Mobile Cultures // Kelly Loves Tony

Melissa Chow
18^th May, 2017

              My first question I have regarding the reading is whether or not the proper term is LGBT or GLBT? I’ll use the former for this diary entry. After the introduction part, the article brings up a ton of questions, like, “Or will cultural differences cease to matter in a well-homogenized “gay world”?  And to be honest, it’s really overwhelming because I had never thought about that before. I hadn’t thought about any of those questions before, so having a bunch of these to think about straight from the back was interesting. One example of the internet providing resources for South Asian gay men was the condom example. In America, I think (?) most condoms don’t break? But in India apparently many do break, so there were options to get better condoms online, which I think really reflects the differences in culture. And I don’t think like, as a big, generic meaning of culture, I mean LGBT culture in South East Asia and the US. It’s actions and experiences, and what makes up the country that contributes to culture, so of course LGBT culture and Asian culture are not mutually exclusive. They have influences on each other just like countries’ cultures do. I also liked how the article highlighted the importance of information being spread because I think being more informed can never be a bad thing. Well, I mean, if correct information gets spread. I don't want to talk about fake news and the like. Eeek. 

              After we watched “Kelly loves Tony” I looked up where they were now. I had this idea of what I wanted to happen to them after the documentary. Kelly seems like an extremely strong teenager; I mean, she is able to graduate high school with honors. Even after becoming a mother, she’s so hard working when she takes care of her son Andrew, but also going to college. Then there’s the whole deal with Tony maybe being deported… Anyways, in my mind, I thought, Kelly probably graduated college, and then maybe Tony is probably working hard to support their family, and they would be a family that survived even in the face of poverty. Apparently, the update I read was from 2014. Kelly had a few more kids after Andrew. And well, she never finished college, and it’s not a concern for her anymore. At first I was really disappointed because where was the determined Kelly that wanted to finish college before it was too late? But then it listed some of the jobs she’s had like as a real estate agent, and I think eventually when you’ve been working for so long, you garner work experience which is also acceptable. My own parents did not finish college and would not be able to apply for the jobs they have now. When they were giving my dad a new position, they had to adjust the job to fit him because he has so much work experience but did not finish college either. Also, Tony did not respond of an interview, and he and Kelly aren’t together anymore. I can’t say I’m surprised, because most relationships from high school don’t work out, but the title… the choice in title leaves me a bit confused.