The Heat is On ‘Miss Saigon’ Demonstrations Outside the Broadway Theater

History

On April 6, 1991, The Heat is On ‘Miss Saigon’: Coalition to End Racism and Sexism on Broadway held its first demonstration to protest the musical Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theater over its stereotypical portrayals of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) people, especially women. Additionally, the demonstration opposed Lambda Legal Defense Fund’s use of the show’s preview for its annual fundraising benefit despite earlier objections from members of Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC) and Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY), the two leading groups in the coalition against the musical.

That evening, approximately 500 demonstrators, consisting of members of ALOEC, GAPIMNY, and various LGBT organizations, moved towards the Broadway Theater while chanting and carrying signs protesting the musical, before being stopped by the police and directed to stand across from the theater. Six coalition members were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, with Joe Pressley and John Kusakabe, both people of color, being beaten by the police during their arrest. Organizers Milyoung Cho and Yoko Yoshikawa were given tickets by showgoers and gained access to the performance. Once inside, Cho and Yoshikawa waited for lead actor Jonathan Pryce, who had received considerable criticism for his role as a Eurasian pimp, to enter the stage before disrupting the musical. Cho and Yoshikawa whistled and yelled, “This play is racist and sexist, Lambda is racist and sexist,” before being removed from the theater and returning to the demonstration outside.

Organizing against Miss Saigon started in December 1990 when members of ALOEC and GAPIMNY learned of Lambda and the Lesbian and Gay Community Center’s (now the LGBT Community Center) intentions to use Miss Saigon for their annual fundraisers in April and October, respectively. Meetings between ALOEC and GAPIMNY, which began with a potluck, were notable for developing a community of young New York City Asian lesbians and gay men who felt marginalized in a straight and white world. GAPIMNY, founded earlier that year, was the first organization of politically active API gay men of comparable size to ALOEC, which had already been active for several years. During the organizing process, the coalition expanded to include members from other LGBT organizations, such as ACT UP, Brooklyn Women’s Martial Arts, Gay Men of African Descent, Kambal sa Lusog, Las Buenas Amigas, Latino Gay Men of New York, Men of All Colors Together, Other Countries, Queer Nation, Salsa Soul Sisters, South Asian Lesbians and Gay Men, and WeWah & BarCheeAmpe.

The coalition prioritized convincing Lambda to cancel its benefit due to its earlier scheduling in April, and started its efforts with a letter to Tom Stoddard, Lambda’s executive director. The letter outlined the coalition’s objections to Miss Saigon, and questioned Lambda’s insensitivity to API issues. While the letter was unsuccessful in convincing Lambda to cancel, its board and staff were willing to meet with the coalition in February to discuss the issue further.

The coalition opened the meeting with a statement challenging Lambda’s commitment to representing “all” gay men and lesbians by associating itself with a musical with offensive portrayals of API peoples and lyrics with racial slurs. While some board members were sympathetic to the coalition, Lambda ultimately decided to go through with the fundraiser for financial reasons and attempted to address the coalition’s concerns by sending a copy of its statement to donors and offering refunds for tickets. Lambda staff offered to take pay cuts and Audre Lorde declined an award from Lambda in solidarity with the coalition. While not successful with Lambda, the coalition did convince the Lesbian and Gay Community Center to cancel its October Miss Saigon fundraiser after meeting with its board and management and a forum at The Center.

On April 11, 1991, a second demonstration was held during the musical’s opening night to demonstrate the coalition’s opposition to the show itself. Organizing for this protest began in February 1991, and expanded the coalition to the wider API community with numerous non-LGBT API organizations participating. Around 200 protesters demonstrated diagonally across from the theater, with a sizable police presence cordoning them. Although the demonstration’s considerable press coverage from major outlets illustrated the collective voice of the API community, most of the coverage failed to bring attention to the coalition’s LGBT leadership.

While the coalition did not believe it could have Miss Saigon canceled, its demonstrations were one of the first examples of API LGBT activists organizing to address the concerns of people of color within the LGBT community, and openly assert their political and social will as queer API people.

Entry by Conrad E. Grimmer, project consultant (July 2024).

NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.