i’m a woman. i’m asian. i’m an immigrant. i’m bisexual. if you support trump, then you don’t support me. period. pic.twitter.com/1phSbLhoo6
— Sherry Cola (@shrrycola) July 24, 2020
If there’s one thing bisexual actor and comic Sherry Cola has absolutely no patience for, it’s stereotypes.
The 31-year-old recently published a powerful op-ed on CNN.com in April talking about the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country and linking them to inaccurate portrayals of Asian people in film and TV.
“For decades, we’ve been the punchline and the stereotype,” she wrote. “We simply weren’t taken seriously outside of playing a nail technician or a mathlete.”
“We need to shift from the stereotypes and derivations that depict Asians on the screen — it could single-handedly bring us closer to a state of love, and away from this current state of hate that has permeated this last year.”
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Prior to that, Cola, whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Shanghai when she was four years old, sat down with People to talk about Asian representation and why Hollywood needs to do a better job.
“At the end of the day, there’s still just only one Asian film or TV show here and there, right?” she said in March.
“I [can] name the amount on one hand, probably, the movies that I saw [with Asian actors] growing up. And now to be part of that impact and that shift is really cool and I hope to see more and more representation.”
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Since 2019, Cola has played Alice Kwan, an aspiring stand-up comic who works as an apartment building manager, on the Freeform hit series Good Trouble.
Last year, she spoke about how being on the show helped her come out to her mother as well as the impact she’s had within her community.
“Booking Alice on Good Trouble actually influenced me to come out to my mom as bisexual,” Cola told On The Red Carpet. “There [are] Asian girls in my DM’s that are feeling seen and love my character. This is what it’s about.”
In addition to being an outspoken representative for the Asian community, Cola has worked with the Trevor Project, appearing with some of her Good Trouble co-stars in an “It Gets Better” video in 2019.
She’s also participated in the Black Lives Matter movement. Last summer, she marched with BLM protestors in Los Angeles and shared photos and messages of solidarity on her various social media platforms.
“This isn’t a moment, it’s a movement,” she tweeted last July. “BLACK LIVES MATTER. Today, tomorrow, and every day after that.”
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“As an Asian queer woman, I’m trying to be loud on the internet and do what I can to show pride in many ways,” Cola told On The Red Carpet last year.
We’d say she’s doing a damn good job at it so far!
Q. Digital’s John Halbach chatted with the comic, actor, and all around badass about her recent breakup with stereotypes:
Listen to Sherry Cola’s recent appearance on the Queerty podcast below.
Welcome to Queerty’s Pride50. We’re celebrating the members from our community who are responsible for some of the most inspiring and extraordinary moments for LGBTQ people over the last year. See all the honorees
