Catching Up With Amazin LêThi

CATCHING UP WITH

BY DIRK SMITH, SDLT (HE/HIM/HIS) Dirk Smith: I am joined today by Amazin LêThi. Thanks for joining me today. Please introduce yourself for our readers.

Amazin LêThi: Thank you for having me. I'm an LGBTQIA+ activist/advocate, former competitive bodybuilder, keynote speaker, author and global ambassador to six organizations, five of them sports related, including Athlete Ally; Stonewall; Copenhagen 2021; Pride House Birmingham; Commonwealth Games and Gay Games. The sixth one is Vietnam Relief Services, an organization to support poor communities in Vietnam.

DS: Please tell us more about your involvement with Vietnam Relief Services, why you wanted to work with that organization?

AL: Well, I'm Vietnamese so it’s close to my heart in terms of an organization that wants to help marginalized communities, particularly in North Vietnam to provide medical needs and education for kids.

DS: You and I have been working together for a couple years, not only to tell your story and the work you're doing but also to help expand perspectives on Asian LGBTQIA+ athletes voices and stories. We collaborated on some things for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) and for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We just posted one yesterday about the Asian cultural influence on Western sports. Can you tell me more about your perspective and experience on that front?

AL: Looking at the history of Western sports, Asian sports have been a massive influence on the West. We’re the most populous community in the world and it's obvious that we would have huge amounts of influence when it comes to Western sports. But you know, we just don't have influence when it comes to representation. It's not just about seeing what sports we have in the East and think what we can add to the Olympics. It's also about how you involve Asian athletes in your sports, particularly in Western countries where we're the fastest growing community in all the Western countries.

But we're just not seen in sports and that becomes a problem for LGBTQIA+ Asian athletes, because if you don't see Asian athletes in sports, you're not going to see any out Asian athletes in sports.

DS: Are there any athletes who have been influential or inspirational for you?

AL: For a long time, I never saw Asian athletes or Asian LGBTQIA+ athletes. It's only in the last few years we have seen Asian athletes feeling more comfortable in their own skin and willing to come forward. So when I think of athlete activists, I must go to non-Asians. Billie Jean King is one, and Colin Kaepernick was a huge influence on me because he really brought sports back to the basics of human rights by taking the knee and acknowledging the power of sports.

DS: We've witnessed the rise in anti-Asian racism that’s impacted not only the LGBTQIA+ community but the greater Asian community in the West. What’s your perspective and what action can we take against this?

AL: You need to understand that anti-Asian sentiment has been going on long before the pandemic. There's always been this stereotype and disdain toward Asian people in sport. It's not just about competing in Asian sports but also acknowledging that Asian athletes want to be part of your team. I think the sports community has a responsibility to raise its voice as allyship in action, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community.

If you're Asian or Black and LGBTQIA+, the marginalization due to discrimination, hate and racism continually doubles. From football (soccer) players, we hear how disconcerting it is that you're one of the team walking onto a field with 80,000 people chanting racist slurs. What does it do to one's mental health when you can't walk away from it – however long the game goes is how long you must hear those slurs.

The sports media play a very important role in terms of how it navigates Asian stories and LGBTQIA+ stories because for many, this is the first time they learn about an LGBTQIA+ person or an Asian person or a Black person on the field. If that language is negative or the storyline is continually feeding into a negative stereotype, then that's what that person will think of when they get to meet an LGBTQIA+, Asian or Black person.

DS: What can allies do to help support the community?

AL: We often talk about our pain and trauma but we also must celebrate our triumphs and successes, especially during Pride Month. We must do that particularly for LGBTQIA+ people who are still struggling with their sexual orientation and gender identity. They need to hear and read about our positive stories on social media to give them hope.

DS: Since you are no longer doing bodybuilding, why did you want to pursue shooting as your next sport?

AL: To put it bluntly, I wanted to do a sport that wasn't physical. I had wanted to do rowing but I thought it would just take too much out of me. I'd be competing against 18-year-olds and I just wanted something completely different that would stimulate my mind and get me into exercise. Also, shooting is something that you can do when you’re older. I think I've always wanted to push the envelope and right now we have no out shooters. My goal next year is to start competing on the U.S. circuit. My next goal would be to compete for Vietnam as part of the Vietnamese shooting team.

DS: What's coming up next for you?

AL: My ambassador roles. All the conversations that I have around sports equality leading up to the Olympic Games in Japan, and then next year's a huge year: Commonwealth Games, Beijing Olympics, Gay Games and World Cup. So I'll be doing a lot of work. And I think a silver lining of the pandemic is that everything's done through Zoom. I've been able to reach far more people by just doing all these interesting Zoom events and discussions around sports equality. I'm busier than ever and I'm doing a lot of exciting stuff for Pride Month.

DS: I'd like to thank you for joining me today and I very much appreciate learning more about everything that's going on with you.

AL: Thank you. It’s so wonderful to speak to Compete Sports Diversity again. Anyone can follow me on social media at @AmazinLêThi or amazinLêThi.com.

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT COMPETING IN ASIAN SPORTS BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT ASIAN ATHLETES WANT TO BE PART OF YOUR TEAM. I THINK THE SPORTS COMMUNITY HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO RAISE ITS VOICE AS ALLYSHIP IN ACTION, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY.

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