Author: Pheng Thao

Pheng Thao, co-executive director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network, is a violence prevention expert and founder of ManForward with more than 20 years of experience challenging harmful masculinity and building healing-centered leadership. He works to transform relationships and expand possibilities for men, boys and gender-nonconforming people through deep connection, cultural healing and accountability. He has co-founded several national and local organizations and integrates a wellness framework into all aspects of his organizing. Thao has been recognized as a cultural healer and is a recipient of fellowships from the Bush Foundation, Rockwood Leadership Institute and the Culture of Health Leadership Institute. He brings a grounded belief that healing is essential to collective liberation.

Fifty Years After War, Southeast Asian Communities Face a New Kind of Violence. Gender and Queer Justice Must Be at the Heart of This Moment.

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Drawing on histories of war, displacement and resistance, Southeast Asian organizers expose how patriarchy fuels violence, erasure and division—and why intersectional justice must lead the way forward.

“Patriarchal power is regrouping, seeking to reassert its grip. If we do not recognize and resist this realignment, we risk losing hard-won resources, protections and, most importantly, people. 

“As a community, Southeast Asians’ trauma is compounded by war and displacement. Nearly 16,000 Southeast Asian refugees face deportation; many live in poverty and fear, underserved by traditional systems and are often overlooked in broader Asian American narratives. As the United States expands its deportation machine, refugees from the U.S.-backed wars in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are being re-criminalized and forcibly removed. These deportations fracture families, destabilize communities, and retraumatize those already targeted by the carceral state. Gender-based violence and anti-queer violence only intensify those challenges.”

(This essay is part of a collection presented by Ms. and the Groundswell Fund highlighting the work of Groundswell partners advancing inclusive democracy.)