STEREOTYPES

WATCH: Challenge What You Think You Know About Tops Vs. Bottoms

Behold the trailer for Squared, a short film by Hieu Tran that was inspired by racism and sexism and … er … would “positionism” be the right word?

The premise is simple enough: “A one night stand gets competitive when two guys find out they are both tops.” Okay! That is some Game-of-Thones-level conflict right there.

But from there, the issues get more complex. One of the boys, played by Ethan Le Phong, is Asian, and is the victim of some unfair assumptions. (“What kind of top is ‘cuteaznboi?'” demands the other.)

“From my dating experiences, I was bothered when guys called me their ‘Geisha’ and other derogatory terms,” writes Tran about his inspiration. (Oh God no, who does that?) “I also often hear people ask gay couples, ‘Who’s the woman in the relationship?’ and point to the Asian guy. Society often objectifies Asians, especially gay Asians, and view them as submissive, feminine, and passive.”

Well, clearly society hasn’t met Noodles and Beef. But setting that aside, this certainly seems like a valuable line in inquiry. How much of your identity is tied up in, well, getting tied up? Is sucking necessarily a bottoms-only act? Can you be a receptive partner and still be a top? Can’t submission be an act of power in itself? Leave your answers in the comments, and remember, penmanship counts.

Squared is currently flirting with some LGBT film festivals, so you may catch it in one of those. Or you can act it out yourself by popping on to Grindr and calling the first Asian you see your “Geisha.” (No do not do that.)

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