Chalay Chalermkraivuth (she/they) was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the Teochew diaspora. They are now based in Lenapehoking in so-called Brooklyn, where, at their best, they write and organize.
As an American Studies major at Yale College (2020), she conducted an oral history project and wrote a corresponding thesis about queer Asian Americans’ caregiving practices during the early years of the AIDS crisis. The thesis emerged from her interests in queer and trans organizing, queer-of-color critique, Asian American organizing, and healing justice.
They come to OHMA hoping to convey movement history using one of its most potent vehicles, oral history. They believe that oral history can provide a space for healing, reflection, community-building, and political education, and seek to learn to become a practitioner in this tradition.
