’t remember.
At least in my limited contact with the Hong Kong gay community, “rice” was not considered in any way derogatory.
On a side note, is there any possibility that the term evolved from the Japanese term “race queen,” the term used for the women that are, as far as I can tell, cheerleaders for automotive races?
Racist or not, it’s accepted by both Caucasians and Asians alike. I know many gay Asians who refer to themselves as “sticky rice,” meaning they only like other Asian men. Maybe it’s because it was first accepted in mainstream Caucasian and/or American gay communities as a term and they’re just going along with it, I don’t know, but I have yet to meet a gay Asian who has a problem with the term. If so, is “potato queen” offensive to the Irish? Is “snow queen” (black men who like white men) offensive to those who reside in the Antarctic?
And “rice rocket” very definitely derived from the phenomenon among some Asian teenagers of taking their foreign imports (like Hondas), “souping them up” (like adding a spoiler) and racing them, usually illegally. Not every Honda with a spoiler is a rice rocket, but a lot are.
Rice queen seems to be pretty accepted, and snow queen, chocolate queen and matzoh queen don’t seem to cause any harm. Bean queen, though - kinda bugged me, although I admit I’ve only ever heard it in DC.
Lurking in the background is the egregiously nasty “dinge queen,” which I think has died ignobly in the face of “chocolate queen.” It’s a term I’ve never actually heard, only read about.
I have a cousin who came out here from Indianapolis at the age of 20, and was apparently not familiar with our family’s tastes in food.
After we had brought home take-out Chinese food for dinner a few times, Benny commented that he thought rice was a dish eaten almost exclusively in the Orient–not, of course, his phrasing.
My Mom and I pointed out to him that rice is cultivated and eaten practically everywhere in the world. (For the record, the Mandarin Chinese–numbering several hundred million–eat, not rice, but noodles–just like the Germans, the Polish, and other European nationalities!)
And of course, there is Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix…
I’m definitely a “Rice Queen” 95% of my preference goes to Asian men, the other well, in case I get REALLY lucky by some other nationalities. Does it have to be “Queen” though? I’m not really used to these female connations with the gay community; than I guess that doesn’t make me part of it or something. I just have a knack with it.
