The history of queer literature in Taiwan frequently references Pai Hsien-yung’s novel Crystal Boys (孽子, 1983) as a foundational work. Literary scholar Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉) draws a parallel between the queer subject’s experience of exile and the broader notion of diaspora. He observes that Taiwanese queer literary classics, including Pai’s Crystal Boys and Chu T’ien-wen’s (朱天文) Notes of a Desolate Man (荒人手記, 1994), construct an image of a lost paradise for gay men—an aestheticized representation of their condition, marked by exile and displacement.

Other works, such as Ku Dschau-sen’s (顧肇森) “Chang Wei” (張偉, 1984) and Hsu Yo-shen’s (許佑生) “Stones on the Shore” (岸邊石, 1992), portray gay characters who leave Taiwan for the United States in search of refuge. These protagonists are frequently depicted as societal misfits, estranged from their families and unable to fully belong in their homeland. Whether voluntary or forced, their exile manifests as both a physical separation from home and an existential state of alienation.

In his essay, “Sex and Exile of Gay Men in Taiwanese Novels” (台灣小說中男同性戀的性與流放, 1997), Chi Ta-wei argues that this exile extends beyond geographical displacement, describing it as an “internal exile” (內在的驅除)—a persistent state of dislocation. The characters in these narratives forge alternative forms of belonging in response to their exclusion from traditional kinship structures. In Crystal Boys, the young men establish a surrogate family at Taipei’s February 28th Memorial Park, transforming it into their home and a site of communal kinship. Meanwhile, in “Chang Wei” and “Stones on the Shore,” exile is framed as an opportunity to reconstruct identity in a new host nation. Notes of a Desolate Man offers yet another interpretation, presenting exile as a philosophical condition, as the protagonist wanders both the streets of Taipei and foreign cities in search of meaning and self-definition.

In my essay “From Exile to Queer Homecoming: Chen Xue’s A Wife’s Diary,” I propose that while tropes of exile and transgressive aesthetics have been prominent characteristics of queer-themed literature in Taiwan, Chen Xue’s 2012 diary novel prompts us to rethink the displaced connection and meaning of home for queer subjects within a more generative system of kinship.¹ Tan, E. K. “From Exile to Queer Homecoming: Chen Xue’s <em>A Wife’s Diary</em>.” <em>The Oxford Handbook of Modern Chinese Literatures</em>, edited by Carlos Rojas and Andrea Bachner, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 779–796. Written at a time when LGBTQ organizations, such as the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR, 社團法人台灣伴侶權益推動聯盟), were advocating for the Draft Revisions to the Civil Code for the Recognition of Families of Diversity (婚姻平權(含同性婚姻)草案) in congress, I see A Wife’s Diary as a turning point in queer Taiwanese literature—one that moves away from self-exile and instead embraces the role of advocating for civic responsibility and the rights of minority communities, including LGBTQ individuals in Taiwan. Chen Xue continues to support and reflect on LGBTQ rights in Queerly Married for a Decade (同婚十年：我們靜靜的生活), a sequel to her earlier work A Wife’s Diary. Published in 2019, Queerly Married for a Decade calls for strength and resilience among LGBTQ individuals and allies, urging them to continue fighting for the rights of underrepresented communities in the wake of the failed 2018 referendum vote, despite the eventual passage of the same-sex marriage law.

I want to briefly conclude by expressing my excitement over a growing thematic trend in queer Taiwanese literature: a departure from self-indulgent coming-out narratives centered on familial rejection and alienation, toward a reimagining of queer identities and histories as integral to Taiwan’s history. One example is queer author Chen Po-chin (陳柏青) and his writing. Additionally, it is encouraging to see straight-identifying authors incorporating positive queer characters into narratives that celebrate Taiwan’s unique traditions, such as indigenous writer Badai (巴代) in his most recent novel Moon Harbor (月津, 2019).

Editor’s Note: This report was originally presented at a forum organized by Nicolai Volland for the Modern Language Association convention held in New Orleans, January 9–12, 2025. Speakers included Chialan Sharon Wang, E.K. Tan, Wendy Wan-ting Wang, Wen-chi Li, Chia-rong Wu, Kate Costello, and Nicolai Volland. Sung-sheng Yvonne Chang served as discussant. After the convention, the presenters agreed to share their texts with Taiwan Lit. Some participants, however, were unable to submit their contributions due to various circumstances.