R.S., Filipino: San Francisco, CA, 18

To me, being 'downe' means many different things. It means to have that strong community to turn to that can give support for the special interests you share. This isn't fetishism. This isn't subtle racism. This is justice, appreciation of heritage and yes, even a subconscious rebellion against our parents and grandparents. We are strong asian men who want to challenge the status quo. We will not glorify another race by means of stereotypes & ideas put into our heads by our parents, but instead we will thrive, culturally grow & fight the mainstream so that we are not exoticized for being something we know we aren't; some bullshit idea of the ideal submissive gaysian man often compared to the ideal of an asian sex slave or even a geisha.