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to be gay and raped in the tibetan community

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

This is a subject I don’t talk a lot about anymore.  It’s also not a common topic in ‘polite’ conversation.  However, personally, my tenuous connection to the tibetan community, at least in the west, is tied to these two things…being gay [because queer and transgender are not words that have not entered most Tibetan minds, so for now, I'm just under 'gay'], and having been raped by a Tibetan man at age 16.

I am working at becoming more connected to Tibetans, outside of my family and friends I already have [most of whom are in the monastic order].  But this work entails honesty on my part, and being queer and having been raped are gateway conversations to my association with other Tibetans, besides subjects very much in need of general dialogue in the Tibetan community [by gateway, I don't mean these are the first things I'll be talking about...but they will come up, and they will determine the tone and duration of my welcome].

Living in diaspora is a touchy topic.  It’s sensitive to the people in it, both as a source of pain and some insecurity/shame, depending on where you fall in generation/geographic area.  It’s also an experience many outside the diaspora speculate on, the classic “how Tibetan are you” [replace Tibetan with the ethnicity of your choice].  Being queer makes people, both Tibetans and non-Tibetans, want to place you on the margins of being Tibetan [it's an automatic shift in perception, even among the well-meaning].  And when you belong to a small immigrant community, being raped makes you a betrayor of your people.  Because by being out about it, you are accusing a member of a small minority, which is already facing such obstacles, and degrading the reputation of the entire group.

This of course was part of the response I received when coming out about my rape, and seeking legal prosecution of the man responsible.  I lost most of the Tibetan friends I had [there were not that many Tibetan teenagers in Colorado to begin with], and my ties to the Boulder Tibetan community were severed.  Of course, some other events coincided..my mother’s departure from Colorado at the same time, and my move to Seattle shortly after the man was arrested.  Would I have really faced much support though?  Judging from the fact that I have never heard of a Tibetan being held accountable for sexual assault, I would guess there isn’t much of a feeling of support among current survivors who have not come out.  Of course, mine was unfortunately timed with my coming out as gay, which as any queer knows, is not something you want attached in any way to a history of sexual violence [and having both timed together spells disaster aka disbelief].  But we can’t pick our party :)

So it’s a little strange to talk about this, given that after recovering and working through this experience, I truthfully thought very little about it.  My life blossomed in the most wonderful ways shortly after this event, I found wonderful pursuits and friends, and became happier than I ever imagined possible.

But in this past week, as my stress about being a new graduate student mounted and I found my stammer creeping up in frequency, as other doubts and fears present themselves to me, I remembered why I am doing all of this.  Yes, I am certainly enthusiastic about reading and research, writing and dialogue.  I chose this school, chose to live in California.  I aim for a happy life, above all else.

Still, my focus now, as it was in childhood [but there was a period around the rape in which I lost all thought of this, as shocked and uncertain as I was], is to contribute something meaningful toward the Tibetan cause.  That cause is known as human rights, self-determination, religion, cultural survival.  If the Tibet that is to arise out of this is one to be proud of, though, it must involve itself in all the matters of life, which include sex, violence, sexuality, and all manner of self-reflection.  The Dalai Lama will pass away.  After this happens, even though a 15th will be found, a huge light for Tibet will have dimmed.  Will we show ourselves as a people the world can still think of in some special light?  To be special at all, we must at least join the other communities of the world as peers, and grow as they grow, not just for our statehood, but toward a wiser, more compassionate community.

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to beginnings…

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Cat was hurt last week, coinciding with  beginning of semester [first class yesterday].  First text to read is “Bombing Civilians: A 20th Century History,” and has been good so far.  Will focus on doing one post a week, that’s probably most realistic.  Another quick note about it here.

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self-obsessed youth, shorter timelines?

Monday, August 16, 2010

Hello, me!  Goodbye, future!

Is this the theme of “our” time?  Or does it recur with every generation of youth?  Those whose youth is past will probably agree with the latter.  I do too, somewhat.  But I’d like to look a little at what might make our gen a little bit different [or a LOT, let's not kid.  Embracing youth means embracing we are different and special and DIFFERENT from what came before!].

I’ll admit, this started with me thinking about queers who play with their genders, and aren’t afraid to talk about it [as most queers do play, but some don't want to think about it].  Some of that play, or work, involves stuff like hormone injections.  And you know, I must say, I have never thought so much about my body before.  Early in the process, I’d wonder — what is this sudden interest?  From where comes this…vanity?  :)  Now I don’t know if I’m actually being vain [one hopes not], but as a member of the youth populace, my elders will tell me kindly- “Yes, you are.  You’re obsessed with yourself.”  But I wondered — isn’t this something trans/hormone taking folk go through?  Because our bodies are changing, and because that change is so unique, we pay more attention to ourselves.  We have increased consciousness around our specific bodies, perhaps new perspectives on the idea of the body itself.  Having already gone through our “natural” puberty, we are knowing going through it a second time around, via ‘unnatural’ means [however, me being me, I skipped that first puberty...thank god.]

But then I thought about my peers at large, and how of course we have those self-musings, wonderings, some of us a whole journey in our 20s/30s…and then, it’s starting to sound like any searching-for-something movie, any generation of our time [except those of every generation who did NOT search so much, who worked to not broaden horizons and self, whether out of fear or circumstance or both, or something worse].  So then, we are self-obsessed.  Anything different?  Those who are cranky might say, “Yes, you are different!  You’re worse!” [everyone loves saying that.  and let's admit, we love hearing it.]

But there are some things different to our period [and therefore, to our generation].  Like it or not, queers are coming out, like never before.  I don’t care for the views of my poc/indigenous identifying peers who surround themselves with reassurances of, “queer people existed under different names thousands of years ago, they were comfortable and out, and then those cultures were colonized, and all that was lost.”  You know what?  Using that argument, any culture before being colonized/becoming a colonizing force probably had such “comfortable queers.”  Or at least strong potential for it.  What does it matter, other than for a pat on the back and a “we’re special.”  Well actually I know it matters a whole lot more than just that, which is what my bigger problem is with it.  But let’s talk that later.  The whole ”homophobia was imported from the West” line, while valuable and semi-accurate, also shields the ignorance of the speaker from a lot of responsibility and self growth.]

The queers are coming out.  That is special.  And yes, 30 years ago and continuing, some big awarenesses happened around race in America [less so in Europe I'd say ;)  Now I'll get in trouble, but it does seem like America habits the extremes, and Europe the center, if we're going to think linear.  Along race lines is what I mean.  Which means Europe is pretty bad, as bad as the U.S. but doesn't really ever seem pretty GOOD.  But here, there seems to be greater potential for something really GREAT to happen along race lines.  Just different conditions I think].

With those visible queers, comes a very important delineation.  We are obsessed with ourselves, generally speaking, more than other majority groups [but if my poc/indigenous peers aren't a bit obsessed with themselves and that backwards-looking glance, well paint my ass red and take me to the circus].  And of course there’s that old adage [or is it homophobia?] about how “gay men” are so into looking young, fit, and beautiful.  But at this point I’d advise you take a look at “In A Queer Time and Place,” where the notion of queer temporality is explored.  And you’ll find many reasons why queers may build their culture and lives differently, as our subculture is very different from the one we make it in.  The same rules, whether you call them benefits or disadvantages, don’t apply with us.  Gifted first with the inability to have children [not easily, by any means], this one act causes a huge change in our social script.  Some say it makes “us” rich [aka dinks, double income no kids], but let’s step away from that narrow perspective into what else it makes us.  People with a different notion of time, of what should be accomplished at different stages of life, of how to live?  Yes, I’m talking queer living, just as people talk about how people live in India or Turkey or Argentina, or how people lived so long ago in that one culture…this culture, our culture, what has it produced?  What has been impressed upon it from the outside?  There is a particularly moving part in the text where the author discusses the impact of AIDS on the gay male and queer community in general, and what this also did for queer notions of time, and what a life is “supposed” to look like [what is life supposed to look like when dying?  when you and your peers are dying, at such "early" ages?].

Even now, though AIDS is termed an epidemic abroad but quieted down at home, the lifespan of queers is in question.  How long will it turn out, and what will it look like? Similar to our straight peers, or quite different?  Some is from choice, other from circumstance.  Let’s look at it, shall we, and obsess some more?  A little obsession is healthy, yes?

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toward individual movements, together

Sunday, August 15, 2010

I must remind myself always to keep things short, so that long becomes medium.

If compassion and self-challenging aren’t the beginning and end of your movement, please don’t bother sending me an invite.  A beautiful cover of queer, poc, indigenous, postcolonial, feminist does not attract.  Give me heart, sincerity, humility, and you’ll have me and my best pot of curry too ;-) .  And some action is good too, of course.  All talk and no blow up makes tenzin a dull boy.

Want to make a reading recommendation to folks. I read it in my childhood, and it is some truly life-bettering writing on Tibetan experience but also incredible insight into the capacity of human beings.  It shares two stories, and very honestly I will think the first story is the one that will grab you, and you will likely not be able to follow the second story, but I found revisiting the text a few years later, I was able to read and very much appreciate the second story for different reasons.

It’s called “A Strange Liberation,” and the first story is of Ama Adhe, a famous Tibetan woman who served one of the longest prison sentences of any Tibetan who lived to give testament [20+ years].  Although it of course involves some traumatic experience, I remember it offering a very peaceful, resilient and brightening kind of courage and lasting awareness into the potential of human beings in the face of extremities.  Although it felt long as a child, it is not so many pages and will only take a few days to read.  I recommend it if you want a renewal and awakening of all that is good and possible in being a sentient being in this world.

It’s out of print, so you will likely only find used copies.  Enjoy!

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neither here or there

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

So much stress/homophobia in the atmosphere the past couple of days, yet so many blessings too :-)  Class is over Friday, so decent posting will start then.  Lots of fun thoughts going on, including some nice feelings coming up.  Hope you all are healthy and happy!

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still alone?

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Moved this past weekend, therefore lack of posting.

Had topsy-turvy conversation with partner today.  Started with her asking about Tibetan “organizing,” which brought up a lot of feelings and thoughts for me.  Ended up in a new place of questions that I’d never thought about so clearly [but it's still confusing/open territory right now].  She made a point about how in other political movements, there are a lots “outsiders” involved — i.e. in various anti-occupation movements like Palestine, or political issues related to South America/Latin America, folks who are involved in the U.S. are not from those countries/groups of people.  The organizing around those issues is far-reaching, includes numerous activities and people from all over.

When looking at Tibet, it seems like, although Tibet is very popular among certain circles, and certainly extremely well known just in name, the movement or “organizing” seemed owned by Tibetans.  While not necessarily arguing against this, and I realize the label of “owning” requires defining, which I’ll do later, it does seem like there is an association with the Tibetan rights movement that becoming a part of that movement means ascribing to more than just the politics.  So many people who are not Palestinian, Middle Eastern, or Muslim are involved with the Palestinian struggle, same can be said for other issues [absence of personal ties to Latin/South America], but it does not seem like there is the same “baggage” attached in those issues.  It feels like Buddhism is very closely associated to the Tibet cause, which makes sense, since the Dalai Lama is the spokesperson on the Tibet issue, and he is both a spiritual as well as political figure.  It makes things messy.

I always wondered about why certain Americans who felt very involved in the Palestine issue and seemed pretty atheist or non-spiritually inclined, why certain persons in this group would be turned off by the Tibet cause.  The response, when negative, ranged from politely negative to serious attacks.  But the underlying principal reason for not liking the Tibet rights cause seemed very clearly tied to a distaste of the spiritual tones in the movement, the “red-robed monks” and the “Dalai clique” [also China's language for talking about HHDL].  The other principal reason, of course, being a sympathy for the “Communist” values of China.

Anyway, I always wondered about this, because Islam and the identity of being Muslim seemed like an obvious significant theme in the Palestine/Israel issue, just as if not more significant as Buddhism was to the Tibet issue.  But I realized from today’s conversation that although Islam and Muslims populations are very involved in thinking about Palestine and peace in the Middle East, “outsiders” may not feel as threatened or turned off from the topic because there is no overbearing feeling of a spiritual figurehead [particularly one who is "leading" the movement.]  Liberal Americans are generally suspicious of religion, and young Americans usually don’t like anyone occupying authority spaces [although perhaps Hugo Chavez is an exception.  And Mao?  I kid, I kid.  Or do I?].  So it might make sense that the Tibetan movement, with HHDL at the forefront, attracts some folk [spiritual folk, some of them activisty, some of them not], and turns off a lot of radicals.

But moving away from the spiritual element and how that may or may not close things off, I did remember in today’s conversation, the frustrations I’d developed growing up in the U.S. and watching Tibetan “organizing.”  It always felt very limited, one-track, and not as though it was going anywhere.  It felt very right and honest, to be sure, but not effective.  It felt like seeing the same thing, over and over.  And when my partner inquired about my connection to “Tibetan organizing,” something we hadn’t talked a lot about because of my estrangement from the Tibetan community, it brought up a painfulness because it reminded me, as I explained to her, that it was a movement where every Tibetan pretty much did the same thing.  We did what we were told, we signed this petition, we read that news article, we attended this protest, and we occasionally had a town hall meeting.  Now there were/are some Tibetans who are heavily involved, but as I became estranged in my late teens, I am not one of those Tibetans [at least not involved from the inside].  I kept myself active by putting on events my college, and making films, and thinking thoughts.  So today’s conversation was a little painful, as I remembered these things again [by this description, I don't mean to say Tibetans are not fully participatory or involved in their own organizing.  Anyone with half a heart and a brain would understand how "involved" Tibetans are in the Tibet issue.  It's just that our strategy and technique seem lacking, to me].

But all in all, it was a very fruitful talk :-)  Because it made me think about the structure of the Tibetan movement, about our “organizing,” and how it happens.  Are we still isolated in the way we have structured the movement? [by still, those who know Tibetan history know our unfortunate long history of isolation, which contributed to the lack of world response when we were invaded.]

protest 2
nun protest

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sad trans, sad. glad trans, glad.

Friday, July 30, 2010

There’s some sad stuff around transgender people going on in areas like therapy and the gay/lesbian community [I'm focusing on lesbian because I am much more exposed to that].  Not going to get into it because it’s just upsetting, but the things some therapists get away with saying/demanding/accusing their so called clients….it is really fucked up.

And for lesbians/dykes, there is some sad, cruel shit out there.  It is so obviously out of an insecurity around being queer in the first place [i.e. every conservative lesbian's nightmare to be thought of as just wanting to be a guy, to be some poor, delusional soul who just wants to pretend to be a guy].  Understandable, but why haven’t people grown from this place?  It’s just like so many other minorities, stuck in a place of insecurity/denial, halfway into the light, but still stuck in the shadows of blame and cowardice.  It’s the old gay experience — just because I’m telling you I’m gay, doesn’t mean YOU’RE gay.  Except now, it’s — just because I’m telling you I want to change my pronoun and “change” my gender, doesn’t mean YOU secretly want a what or a what down there.  Anyway, you already have a what and a what.  It’s play.  It’s real life.  Whatever, they intermix.

On a very different note or “side”, it is also sad when some queers [usually young] think all their problems stem from being trans and having it go unrecognized/unvalidated, and that once their genders are freed, all their emotional selves will be healed.  Such is not the case.  Just because gays came out, doesn’t mean they don’t have emotional problems, just like straights.  And so it goes for gender.  And sometimes, the problem isn’t even what you once thought it was — :-)  I must say, the space I’m in is definitely one where I am not thrilled about being called “he” still.  I view it as a means to an end — that end being never being called a lady again.  ”She” and “he” feel very close to me, but the rest of the pronouns feel ridiculously distant from each other :-)  There are so many gender expressions, at the end of the day [at least at the end of today, for me], they all feel like words, and I don’t feel much of a male or female identity significance.  Anywhere.  It’s just how attached some people are to the identities, I can spot that.  But it feels a lot more meaningless, the gender stuff, than I ever thought.

Obviously there are social ramifications, bla bla bla, and of course sexism.  What I’m talking about though is just a meaninglessness around people saying I’m male, I’m female, whatever.  Dress how you like, use words that feel good, be honest — a queer female bodied person can look thoroughly male and enjoy being called “she” and not identifying as transgender.  She’s not closeted or sadly repressing her “male” self.  It’s in the expression, see?  I know now, and I suspected even before fully “coming out” as he, I had this feeling, that I would actually feel totally good still being called “she,” if I could just trade the Ms. for Mr., the ma’am for sir.  But I didn’t want life that complicated.  I already have Tibetan, Asian, American, immigrant, refugee, however many labels and complexities.  For this part of my path of gender development, I’ll stick to the basics.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not becoming aware of just how many interesting colors there really are in gender.  And in this particular way is the instance where “transgender” actually works for me [usually I haven't related to the word so much]…if it is thought of as a constant transitioning through genders, through gender expressions.  Because a one-way route does not work for me, from “one gender” to “the other.”  But if every day is a journey and expression, where we enjoy ourselves…then I like it.  trans living.  :-)

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boy relations, girl relations

Thursday, July 29, 2010

It feels funny when people say “he” when referring to me.  I usually feel surprised.  And I know it could mostly be attributed to me just being new to it, but I also think that for me personally, I have never longed/fantasized to be called “he” [except when a small child racked with fear about being gay and not even knowing the word]. And even now, I don’t get any thrill or enjoyment out of it [other than not having to go through being called Ms or lady].  I didn’t get any enjoyment out of being called “she” either though.

On another, more interesting note, I have found my way of relating to guys [or their way of responding to me] has changed.  I have to investigate this more, but since I did not go through what some trans/genderqueer people do in doing a pronoun shift, which may include dressing differently, binding, changing name, etc, I haven’t put much thought into how I talk or act, my general mannerisms, as they have mostly been the same for the past 10+ years, except with a bit of maturation.  And I’ve been told by some folk how surprised they are at how well I get along with straight men — like dude bros.  Or more specifically, how much guys like that seem to like me, and feel comfortable.  I think it’s a pretty classic boy-dyke thing…a lot of straight guys [let's say they are...some of them probably aren't] enjoy friendships with lesbians/dykes, or with the overall tomboy figure [the queer tomboy is the kind I'm concentrating on].

Anyway, so I always joke around in a particular way, around people in general, but specifically with guys.  I didn’t notice I did this really until the past couple weeks in my class, when I realized that I’d been getting different responses from guys than I was used to.  They would look at me weirdly, or sometimes even respond with slight aggressiveness or distaste.  The overall feeling I got was that they didn’t trust my behavior, didn’t understand it.  Now perhaps I need a few more months of these kinds of interactions under my belt before I can come to a place of clarity, but it feels pretty different from when guys would see me as a “she” who liked girls, it seemed I was someone they could relate to…but how?  I wasn’t a straight guy, and I thought it was that they felt comfortable with me rather than “other girls” because they interpreted me as a guy.  And they probably did, somewhat, but I think it was my difference from their own guy-ness that they took comfort in, that they liked.

Because now, I realize my behavior is interpreted as either threatening, or weird.  And perhaps weird will soon grow to be interpreted as gay/queer [a few straight girls are already seem on that boat].  But anyways….sort of odd, I will have to find new ways to interact with straight guys, or a different consciousness.  The one I’ve developed since childhood and maintained seems to not be working so well?  Old Tenzin might have just remained oblivious and kept up the same behavior, but I think in exploring this new territory of being called he, I am going to try and figure out a little of the psychology that goes on between me and others.

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fire next time

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Too depressed/upset to write about this [China's Money and Migrants Pour Into Tibet].  But will try soon.  And it will be short [comparatively], because I can only write for so long on such a depressing topic.

God gave Noah the rainbow sign

No more water

The fire next time

Update [now I've written something.]

A little too emotional to write in complete paragraphs, so will break the article down into some quick highlights.

Free Tibet, did you say?  How much was it before?

I hate that free tibet joke.  Here’s an updated form.

It used to be “free Tibet.”  Here’s what it costs now:

Tourism

Tibet’s tourism statistics are 5 million/year.  By 2020 the Chinese gov’t promises it to reach 20 million.  To place that in context, the top ten tourism countries are France [#1, at 74.2 million] and Mexico [#10, at 21.5million].  China is basically promising Tibet to break into the top 10 by itself. [Currently China is #4, at 50.9 million...only 10% of which is currently provided by Tibet, but at the promised increase, Tibet will make up 40% of China's tourism rate, if China's own attraction holds steady].

Gross domestic shit

Tibet’s gross domestic product is growing at a 12 percent annual rate, faster than the robust Chinese national average.

The central government invested $3 billion in the Tibet Autonomous Region last year, a 31 percent increase over 2008. [How much more must it be getting in return?  Communist or capitalist, they don't spend money without intending to make some.]

Western Treasure House [translation of Chinese word for Tibet, Xizang]

On July 19, China National Gold Group, the nation’s largest gold producer, began work at a polymetallic mine whose daily output is expected to reach 15,000 tons. Tibet has more than 3,000 proven mineral reserves, including China’s biggest chromium and copper deposits. China Daily, an official English-language newspaper, quoted a Tibetan official in March saying that mining could make up at least 30 percent of Tibet’s gross domestic product by 2020, up from 3 percent now.

That does not even take into account the vast water resources of Tibet [8 of Asia's ten major rivers have their sources in Tibet], and the control China has to the water supplies of 80% of the world’s population. The article makes a reference to water but lacks to provide the major details around Tibet’s unique position in the world, and only gives basic stats on a Chinese water bottling company operating out of Tibet.

“Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China, and certainly no new Tibet.” [popular propaganda slogan]

True.

Teaser excerpt from article [it's so predictable it's boring, but its the everyday shit that helps sink in reality].

Now, a heavy security presence is needed to keep control of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor, the city’s central market, paramilitary officers in riot gear, all ethnic Han, march counterclockwise around the sacred Jokhang Temple, against the flow of Tibetan pilgrims. Armed men stand on rooftops near the temple.

Limits on religious freedom have been a major cause of discontent. In the Jokhang itself, and in the Potala Palace, the imposing white-walled winter fortress of the Dalai Lamas, images of the exiled 14th Dalai Lama have been banned. Pilgrims carry the Dalai Lama’s photograph in hidden lockets or amulets. As the pilgrims circle the Potala, a loudspeaker in a small park blares Communist Party propaganda: “We are part of a Chinese nation contributing to a great future — we are Chinese people.”

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de-essentializing the tibetan agenda…taking the tibet out of tibet

Thursday, July 22, 2010

I’m using a popular word in academia [I'm really only aware of its popularity, probably am not fit to use it :-) Ah well]. De-essentializing. It’s actually a popular concept in Buddhism as well [but we don't know that, because Foucault doesn't like to source his work. Wait that sounds ugly. He doesn't like to talk about what he's researched. In India. and stuff.]

Anyway. I’m bringing up a wondering of mine around the tibetan agenda [yes it's true we have one! and the dalai lama is in charge of it, and the u.s. government is in charge of him!]. As excellently founded as the tibetan movement for rights and independence [or at least rights] is, I have wondered why it seems to be in a rut. It just keeps saying the same stuff, and honestly, not much new seems to be happening in the movement. Is there any actual progress? The Dalai Lama is of course influential and well-loved, but it’s hard to see what progress has happened between the movement, the people who might support it and/or the Dalai Lama, and China. Because that is the goal, yes? Influencing China? And Chinese?

More and more, when I think of Tibet, I think of other anti-occupation movements [or again, at least rights-based movements]. i.e. Palestine and Israel [which again, some people want Israel gone, while others opt for a two-state solution, where Palestinians have, you know, rights]. Although that situation has been at a huge stalemate for decades, its manifestation seems different from Tibet/China. There are striking similarities to be sure, but I’m very keen on seeing what people do differently in the situations [by people I mean israel/palestine, china/tibet], what surrounding politicians/nations do, and also of course how any variety of people view/discuss the situations.

Now I’m not writing this post to say what’s obvious, which is that I don’t see how one could support one and not the other [Palestine and Tibet]. Also both Israel and China occupy somewhat similar rhetorics [and honest experiences] of being targets of xenophobia/racism themselves, and with China specifically, being a third world country, etc etc…which the Jewish diaspora cannot exactly match the label of, not having possessed a country, but still, the common marker of historic and current anti-semitism and anti-chinese..or racism against asian-americans, what have you, is another interesting connection among two countries in positions of occupier/colonizer, while still viewing themselves as vulnerable and ultimately righteous.

Rather I wonder about how to move the tibetan agenda forward, to new places, and to greater progress [call me a pusher, because yes, I'm pushing the agenda]. And what came to me, out of nowhere [meaning it's going to sound stupid perhaps when I tell you], is that I decided that for Tibet to continue to matter to non-Tibetans, and for the Tibetan movement to remain relevant, Tibetans have to start caring for things besides Tibet.

Now as a Tibetan with a deep awareness of the genocide of Tibetan culture, religion, and Tibetan people, of the invasion and owning of one’s nation, and the continued xenophobia and violence of long-term occupation, it feels weird to say that.  But as a human being, it does not.

(Continued)

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