Twenty-four-year-old Dan Ni tears apart gender codes with lace, sequins, fishnet and bold lipstick
‘My existence is a story to be told about gender politics, about defying what society says is masculine, feminine, what’s accepted and what is not’ says Vietnamese graphic designer Dan Ni.
In a new documentary, Dating with Dan Ni, the 24-year-old delves into LGBTI Vietnam’s world of online dating, polyamory, and femininity.
Asia’s leading LGBTI film streaming service GagaOOLala will screen it this Friday (11 January).
Dan Ni, a part-time model and drag performer and a ‘full-time queen’, challenges stereotypes that tops should look buff and act straight.
‘I’m being my truest self’ he told Gay Star News.
His world of lace, sequins, fishnet and rhinestones battles femme-shaming and masculine ideals within the gay community. Dan Ni’s self-proclaimed ‘big gun’ also helps, apparently.
His Facebook profile once identified himself as a ‘femme queer on the streets, dom top in the sheets’.
‘The thing I want to achieve most is to plant a seed in people’s heads, so that the next time they see a kid who’s different from the norm, they will give said kid an easier time’ he told Gay Star News.
Dan Ni also talked to Queer Asia about his open relationship with his American boyfriend Shay.
‘The premise of having an open relationship is not because we want to sleep with other people, but about trust’ he said.
Queer Asia
GagaOOLala’s Queer Asia series explores Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan and Vietnam.
In the first four episodes, Cheuk Wan-chi met a number of Hong Kong’s LGBTI icons. It featured the last interview with LGBTI pop star Ellen Joyce Loo before she passed away.
Cheuk also talked to film director Jun Li. What’s more, the director has recently released Tracey, telling the story of a transgender woman.
The third episode revealed the story behind Hong Kong’s successful 2022 Gay Games Bid. The final episode, Welcome to Our World, focused on lesbian and transgender Filipino migrant workers in the city.
Three episodes explored LGBTI life in Japan. This included gay erotic manga.
Organizers of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival launched this year GagaOOLala to amplify the voices of LGBTI people and generate awareness across the region.
by Rik Glauert
Source – Gay Star News
