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Charmaine Yu

Academia can often feel like a stifled ivory tower, a place where theory is completely detached from lived experiences and personal stories. But Nick Kueh, a lecturer at the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan, wants to tackle education differently.
The 32-year-old is stepping out of the lecture hall and onto the glitzy stage of Tokyo to become the first Taiwanese finalist in the Mr Gay Japan pageant. The final round is scheduled for August 10.
“What I teach in Taiwan is the Japanese language,” Kueh says. “But actually, my master’s thesis was on LGBTQ education.”
Having lived and studied in Japan before returning to Taiwan in 2019, Kueh’s academic work also focuses on cross-cultural education and LGBTQ studies in Asia – particularly in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand.
“I don’t have a way to directly have an LGBTQ education course at the school,” he says. “However, I often sneak some LGBTQ concepts into my curriculum. For instance, if the textbook lesson today is about family, I will bring up some LGBTQ-related matters.”

Before entering academia, Kueh’s journey with his queer identity began with a classic adolescent heartbreak. At 14, he confessed his feelings to a girl, only to be rejected. “I even wrote a song for her,” he says, laughing.
When she later began dating an older male student, Kueh expected to feel a wave of jealousy. Instead, he found himself captivated by how “wonderful” they looked together. “That was the moment I started to reflect: could it be that I am actually interested in guys too?”
How the ‘Love Salon’ reading club grew
Within academia, Kueh found another way to discuss queer identity and issues head-on when he founded the reading club “Love Salon” in 2020 while in Pingtung City, in southwestern Taiwan. The reading club started with about five students, but by the end of the semester, the number rose to 30.
Thanks to the reading club’s popularity, Kueh has had opportunities to take part in online seminars with various institutions such as Kyoto University or schools in Thailand.
Ultimately, he has his students to thank for deciding whether to join Mr Gay Japan. Some of the students in his reading club have gone on to openly speak about and contribute directly to the queer community.
“That made me reflect on myself: have I been standing still? Aside from teaching and writing papers, should I also be doing something else?” Kueh asked himself.

The answer came through his Instagram feed, where he had long followed the Mr Gay Japan pageant. He spent two anxious months debating whether to apply. He worried about the public scrutiny of a high-profile “coming out”, and wrestled with the logistical nightmare of balancing his teaching job in Taiwan with a monthly commute to Tokyo for pageant training.
“To be honest, at the beginning, I had no idea what a beauty pageant was about. I never thought about joining a pageant in my life because I’m not the type of person who is conventionally model-handsome, that’s the first thing,” he says. “Secondly, as someone who works in a school, we don’t really like to objectify people’s appearances.”
But he ultimately compared the scale of impact he felt he would be able to create and decided the exposure would further his goal in spreading awareness and acceptance of queer identities. To his astonishment, he sailed through the preliminary rounds and was officially named a finalist in April this year.
Why discrimination against LGBTQ people still exists in Taiwan
The pageant experience itself has proven to be a rigorous, fascinating masterclass in self-presentation. The finalists, alongside the Miss Grand Japan contestants, are trained in runway walking, posture and music. They are even taught the art of custom perfumery to map out their psychological stress levels and personalities.
It was important to Kueh to represent Taiwan in this competition.
“I feel that on the surface, Taiwan has passed same-sex marriage,” he says. “But in reality, my experience is that discrimination still exists.”
Simultaneously, the obstacles he faced while conducting his master’s thesis in Japan left a deep impression on him. He recalled planning to gather research on LGBTQ education among Japanese junior schools and being repeatedly rejected. The reward of becoming the champion of Mr Gay Japan goes beyond just a crown, as the winner is also granted a year to execute LGBTQ-related activities across Japan.
“So I thought, if I am a university teacher in Taiwan and I can bring LGBTQ education into Japanese schools through this, I would feel a great sense of achievement, and it would make up for what I wanted to do back then,” he says.

As a Taiwanese contestant who has also lived in Japan, Kueh believes he holds a unique position in bridging the two cultures and queer communities. Comparing the two, he believes “Japan is relatively more conservative than Taiwan. Their laws haven’t passed yet, but perhaps due to national character, there are fewer direct, verbal attacks.
“On the contrary, even though Taiwan passed same-sex marriage many years ago – about seven years now – there are still quite a few people who directly express their dislike if they don’t like it. For example, older generations are more prone to making direct attacks.”
Facing homophobia, he embraces visibility to inspire his students
Kueh and his fellow contestants have not been spared from homophobic reactions. Initially shocked by the intense media attention, he later changed his perspective. He concluded that any visibility for himself and the competition is better than absolute silence, even if it means dealing with the occasional negative online comments.
The lecturer hopes his bravery will serve as a living lesson for his students back home.
“In class, we tell students to be brave and be themselves, but it can often feel like it’s just empty talk,” Kueh says. “But if they see their own teacher actually doing it on an international stage, I hope they will believe that they can be brave for themselves, too.”

As the August final approaches, Kueh hopes to spread his message throughout the broader Asian community. He hopes to foster more exchange among Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, noting the recent influx of Hong Kong immigrants to Taiwan.
Reflecting on his past collaborations with queer and transgender activists in Hong Kong, he remains profoundly impressed and optimistic about the resilience of the Asian LGBTQ community.
“Policies and legal frameworks might not move as fast as we want them to,” Kueh says, “but as long as we have the opportunity elsewhere, I hope that we can keep moving forward for the cause.”


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At 32, how a university lecturer became Mr Gay Japan’s first Taiwanese finalist

Nick Kueh, Mr Gay Japan's first Taiwanese finalist, talks about using the platform to champion LGBTQ education. Photo: Gee

Nick Kueh is making history as the first Taiwanese finalist in the Mr Gay Japan beauty pageant. Photo: Gee

Kueh’s journey with his queer identity began with a classic adolescent heartbreak. Photo: Gee

Kueh sailed through the preliminary rounds, officially being named a finalist in April 2026. Photo: Gee

As a Taiwanese contestant who has lived in Japan, Kueh believes he holds a unique position in bridging the two cultures and queer communities. Photo: Gee

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A visitor browses exhibits at “Offline Memories: Hong Kong LGBTQ+ Archive of Printed Matter from the Pre-Internet Era” at Eaton HK’s Tomorrow Maybe art space.

Featured artist Anson Mak (left) and Eaton HK’s director of culture Joseph Chen are pictured at the “Offline Memories” exhibition. Photo: Eaton HK

Hong Kong-based novelist Samwai Lam takes pictures of pre-internet-era images adorning a wall at the opening of “Offline Memories” on June 18, 2026. Photo: Eaton HK

Transgender artist Beatrice Wong (aka DJ Misty Penguin) stands next to her wishing tree installation at the exhibition. Photo: Eaton HK

Poet Eric Yip (right) and the composer and sound artist known as Veegay perform during the opening of “Offline Memories”. Photo: Eaton HK

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OUT Museum founder Xiangqi Chen looks toward “Collective Notation,” an interactive installation displayed at the Chinatown museum, Monday, June 22, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Out Museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown was opened by Chinese LGBTQ activist Xiangqi Chen in May 2026 as a platform for a marginalised community to have its voice heard. Photo: AP

Out Museum founder Xiangqi Chen admires “Collective Notation”, an interactive installation displayed at the museum on June 22, 2026. Photo: AP

A porcelain artwork by Hong Kong artist Dixon Ngai on display at the Out Museum on June 22, 2026. Photo: AP. Photo: AP

Chen looks at an archival photograph featured in her art piece “The Weight of Kindness” at Out Museum on June 22, 2026. Photo: AP

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The opening ceremony on March 19.    SCMP / Chloe Lung

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of “Spectrosynthesis Seoul” in South Korea, an exhibition at Art Sonje Centre featuring the works of 74 artists with links to the LGBTQ community that runs until June 28. Photo: Instagram/artsonje_center

Installation view of “Spectrosynthesis Seoul”. Photo: Chloe Loung

Siren Eun Young Jung’s video piece, “Sick Seoul”, features at the exhibition. Photo: Chloe Loung

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A work by American artist Mark Bradford at the exhibition. Photo: Chloe Loung

Installation view of the exhibition’s second floor. Photo: Chloe Loung

A work by Dew Kim at the exhibition shows the different power dynamics and tension during physical intimacy. Photo: Chloe Loung

Gay bar culture is a prominent theme on the second floor of the exhibition, which features some eye-catching pieces. Photo: Chloe Loung

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A visitor plays on an installation in the exhibition’s “In the Mood for Being Food” section. Photo: M+/Dan Leung

The exhibition features a total of 21 stations. Photo: M+/Wilson Lam

“The Camera Eats First!” section at the exhibition. Photo: M+/Dan Leung

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Taiwanese lecturer Nick Kueh talks about breaking academic barriers, championing LGBTQ education, queer visibility across Asia and more


Taiwanese lecturer Nick Kueh talks about breaking academic barriers, championing LGBTQ education, queer visibility across Asia and more.


At 32, how a university lecturer became Mr Gay Japan’s first Taiwanese finalist

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Taiwanese lecturer Nick Kueh talks about breaking academic barriers, championing LGBTQ education, queer visibility across Asia and more

Taiwanese lecturer Nick Kueh talks about breaking academic barriers, championing LGBTQ education, queer visibility across Asia and more