At 32, how a university lecturer became Mr Gay Japan’s first Taiwanese finalist
Taiwanese lecturer Nick Kueh talks about breaking academic barriers, championing LGBTQ education, queer visibility across Asia and more
Academia can often feel like a stifled ivory tower, a place where theory is completely detached from lived experiences and personal stories. But Nick Kueh, a lecturer at the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan, wants to tackle education differently.
The 32-year-old is stepping out of the lecture hall and onto the glitzy stage of Tokyo to become the first Taiwanese finalist in the Mr Gay Japan pageant. The final round is scheduled for August 10.
“What I teach in Taiwan is the Japanese language,” Kueh says. “But actually, my master’s thesis was on LGBTQ education.”
“I don’t have a way to directly have an LGBTQ education course at the school,” he says. “However, I often sneak some LGBTQ concepts into my curriculum. For instance, if the textbook lesson today is about family, I will bring up some LGBTQ-related matters.”
Before entering academia, Kueh’s journey with his queer identity began with a classic adolescent heartbreak. At 14, he confessed his feelings to a girl, only to be rejected. “I even wrote a song for her,” he says, laughing.