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Ronny Chieng’s joke about Asian identity inspired a compelling debate about labels

"The Daily Show" correspondent's comments were about Rishi Sunak's appointment as U.K. prime minister.

via The Daily Show/Twitter

Ronny Chieng on "The Daily Show."

Rishi Sunak made history on Tuesday, October 25 by becoming the first Asian and Hindu prime minister in the history of the United Kingdom. His appointment is seen by many in the U.K. as an important step toward representation in a country that is 7.5% Asian.

Sunak’s grandparents migrated to the U.K. in the 1960s from India and his maternal grandmother was born in Africa.

However, this issue is a little more complicated from an American perspective where people of Indian descent are rarely referred to as Asian. We reserve the label for people of the Far East such as Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea.

To complicate things further, if you go by what the U.S. government has to say, Asian refers to people “having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.”

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asia

LGBTQ rights advocates won a major victory in Taiwan.

Taiwan is about to become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

On May 24, the island nation's highest court ruled that prohibiting two people from marrying based on their gender is unconstitutional.

Photo by Chiang Ying-ying/AP.

The historic decision gives Taiwan's parliament two years to either amend old laws or enact new ones to accommodate for the ruling.

The decision was met with an outpouring of tears, hugs, and cheers from LGBTQ people and their allies in Taipei.

Photo by Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images.

Photo by Ying-ying/AP.

Activist Chi Chia-wei brought a request to Taiwan's highest court, challenging a provision that defined marriage as between a man and woman. Photo by Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images.

While the ruling was controversial — with a fair share of demonstrators protesting its potential passing in recent days — Taiwan is one of the most queer-friendly nations in the East. It boasts a large LGBTQ population and the biggest annual gay pride parade on the continent.

The decision's implications for Asia as a whole are nothing short of monumental.

In Asia, LGBTQ rights haven't progressed in the same ways or at the same speed as other regions of the world; some Asian countries are even going backward.

This week, for the first time ever, two men in Indonesia's conservative province of Aceh were caught practicing gay sex and caned 83 times each in front of a packed town square as a consequence. While most of Indonesia doesn't ban gay sex outright, Aceh adheres to Sharia.

On the same day that Taiwan's court ruled in favor of marriage equality, South Korea's military court sentenced a captain to prison for breaking its controversial "sodomy" ban — a measure Amnesty International has blasted as “a bigoted hunt to root out gay personnel.” In most Asian countries, including Japan and China, very few (if any) legislative steps have been taken to protect LGBTQ people as a marginalized minority.

Taiwan's court ruling wasn't just another inevitable step toward equality — it actively rejected the forces of a bigger regional trend chipping away at LGBTQ human rights.

Photo by Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images.

“In Asia, every country’s situation is different,” victorious activist Chi Chia-wei, who brought one of two petitions to the highest court, told the New York Times. “But this should certainly offer some encouragement to different societies to consider following in Taiwan’s footsteps and giving gays and lesbians the right to marry.”

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Moringa is known as 'The Miracle Tree,' and its powers are spreading worldwide.

Put it on a salad or drink it in a cocktail. Moringa is about to be everywhere.

True

Would you know if you had treasure in your own backyard?

What if it grew right in front of you?

For some farmers, that's the moringa tree, which is anything but ordinary. Those who utilize it don't call it "The Miracle Tree" and "Mother's Best Friend" for nothin'.

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asia

Ronny Chieng’s joke about Asian identity inspired a compelling debate about labels

"The Daily Show" correspondent's comments were about Rishi Sunak's appointment as U.K. prime minister.

Attacks on Asian-Americans need to stop. Here's what we can all do to help.

Anti-Asian hate crimes are skyrocketing in the U.S. Here's what we can all do to help.

Finally, marriage equality is coming to Asia. These delightful pics say it all.

LGBTQ rights advocates won a major victory in Taiwan.

Taiwan is about to become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

The decision was met with an outpouring of tears, hugs, and cheers from LGBTQ people and their allies in Taipei.

The decision's implications for Asia as a whole are nothing short of monumental.

Taiwan's court ruling wasn't just another inevitable step toward equality — it actively rejected the forces of a bigger regional trend chipping away at LGBTQ human rights.

11 cold, hard facts that show why the snow leopard is unlike any other feline.

Compared to the rest of the cat pack, the mighty snow leopard is in a category of its own — a "cat-egory" if you will.

Here are 11 things you need to know about the cat they call the "ghost of the mountains":

1. Snow leopard sightings are rare — even for other snow leopards.

2. Rocks are their preferred mode of communication.

3. Their nostrils function kind of like heaters.

4. They essentially have pogo sticks for legs.

5. This ferocious-looking feline isn't actually so scary.

6. Snow leopards have built-in invisibility powers.

7. Their tails can do more than just wag.

8. There are houses, mansions, and then there's a snow leopard's habitat.

9. They're not that into snow. And they're not that leopard-like.

10. These cats got monks watching their backs.

11. Snow leopards are rapidly depleting.

Snow leopards play a pivotal role in the circle of life. And they need our help.

Moringa is known as 'The Miracle Tree,' and its powers are spreading worldwide.

Put it on a salad or drink it in a cocktail. Moringa is about to be everywhere.

Would you know if you had treasure in your own backyard?

The moringa tree is an exciting and tasty solution to ending global hunger and poverty.

Hannah Mensah, a single mother of three, can send her kids to school because of her moringa trees.

Angkie Yudistia started a business to give the 37 million people in Indonesia who have a disability a chance at the training and skills they deserve.

Here are some lessons in starting a socially conscious business from someone who knows: Angkie!

Here's to female entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place, running a business, and proving to the world that they deserve a position of power.

Woman shares wedding album her mom made that’s making people crack up

Sweden’s landmark new proposal will stop the world from mixing it up with Switzerland

Her boyfriend asked her to draw a comic about their relationship. Hilarity ensued.

Parents share their kids' hilarious reactions to learning about how sex works

Astronaut shares the profound 'big lie' he realized after seeing the Earth from space

The longest — and probably largest — proof of our current climate catastrophe ever caught on camera.

asia

"The Daily Show" correspondent's comments were about Rishi Sunak's appointment as U.K. prime minister.

LGBTQ rights advocates won a major victory in Taiwan.

Taiwan is about to become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

The decision was met with an outpouring of tears, hugs, and cheers from LGBTQ people and their allies in Taipei.

The decision's implications for Asia as a whole are nothing short of monumental.

Taiwan's court ruling wasn't just another inevitable step toward equality — it actively rejected the forces of a bigger regional trend chipping away at LGBTQ human rights.

Compared to the rest of the cat pack, the mighty snow leopard is in a category of its own — a "cat-egory" if you will.

Here are 11 things you need to know about the cat they call the "ghost of the mountains":

1. Snow leopard sightings are rare — even for other snow leopards.

2. Rocks are their preferred mode of communication.

3. Their nostrils function kind of like heaters.

4. They essentially have pogo sticks for legs.

5. This ferocious-looking feline isn't actually so scary.

6. Snow leopards have built-in invisibility powers.

7. Their tails can do more than just wag.

8. There are houses, mansions, and then there's a snow leopard's habitat.

9. They're not that into snow. And they're not that leopard-like.

10. These cats got monks watching their backs.

11. Snow leopards are rapidly depleting.

Snow leopards play a pivotal role in the circle of life. And they need our help.

Put it on a salad or drink it in a cocktail. Moringa is about to be everywhere.

Would you know if you had treasure in your own backyard?

The moringa tree is an exciting and tasty solution to ending global hunger and poverty.

Hannah Mensah, a single mother of three, can send her kids to school because of her moringa trees.

Where her country only saw disabilities, she saw real people who have a lot to give. Here are the lessons she's learned along the way.

Angkie Yudistia started a business to give the 37 million people in Indonesia who have a disability a chance at the training and skills they deserve.

Here are some lessons in starting a socially conscious business from someone who knows: Angkie!

Here's to female entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place, running a business, and proving to the world that they deserve a position of power.